Why Will President Donald Trump Not Endorse Either Marsha Blackburn or John Rose in the Tennessee Republican primary for Governor

by Rod Williams, June 11, 2026 - It would be hard to find a higher-profile, more vocal sycophant for Donald Trump than Marsha Blackburn. Andy Ogles comes close, but he doesn't get near the Fox News attention that Marsha does. 

Now Marsha Blackburn is running for governor, and she has not won Trump's endorsement. Of course, it does appear Trump is more likely to punish disloyalty than reward loyalty. In the race for Tennessee's governor, both Republican candidates are Trump loyalists. So, so far Trump has chosen not to endorse in this race. Given Trump’s known unpredictability, there is some room for late endorsements, but currently, no official endorsement is in place. 

Both Blackburn and Rose have cultivated strong ties to Trump and alignment with his agenda. Blackburn leads in statewide polling and has accumulated campaign endorsements and funds, making her the primary favorite. 

Rose highlights his loyalty to Trump-era positions, including his votes against certifying the 2020 election. Despite that loyalty, I expected Trump to endorse Blackburn simply because she has gone out of her way to be a vocal cheerleader for Trump and because she is likely to win anyway, and I suspected Trump would endorse her and then claim it as a victory when she won. So why has he not endorsed her?

I have a close friend who is well-informed about Tennessee politics, and he offers this explanation. First, Trump got tired of Blackburn's constant begging for an endorsement. Apparently, she brought it up every time they talked. She became annoying.

Secondly, she seems to have committed to appoint Knoxville's Representative Tim Burchett to fill the vacancy that would be created by her leaving the Senate to become governor. The Trump administration opposes that. Despite Burchett being a Trump loyalist on most things, it seems he is a debt hawk.  Being an advocate of fiscal responsibility and advocating reducing the national debt used to be a standard Republican position, but not so much anymore. The Trump administration does not want another deficit hawk in the Senate. 

And thirdly, he is also an advocate of releasing the Epstein files, and we know Trump does not want another person in the Senate for whom that is an important issue. 

Tennessee’s Republican primary for governor is scheduled for August 6, 2026, with the general election set for November 3, 2026. Incumbent Governor Bill Lee is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. Whoever wins the Republican primary is almost certain to be the next governor.  

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