Three gubernatorial candidates debate at MTSU

Three candidates for Tennessee governor took the stage at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on Tuesday to answer questions from voters. Democrat Jerri Green and independents David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston participated in the hour-long event. Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn did not accept the invitation to debate. She held a rally in Hendersonville instead.

The candidates presented their final plans to voters with seven days remaining until the midterm election. They discussed grocery and gas taxes, housing, childcare, and data center regulations. The debate focused on how each candidate would manage the state's budget and infrastructure challenges.

Jerri Green proposed abolishing the grocery tax and freezing the gas tax. She said she would raise wages and prioritize affordable housing. Green stated she would use state funds to clear the housing voucher list. David Hatley agreed on freezing the gas tax. He focused on helping developers build affordable housing. Hatley said the state should provide infrastructure grants to lower the cost of entering the home market.

Lauren Pinkston proposed expanding land trusts to protect government-owned land. She explained that local governments could place that land into a trust to build affordable homes. Pinkston also said she aims to add 50,000 childcare slots to Tennessee. This move would help residents find affordable care for their children. All three candidates agreed that the state needs guardrails for data centers. Pinkston noted that technology is outpacing the ability to legislate it. Green said multiple counties have passed moratoriums and that the state needs to get the laws right first.

The candidates criticized Blackburn's absence during the Q&A session. Hatley said the polls show Blackburn leading the race but that she was absent for the job interview for the highest job in the state. Green called it shameful that the only other person with a chance to win was not on stage. Green noted that Blackburn has been in Washington for over 20 years.

Blackburn addressed the debate question at her Hendersonville rally. She repeated a line she has used throughout the campaign. Blackburn said her team has met people across the state. She claimed they knocked on a million doors and made tens of thousands of phone calls. She told the crowd that they had a room full of people at the rally. Voters in Davidson County and across Tennessee will cast their ballots next Tuesday.

The debate aired on local television and was held in the MTSU auditorium. The three candidates spent the full hour answering questions about book bans and affordability. The event marked the last major public forum before election day. Blackburn's campaign continued its ground game in the East Tennessee city. The three debate participants left the stage as the clock ran down on the final week of the race.