In a video posted on his campaign website, Fritts attempted to distance himself from fellow Republican gubernatorial candidates Congressman John Rose and Senator Marsha Blackburn by pledging to oppose what he calls the “Nashville establishment.” 

In an interview with the Tennessee Firefly’s On the Fly podcast, Rose said he’d be open to tweaks to assessments and evaluations, but believes the state should “keep on keeping on” with both systems that polling has shown Republican voters support.

Blackburn told supporters she plans to do four things “extremely well” if elected governor - keep taxes low, simplify licensing requirements, ensure government regulation is light, and provide businesses with a well-trained workforce.

The program, frequently referred to as vouchers, is providing 20 thousand children with tax dollars to pay for private school expenses, and Blackburn says it will be a key part of her education policy if she’s elected governor next year.

The Beacon Center says 66 percent of respondents said they support Blackburn compared to the 14 percent who chose Rose. 19 percent of voters were undecided.

Blackburn promised to make Tennessee America’s number one “job-creating, energy-producing powerhouse” and highlighted her support for President Trump and his priorities on multiple issues including school choice and illegal immigration.

Blackburn announced she’s sponsoring two bills to revoke the NEA’s charter and prevent it from lobbying the federal government.

The 6th District Congressman additionally loaned $5 million of his own money to his campaign war chest.

Rose announced his run for governor last March and told attendees at the event that Tennessee needs a governor who’s an “energetic executive” with “real experience” running an organization.

County commissioners could use new legislation to align school board races with other county elections, even if that meant shortening some board members’ terms.

Legislation that prevents Tennessee counties from switching to a caucus for local partisan elections passed a House vote Monday and now heads to Governor Bill Lee, despite pushback from Republican Party leaders.

The lawmakers are proposing legislation that ensures every county that currently uses a primary for local partisan races continues to do so and prohibits them from switching to a caucus or convention.

The 6th district congressman made a commitment to appoint a commissioner for the Department of Education that has experience in a Tennessee classrom

Multiple news outlets along with the Republican Women of Williamson County reported that Rose announced he’s running for governor at a Wednesday event in Williamson County.

Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, took his name out of the running for the the 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial race by announcing he’s going to seek re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee wasted no time applauding President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of a former professional wrestling mogul to serve as the United States Secretary of Education.

Voters in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska have decisively rejected efforts to implement school voucher programs that would allow families to use tax dollars for private school enrollment.

Going into Tuesday night’s general election, Tennessee Democrats had high hopes of whittling into the Republican supermajority by winning a handful of House seats that are currently held by Republicans.  On the flipside, GOP leaders targeted growing their supermajority by flipping three Middle Tennessee seats currently held by Democrats.

Neither came to fruition, but one came close.

Last year, the Tennessee General Assembly attracted headlines when members held multiple hearings on the possibility of rejecting up to a billion dollars in federal education funding. Lawmakers ultimately didn’t go forward with that idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead. Republican House District 27 candidate Michele Reneau said in a recent interview that she’s open to the possibility of rejecting federal education dollars.

Over the course of their presidential campaigns, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have focused most of their rhetoric on their differences in topics relating to immigration policy, the economy, gun laws, and reproductive rights. However, the two candidates also have notable differences when it comes to education.