Tennessee lawmakers eye Blackburn's Senate seat as she enters 2026 gubernatorial race

Two Tennessee Republican lawmakers are already weighing Senate bids to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn, hours after she announced on Wednesday that she was running for Tennessee governor next year. 

Blackburn, who was most recently reelected to the upper chamber last year, is seeking to replace Tennessee's term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Lee, but will need to face Rep. John Rose in the GOP primary. 

Reps. Tim Burchett and Andy Ogles have both confirmed to The Hill that they are interested in replacing Blackburn if she becomes governor. Whoever replaces Blackburn would serve the remainder of her term, under Tennessee law.

“Definitely interested in it," Ogles said. "I’ve expressed my interest."

Burchett said he has not spoken to Blackburn about replacing her so far, but noted that the pair have a long friendship that dates back to when they served in the state Senate together.

“We sat beside each other in the state Senate. Literally, she was on my right hand, I was on her left. We’ve had a great friendship,” Burchett told the outlet.

Neither lawmaker has officially declared their candidacy so far. 

Blackburn is the latest Republican lawmaker to announce a bid to lead their home state next year. South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace announced on Monday that she is running for governor of her state.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.