NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For the first time in history, Tennessee could elect a woman as governor. Republicans selected Marsha Blackburn, while Democrats chose Jerri Green.
Jerri Green’s campaign slogan is “One Tough Mother.” She is a Shelby County public defender, Memphis City Council member and mother of three. Green was raised in Memphis, attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and began her legal career as a public defender in Nashville. She later moved back to Memphis, where she and her husband started a family.
Green says she got into politics because of the Sandy Hook school shooting. “I looked for a way to give back and I got involved with Mom's Demand and then it kind of grew from there, just being more active, talking to my legislatures and trying to figure out how I could change what I saw as a future I didn't want my children to have. And it became more than just gun legislation.”
Green says she wants to protect her daughters’ rights because they now have fewer rights than her grandmother did. She also says her youngest child is autistic and worries about what she describes as the dismantling of the Department of Education and the loss of protections that ensure every child can attend public school. She says she would fully fund public education instead of directing money toward school vouchers.
During her primary campaign, Green made 150 stops from Memphis to Bristol, visiting small towns and big cities across the state. She says she heard the same concerns everywhere she went: “groceries are too high, gas is too high.” “I'm afraid if I have to go to the hospital, I'll go bankrupt.” “Our schools are crumbling and they're taking money out of it.”
Green says, “People want to send their kids to a good school, have a job that pays enough so they can have a nice house, not anything special. And then hopefully someday their kids can do better than them. They want to have opportunities in their communities. And we just don't have that right now.”
Green says many Republicans have reached out to her because they are dissatisfied with leaders who have been in office for decades. On election night, Marsha Blackburn said “the Democrats are running to destroy our state and our nation.”
Green responded: “I don't think we're the enemy. I don't think the other side is the enemy. If people are looking for something different, then I hope they will come to us because we have just been ranked the most miserable state in the country to live in. And Republicans have had a super majority and a trifecta of the power, the Senate, the House and the Governor's office for decades. So ask yourself, in the last 2 decades, have your grocery prices gone down? Are your schools better? do you feel healthcare is more accessible and affordable? If the answer is "no" then you only have the people who've been in power to blame and it's time for a change. It's time for a check on their power.”
This story was reported 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.
