Jerri Green seeks governor's office as Democratic nominee

Jerri Green, a Memphis City Council member and chief public defender, is the Democratic nominee for Tennessee governor in the Nov. 3 general election. She won the Aug. 6 Democratic primary with 69.2% of the vote, defeating four other candidates, according to WSMV.

Green faces Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn and multiple independent candidates, including Charles Van Morgan, Dave Seeman, David Hatley, Dean Brewer, Eddie Lee Murphy, Karl Knox Smithson, L. Webb Taylor, Lauren Pinkston, Misam Abidi, Ray Brown, Robert C. Vick, Victor L. Scoggin and Wendell Jackson, according to BallotReady election data.

The policy positions below are drawn from Green's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. They reflect the candidate's stated platform.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Residence: Memphis
Education: Bachelor's degree in English and political science, University of Tennessee (1999); juris doctor, Georgetown University (2003)
Family: Married to Patrick; three children: Beau, Vivienne and Wilder, according to Green's campaign website

Experience and public service

Green was elected to the Memphis City Council on Nov. 16, 2023. She serves as chairwoman of the Economic Development, Tourism & Technology Committee and vice-chair of the Transportation Committee, according to the council's website.

Green serves as chief public defender for Shelby County, a role she has held since 2026, according to BallotReady. She previously served as deputy chief of staff for Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, according to the council's website. She also served as senior policy advisor for Shelby County government from 2021 to 2024, according to BallotReady.

She served as interim executive director of the Community Legal Center from 2016 to 2021. She began her legal career as an assistant public defender at the Metropolitan Public Defender from 2003 to 2006, according to BallotReady.

Green was statewide election lead for the Tennessee Moms Demand Action chapter and past president of the Democratic Women of Shelby County, according to the Memphis City Council website. She was selected as a fellow for the Aspen Institute's Memphis Workforce Leadership Academy.

On the issues

Healthcare: Green said on her campaign website she would expand Medicaid to cover more working families and keep rural hospitals open. She said she would use $10 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding to buy up and erase predatory debt for more than 100,000 Tennesseans. She also said she would legalize marijuana medicinally and recreationally.

Education: Green said she would raise teacher pay, invest in universal pre-K, special education and rural schools, and expand access to school counselors and nurses. She said she would create a dedicated childcare and early education fund for lower-income households.

Gun policy: Green said she would require universal background checks, implement red flag laws, provide free gun locks and safe storage education statewide, and close domestic violence loopholes. Green said she started Shelby County's first free gun lock-by-mail program, which she said was later adopted statewide as part of the Safe Store Tennessee program.

Environment and energy: Green said she would sign an executive order affirming the Tennessee Valley Authority must remain a public utility. She said she would invest in renewable energy, enforce clean air and water standards especially in marginalized communities, and protect Tennessee's rivers, forests, farmland and public lands from pollution and overdevelopment.

Housing and wages: Green said she would use $10 million in TANF funding to waive security deposits for 100,000 Tennessee families. She said she would use $50 million in TANF funding to clear the childcare waitlist. She said she supports paid family leave and a living wage.