“If you think the story has a sad ending, it’s because it’s not over yet.”
― Emily Henry, Beach Read

Let’s step out of the schoolhouse for a moment and talk politics.

You may know that Tennessee is in the middle of a governor’s race.

Early voting for the August 6 primaries started this week. But if you read the paper, listen to the radio, or occasionally peruse the socials, you might get the impression that the race just started.

It didn’t.

Tennessee is a pretty red state. It wasn’t always that way, but Republicans have dominated state politics for roughly the past 15 years. The party now controls the governor’s office, both chambers of the General Assembly, both U.S. Senate seats and eight of the state’s nine congressional districts.

That’s not a majority. That’s ownership.

One of the driving forces behind Tennessee’s political transformation was the battle over creating a state income tax. Tennessee didn’t have one, didn’t want one and made it clear that anybody trying to create one was going to pay a political price.

There was all kinds of drama surrounding that battle, including protesters circling the Capitol in their cars and honking their horns. At one point, the doors to the legislative chamber were opened to the public.

One of the lawmakers who built her political identity during that fight was Marsha Blackburn.

Blackburn went on to serve in Congress and then became the first woman elected to represent Tennessee in the United States Senate. In that role, she became a consistent and enthusiastic supporter of President Donald Trump, who remains extremely popular in Tennessee.

Now 74 years old, Blackburn is ready to come home and put the finishing touches on her political career as governor of Tennessee.

None of this should be a surprise.

Her intentions have been on the record for at least a year, and her interest in the job was widely discussed long before she made an official announcement. When she finally entered the race last August, she immediately became the overwhelming favorite.

The only surprise is that some folks are acting surprised.

For most of the past year, there has been some grumbling about the race, but it has basically remained a low rumble. What was there to talk about when Blackburn was sitting on a commanding lead and possessing statewide name recognition that none of her opponents could match?

Some people hollered that she should debate her Republican opponents.

But with the kind of lead she held, why would she?

There is no political benefit for Blackburn to debate. There are only potential pitfalls. A debate might be good for voters and good for democracy, but campaigns are rarely designed around what is good for voters or democracy.

Campaigns are designed to win.

I had one political operative tell me that the primary reason Blackburn’s opponents were calling for a debate was to publicly pin her down over her response to January 6 and whether she had been sufficiently supportive of Donald Trump.

That may also help explain why Trump has not officially endorsed her in the race.

Being forced to defend that record might create problems for Blackburn in a Republican primary. In a general election, however, a little distance from January 6 could actually help her.

That’s politics. The answer changes depending on who is asking the question.

Over the last couple of weeks, what had been a rumble has become considerably louder. Some of that noise has come from Blackburn’s own missteps, including a bizarre campaign ad about China in which she smashed fortune cookies inside a Chinese restaurant.

Because apparently the road to the Tennessee governor’s office now runs through the appetizer section at P.F. Chang’s.

The ad was supposed to demonstrate toughness toward China. Instead, it created a round of headlines and social-media mockery. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell even responded with his own fortune-cookie video, prompting another response from Blackburn.

If nothing else, we now know the campaign has reached the mature policy-discussion stage.

But most of the sudden attention seems to be coming from people who have only recently discovered that Blackburn is running.

There are a fair number of Tennesseans who can’t stand Marsha Blackburn. Most of them live in the state’s urban areas, where her politics and style are viewed considerably differently than they are in rural Tennessee.

Over the years, I’ve come to the realization that it is better to be hated than ignored.

Hatred still represents engagement. It means people know who you are, understand what you stand for and are motivated by your presence.

Being ignored is political death.

That presents a problem for Blackburn’s Republican opponents, U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts.

Both men have struggled to break through Blackburn’s enormous advantage in name recognition. They may be good dudes to sit beside at a church supper, but as statewide political candidates, they can appear pretty bland.

Well, as long as you don’t listen too closely to what they say.

In January, Fritts received national attention after calling for capital punishment for people involved in providing gender-affirming medical care to children.

“I think that anyone who would try to disfigure a child through hormones or surgery, you might be eligible to capital punishment.”

Fritts has also expressed some extremely restrictive views on abortion. He told NewsChannel 5 that he would criminalize abortion in every case—including pregnancies resulting from rape—and compared the punishment to that imposed on murderers.

He also said he opposes allowing rape victims access to the morning-after pill.

For the record, the FDA has clarified that emergency contraception prevents pregnancy. It does not terminate an existing pregnancy.

Fritts remains unconvinced.

Rose is a little more conventional, although politically he is not all that different from Blackburn. He has presented himself as a businessman, farmer and conservative outsider, despite having served in Congress since 2019.

Rose stood with Trump during the political fight surrounding January 6. He may not generate the kind of national headlines Blackburn does, but it is difficult to identify how his administration would differ significantly from another four years of Gov. Bill Lee.

Is there anybody out here in Tennessee clamoring for another four years of Bill Lee?

Personally, I don’t think so.

That doesn’t mean Tennesseans will reject it. We have a long and proud history of complaining about state government before voting to preserve it exactly as it is.

On the other side, Democrats appear to be rallying around Memphis City Council member Jerri Green.

By all accounts, Green is a smart, accomplished and wonderful woman. She is an attorney, former public defender and advocate for working families.

But roughly half of Tennessee Republicans view Memphis as part of Mississippi, while the other half view it as a failed city whose problems might somehow become contagious if they drive too far west on Interstate 40.

Are those voters really going to hand the keys to the state to a Memphis City Council member?

Green may win the Democratic primary, although she is not the only Democrat on the ballot. But without peeling away a meaningful number of Republicans and independents, she is destined to become another good person placed in an unwinnable race by the Tennessee Democratic Party.

Her name will be forgotten by most voters within a year.

At some point, Democrats are going to have to invest early—and heavily—in candidates capable of building a statewide organization. You cannot wait until the Republican nominee is virtually selected and then begin searching the couch cushions for campaign money.

It’s not like Democrats lack viable alternatives.

In the state House alone, you have lawmakers such as Bob Freeman, Vincent Dixie and John Ray Clemmons who could mount credible campaigns with sufficient planning and financial support.

Over in the Senate, Jeff Yarbro could be a formidable candidate if he laid off the sound bites, embraced the larger picture and started building a statewide campaign before the ballots were printed.

You’ve got to win elections before you can make changes.

That sounds obvious, but Tennessee Democrats often behave as if winning would somehow compromise their principles.

As it stands, the party has chosen to resemble the Chicago Cubs of my youth: longtime, lovable losers with one championship in about 70 years.

Being a lovable loser is easier than winning championships. Expectations remain low, the checks keep coming and nobody is held responsible for the final score.

So let’s embrace our role and cash the checks.

If you remain unconvinced, follow the money. More than $21 million has flowed into the governor’s race, with Blackburn and Rose holding enormous financial advantages over every Democrat. Blackburn raised a record-setting $5.5 million during her first five months alone, while Rose entered the campaign with millions that included a substantial personal loan.

The exact totals change with each disclosure, but the central fact does not: Republicans are funding a statewide heavyweight fight while Democrats are passing around a collection plate.

Bottom line, getting worked up about Marsha Blackburn three weeks before the primary is an exercise in futility.

I hate political anointments as much as the next guy. Voters deserve debates. They deserve detailed policy positions. They deserve something more substantial than fortune cookies, red hats and declarations about who loves Donald Trump the most.

But kicking and screaming works best before the ballots are printed.

At this juncture, the options have already been drastically narrowed.

That doesn’t mean you capitulate.

Just the opposite.

It means you fight for better candidates, stronger organizations and a Democratic Party capable of competing beyond Nashville and Memphis.

Starting right now.

JUST FOR THE RECORD

As I mentioned last week, Tennessee has updated its student report card with the 2025–2026 TCAP results.

Meh.

I’m not sure what the numbers mean—or what anybody is expected to do with the data—considering schools start back in roughly three weeks.

I don’t suspect many teachers are scrapping the lesson plans they spent the summer creating in order to rebuild everything around test results that arrived in the middle of July.

At best, these numbers are cocktail-party conversation fodder.

Though I must confess, I’ve never attended a social gathering among parents that involved an extended conversation about district-level proficiency rates.

Maybe I’m going to the wrong parties.

In case you are interested, the Tennessee Department of Education’s analysis tells us:

• In 30 districts, more than 50 percent of students met or exceeded expectations in all reported subjects.
• In another 78 districts, more than 40 percent met or exceeded expectations.
• A total of 86 districts increased proficiency rates in all reported subjects between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026.
• The dashboard currently includes English language arts, math and social studies. Science was excluded because it is in a standard-setting year.

Commissioner of Education Lizzette Reynolds celebrated the results:

“These district-level results showcase the commitment and hard work of Tennessee districts and educators in preparing students for success. By leveraging this data to guide decisions and strategic investments, Tennessee is prepared for the work that lies ahead as we continue to put our students first.”

Great.

The State Report Card can be found at ReportCard.TNedu.gov. Use the search bar in the upper-right corner to find your district, then select “2026 TCAP Results” from the menu.

If you are looking for individual student results, you’ll have to wait a little longer. The state says those will be available through the TCAP Family Portal later this month.

Because nothing says “actionable data” like delivering it after teachers have packed up their classrooms for summer.

MONEY IN, MONEY OUT

MNPS teachers are theoretically getting a raise.

The recently approved budget includes approximately $22 million for salary steps and cost-of-living adjustments—still short of what teachers requested.

The minimum salary for a full-time certified MNPS educator is now $53,610 for someone with a bachelor’s degree and $58,109 for someone with a master’s degree. That is moderately higher than Tennessee’s $50,000 minimum salary for a full-time teacher.

The MNPS budget includes $10.47 million to move eligible employees to their next salary step. All MNPS employees will also receive a 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment, costing approximately $11.7 million.

Health and pension expenses increased by another $15.38 million.

So while teachers may see a little more money printed on their paychecks, that doesn’t mean all of it will make it into their bank accounts.

Benefit costs are rising. Groceries are rising. Utilities are rising. Insurance is rising.

Nashville property taxes have risen as well. Mine increased by around $200. That’s fairly substantial, and it is worth remembering that the affordability problem doesn’t begin and end with teachers.

It affects bus drivers, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, police officers, firefighters, librarians and virtually every other city employee expected to serve Nashville while struggling to afford living anywhere near Nashville.

A 1.7 percent adjustment is better than nothing.

But “better than nothing” isn’t the same as keeping pace.

It ain’t cheap to live in Nashville.

It isn’t cheap to live in the surrounding counties either.

And unlike campaign money, nobody seems interested in raising $10 million to help the people actually doing the work.

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Categories: Education