Marsha Blackburn

Democratic nominee Jerri Green asked independent candidate Lauren Pinkston to drop out of the Tennessee governor's race.

Green's campaign fears Pinkston could split the vote in a tight race against Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

Pinkston refused to withdraw, saying the request shows her campaign is having an impact on the election.

Green, independent David Hatley and Pinkston have called for gubernatorial debates. Blackburn has declined to participate in debates.

Jerri Green, the Democratic nominee for Tennessee governor, asked independent Lauren Pinkston to drop out of the election, but Pinkston told Knox News she refused and is repeating her call for a debate featuring the major party and independent candidates.

The race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Lee is crowded: In addition to Green and Pinkston, the Nov. 3 election features Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn and independent David Hatley, who has pledged to spend $20 million on his campaign, as well as 10 other independent candidates.

"We appreciate the Green campaign’s admission that this campaign is impacting the race for governor," Pinkston said. "If we weren’t making a difference, there would be no need for us to withdraw."

Green's campaign manager, Alex Hensley, told Knox News in text message that Democrats are in striking distance of Blackburn and the number of votes Pinkston is likely to win is small but significant if the race is tight.

"We respect Lauren and the hard-fought campaign she has run," Hensley said. Sept. 22. "However, both Republican and progressive-leaning independent polling consistently show her at 1%, while our race is within single digits.

"In a contest this tight, vote-splitting only serves to hand the election to a candidate bought by corporations and billionaires and who doesn’t answer to everyday Tennesseans. With just six weeks left, uniting behind Jerri Green is the only way to protect the future of our state. We hope Lauren will join us in putting the people of Tennessee first."

Green's campaign has been publicizing polling from The Progress Fund that showed Green capturing 36% of 600 "likely voters" compared with 45% for Blackburn, 10% for Hatley and 2% for Pinkston. The Progress Fund is funded entirely by Knoxville philanthropist and Democratic donor Phil Lawson, and the only candidate or cause The Progress Fund has donated to since it was created is Green.

Pinkston questioned the validity of the poll and repeated her focus on offering an alternative to the major party candidates.

"One poll, funded by a PAC supporting my opponent, that intentionally left me out of its questions and heavily skewed toward voters over age 50 does not convince me there is any path for Democratic victory on November 3," Pinkston said in a statement exclusively shared with Knox News.

"I did not enter this race to spoil the campaign of a minority party. I have worked incredibly hard every single day since November to disrupt a system of two extreme parties that no longer serve the people."

Green, with the backing of the state Democratic Party, raised $696,493 through July 27. Pinkston raised $247,682. Green has been a candidate since July 14, 2025, and Pinkston announced she was running Nov. 21, 2025.

Pinkston also criticized Green for not including independent candidates in her calls for a gubernatorial debate. Green has repeatedly called for Blackburn to debate her, but has excluded Pinkston and Hatley, the other independent with significant funding and the ability to mount a viable statewide campaign, in those calls.

"While other candidates seek to limit competition, I embrace it, because more candidates mean more choices for voters," Pinkston said.

Hatley, for his part, has challenged Blackburn and Green to a debate, but omitted Pinkston.“[Pinkston] isn’t showing up on anyone’s polling in any poll," said Hatley spokesperson Kurt Bardella. "Any debate that’s ever put on, there’s always a polling threshold. It’s nothing personal. Anyone has a right to run for office and stay in the campaign. The backroom maneuvering is why the Hatley campaign exists. The Democrats should focus on Marsha Blackburn more than anyone else. Keep your eyes on the prize.”

Pinkston has railed against the country's two-party system and what she says are politicians playing to the interests of lobbyists over those they represent. She's voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries, according to her website.

Though Green's campaign manager said Pinkston would take votes away from Green, Pinkston argues she's giving voters who don't want to support the major party candidates an option.

"The spoiler argument assumes the Democratic nominee would win without Lauren in the race," Pinkston's campaign "FAQs" page says. "But Democrats haven't won a statewide governor's race in Tennessee since 2006, and the coalition math hasn't changed enough to make this cycle different. Lauren isn't pulling votes away from a winning candidate. She's pulling votes from a race that was already going to the Republican under the current two-party setup. If every Tennessean who wanted an independent governor voted for one, the math would look very different."

Knox News contacted Blackburn's campaign for comment Sept. 22. The campaign sent YouTube clips of Blackburn explaining why she wouldn't debate Green, saying she doesn't want "to give air to a socialist candidate."

Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie