NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee elected its first female governor Tuesday night in one of the closest races the state has seen in more than a century.
Marsha Blackburn defeated her opponent by just 2.5 percentage points — the closest margin in 130 years — to become governor-elect of Tennessee.
NewsChannel 5 took viewer questions directly to Blackburn in the hours after her victory, pressing her on two issues that dominated the race: the cost of living and infrastructure.
Cost of living
Blackburn made the cost of living a centerpiece of her victory speech Tuesday night. "Tennesseans are struggling right now, we all are," Blackburn said on stage at The Pinnacle in Downtown Nashville. "This is something I'm going to ask the General Assembly to work with me on — the cost of living."
When pressed for specifics, Blackburn outlined several ideas she plans to bring to lawmakers. "Some kind of cap for seniors has been mentioned. Abatements for first-time homebuyers is an idea that is out there. Allowing, putting caps in place in which the General Assembly could do an amount that property taxes could be raised," Blackburn said.
She also mentioned using unused government property for workforce housing and cutting new construction costs, noting that permitting and regulation account for a significant share of building expenses. "27.5% of the cost of a new build construction is actually due to permitting and regulation," Blackburn said.
Infrastructure and road funding
Tuesday night, we also asked Governor-Elect Blackburn about how she plans to ease interstate and road congestion in Tennessee. "What we’re going to have to do is look at how we bring that infrastructure with our growth," said Blackburn in a media avail Tuesday night.
Tennessee is one of only a few states that does not borrow money for road construction, relying instead on a pay-as-you-go model. Road funding has struggled to keep pace with the state's growth.
NewsChannel 5 followed back up with Blackburn Wednesday morning asking how specifically she planned to find the funding when other Governors had struggled, Blackburn acknowledged the challenge. "It is hard to do that and to find those funds and we realize that and acknowledge that," Blackburn said.
Blackburn said she hopes to find additional funding through what she is calling a "Tennessee DOGE" effort to identify government waste. "Kind of see where we are. We think that's a good starting point," Blackburn said.
She did not commit to borrowing money for road projects but said she plans to work with legislative leaders on other ways to ease congestion. "I don't have all the answers today. The good thing is, we have chairmen in the general assembly who say we want to work with you on this," Blackburn said.
Senate appointment
Blackburn is expected to appoint her own replacement in the United States Senate. That person would serve for two years until a special election in November 2028. Blackburn declined to say who she is considering for the appointment.
Do you have questions for the Governor-Elect or other lawmakers? Send Chris an email at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
