First-term Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, who has developed a reputation in the council for diligence and ingenuity, is aiming for higher office. She told The Tennessee Journal this week that she intends to “shake things up” as a candidate for governor in 2026.
Green, a Democrat, told the Journal, “For me, our government at the state level especially, is lacking in compassion and common sense and courage, and I feel like I have to do something, and so I’m planning to challenge Marsha Blackburn in the fall.”
Though Blackburn, an incumbent U.S. senator and a Republican, hasn’t formally announced for governor yet and, in fact, is apparently still receiving contributions in her Senate campaign fund, she is widely regarded as a sure bet to run for governor, having previously advertised her interest in the prospect. The only formally announced Republican so far is 6th District state Representative John Rose.
“I’ve lived in Knoxville. I’ve lived in Nashville. I live in Memphis,” Green told the Journal. “I don’t know if anybody ever running for governor has done that. I am sure that they are going to try to paint a picture of me as a liberal from a blue city and all of that, but I’m just a mom, a working mom, and I want to change the future because my future is my flesh and blood.”
The emphasis on being a mom is a reminder of a slogan Green used in a 2020 race against incumbent state Representative Mark White. She billed herself then as “One Tough Mother.”
She told the Journal she would support “paid family leave, affordable healthcare, living wages, unions, and environmental protections as well as work to combat gun violence.”
Green currently serves as deputy chief of staff to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. She has previously served as executive director of Memphis’ Community Legal Center, as professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and as a public defender.
In her council role, she was widely credited with unearthing potential budget sources to pay for pay raises for city employees.
• The state Registry of Election Finance has approved adjustments that clear former Memphis state Representative John DeBerry of lingering potential imbalances in his former legislative campaign account. DeBerry, who served as a Democrat in the legislature, is now a senior adviser in the cabinet of Republican Governor Bill Lee.
Meanwhile, the Registry is working with Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. as Smiley strives to reduce a $117,500 debt remaining from his unsuccessful 2022 campaign for governor.
Registry attorney Lauren Topping says Smiley, now an announced candidate for Shelby County Mayor in 2026, has been raising money to pay off his gubernatorial campaign debt.
Reductions so far include a forgiven debt owed to a company which has since gone out of business and $70,000 owed to a former staffer which the staffer has waived her entitlement to.
The Registry has agreed to keep the matter open as long as Smiley continues to make progress in paying down the debt, but he could face a civil penalty if he doesn’t complete the process before the May 2026 Democratic primary for county mayor.
• Former state Senator and Chancellor Jim Kyle, now retired from his Chancery position because of complications relating to CDIP, a neuropathic disorder, sends regards from the Summit of Germantown, an assisted-living environment and his current domicile.