Responses received from candidates that will be on the November Ballot are listed. This is the list of certified gubernatorial candidates as identified by the Tennessee Secretary of State (alphabetical order) and contacted by TNVET. All candidates, that had viable email addresses, were initially contacted on May 26, 2026. Their responses to the questions are listed with date received. Only the responses to the questions are published. If the response to a question had multiple paragraphs these were combine into one for space saving. The websites of candidates have been provided if further information about their campaigns is desired (just click on the web link site name).
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? No, I am not a military veteran. I have not personally served in the armed forces, and I will never pretend to possess the firsthand experience of those who have. However, I deeply respect the sacrifices made by our service members and their families. Because I am not a veteran, I believe it is even more important that veteran voices have a permanent seat at the table. My administration would actively seek veteran leadership and input in shaping policy so that decisions affecting veterans are informed by those who have lived those experiences.
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans and Surviving Spouses. Yes, I support the proposed change to Tennessee’s reimbursement law and would work to identify and secure the funding necessary to implement it. If a veteran has become permanently and totally disabled in service to our nation, the conversation should not begin with what Tennessee can save. It should begin with what Tennessee owes. I believe government should err on the side of honoring commitments madeto those who have sacrificed the most. If current calculations are reducing benefits in a way that is inconsistent with the intent of the law, those inequities should be corrected. I would also direct a broader review of veteran-related benefits and tax policies to determine where Tennessee can do more. My goal is not merely to fix a formula. My goal is to make Tennessee the benchmark other states aspire to become.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery. Yes, I would support efforts to create sustainable, dedicated funding streams for veteran services and programs, including serious consideration of the proposed Veteran Lottery. What matters most to me is not the specific mechanism, but the outcome. Veterans deserve reliable resources for mental health services, emergency assistance, outreach programs, training opportunities, and support systems that improve quality of life. I am also interested in exploring broader and more innovative funding solutions, including elements of my proposed Tennessee Dividend Fund and other long-term wealth-building initiatives that can help Tennessee invest in veterans without placing additional burdens on taxpayers. Veteran support should not be viewed as an expense. It should be viewed as an investment in people who have already invested so much in all of us.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. Yes, I support establishing a comprehensive, state-regulated medical cannabis program in Tennessee. However, I also believe we should be willing to move even faster where possible. If Tennessee can create a pathway that allows veterans suffering from PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and other service-related conditions to access physician-supervised medical cannabis sooner than a broader statewide program can be implemented, then I believe we should seriously pursue that option while continuing to work toward statewide access. More importantly, I believe the conversation should be larger than medical cannabis alone. My focus is healing. Veterans deserve access to every legitimate, evidence-based treatment option available to help them recover, heal, and reclaim their lives. Medical cannabis should be one of those options. I also support expanded research and responsible evaluation of emerging therapies, including treatments such as Ibogaine and other promising approaches that may offer meaningful recovery opportunities for individuals who have not found success through traditional methods. My position is simple: when someone has sacrificed for this country and is suffering, our first question should not be whether a treatment fits within old assumptions. Our first question should be whether it can help that person heal. Tennessee should become a national leader in recovery, innovation, and compassionate healthcare—not a state that forces veterans to leave in search of treatment options available elsewhere.
Marsha Blackburn (R) – Multiple requests for answers submitted, none received. A new request was submitted to the Blackburn campaign on Aug 25, 2026
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? No, I am not a veteran. But I will look to our veterans on a regular basis to inform how we should be advocating on their behalf. I have a platform of policy ideas just for veterans, that has been formed in consultation with veterans.
Question 2. Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% disabled veterans/surviving spouses.Yes, absolutely. In my more than 100 stops across the state, I’ve met far too many veterans struggling to keep a roof over their head and put food on the table. Because of this, I’ve added reducing property taxes for veterans—and I believe this should be evaluated based on county assessed property values rather than the market value. As governor, I will prioritize the $6 million needed in the state budget to fully fund this long-overdue correction. Our veterans shouldn’t be shortchanged by a bureaucratic loophole, and my administration will work directly with the legislature to get this passed and funded.
Question 3. Veteran Lottery. Our veterans have given everything for our country, and ensuring they have top-tier support cannot wait for a future ballot measure. While a constitutional amendment is legally required to expand lottery games in Tennessee, I am committed to increasing funding for veterans’ services with or without a lottery program in place. My administration will take immediate action to strengthen mental health peer-counselor networks, renovate vacant state-owned housing into veteran-priority units, and eliminate small business start-up fees for transitioning veterans. I support exploring this amendment as a long-term funding tool, but my immediate focus is delivering concrete results for those who served as quickly as possible.
Question 4. Medical Cannabis. Yes, I absolutely support establishing a comprehensive, state-regulated medical cannabis program during the 2027 legislative session. There is growing Republican support for this common-sense solution, and while other Southern states have already stepped up to pass it, Tennessee is moving backwards instead. Our veterans deserve every available tool to treat chronic pain, illness, and PTSD, and providing this access is a proven way to expand their treatment options while reducing a dangerous reliance on opioids.
David Hatley (I) – Multiple requests for answers submitted, none received. A new request was submitted to the Hatley campaign on Aug 25, 2026
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? I am not. However, I have many friends and family that have served in the military for both our nation and our state.
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans/Surviving Spouses. I would support updating the property tax relief program for disabled veterans. Legislation such as HB0436/SB0651 would be a good start. It could be improved if it included an infl ation index rule similar to the rule for elderly low-income homeowners in TCA 67-5-702. After all, inflation has increased significantly since 2017, and the value of $175,000 then is equivalent to $241,500 now. My administration would introduce legislation that makes similar changes to those proposed in HB0436, increases the threshold to $250,000 and indexes it to inflation going forward.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery.I support the goal behind SJR 0614, which is to create more dedicated support for Tennessee veterans, county VSOs, mental health services, emergency assistance, outreach and training. But I do not support creating a new state lottery for veteran programs as the best or most reliable way to do that. Some research indicates that veteran-specific lottery tickets do not sell as well as other lottery products. Pennsylvania Lottery testimony said veterans-themed tickets in other states had underperformed compared with other lottery tickets, including examples from Kansas, Texas, and Illinois, and warned that dedicating retail space to lower-performing tickets could reduce total lottery revenue. In Tennessee’s case, that raises a real concern that a new veterans lottery could reduce money going toward general education programs and existing veteran-specific education programs already funded by lottery proceeds. Veterans deserve more than symbolic funding. They deserve predictable, accountable support. Rather than relying on whether a scratch-off ticket sells well, I would work with TNVET and the General Assembly to strengthen direct, dependable funding for veterans services. One immediate place to start is the Helping Heroes Grant, which is already funded through Tennessee’s lottery scholarship system and helps eligible post-9/11 veterans pay for education at Tennessee colleges and universities. I would support legislation to increase the grant amounts and expand eligible uses so veterans can also use the grant to attend a Tennessee College of Applied Technology. Currently, these grants are limited to $1,000 per semester for full-time students, $500 for part-time students, and are tied to associate and bachelor’s degree programs. I would also support creating a broader Tennessee Fund for Veterans’ Assistance through a more reliable funding model, with transparent grantmaking, anti-supplantation protections, administrative cost limits, annual public reporting, and clear priorities for county VSOs, mental health, emergency assistance, outreach and training. So my answer is: I support the goal behind the proposal, but I do not support relying on a new veterans lottery as the primary solution. Tennessee should build a stronger, more reliable veterans assistance system worthy of the people who served.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. I absolutely support Tennesseans’ right to use cannabis for medical purposes. Our neighbors Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and Virginia all allow access to medical marijuana in some form or fashion. The Trump Administration’s decision to reclassify cannabis dispensed under state-regulated medical marijuana programs to Schedule III could be a game-changer for veterans across the country. But the “red tape” introduced in HB1972 will now require the governor to work with the General Assembly to make this happen. My administration will partner with legislative leaders to make sure Tennessee veterans can benefit from these and other possible federal policy changes.
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? US Navy 1977-81
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans/Surviving Spouses. Yes. It should be assessed value, if that. After the property is paid for the tax should be zero. I am cutting the $50 billion dollar spending budget so there will be funds available for Veterans. The Tennessee lottery would be another good source for Vets.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery. Yes. The CEO of the Tennessee lottery salary is $653,434.00 which will be reduced more than half so some of that money will go to the Vets. I also will not take the Governor’s salary of $239,760.00 and will be donating it to the VFWs across the state.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. No. The government should stay out of the cannabis business. This should stay between the doctor and the patient.
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? I am not a military veteran, but I object to how we treat our Veterans, like my Grandfather, John. I have seen how hard he has had to fight just to get care for his heart, care he earned a long time ago. A person who served their country should not have to battle their own government to see a doctor. That stays with me. I do not pretend to know what it is like to wear a uniform, but I do aim to take care of those who do when elected to Office. I know what it is like to love someone and watch them get less than they were promised. That is the lens I would bring to this office, and it is why veterans’ issues are written into my plan from the start rather than added at the end.
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans/Surviving Spouses. Yes, to both halves of your question, and I will be specific, because veterans have heard the word “support” without a number behind it for too long, and that is well documented. First, the calculation. The state reimburses a disabled veteran for the property tax on the first part of their home’s value. But there is a catch in how the math is done. As home values rise in the years between county updates, that ratio shrinks the check, even though the veteran’s actual tax bill never changed. It’s unacceptable that a disabled veteran on a fixed income who budgeted for that reimbursement down to the dollar will open an envelope to find a smaller check for a reason nobody ever explained. One recent year that catch pulled more than four million dollars out of checks veterans had already earned. Every committee that took a vote on the bill to fix it passed it, without a single no, yet it stalled twice for one reason: no governor put the money in the budget. I will. The fix costs about six million dollars a year, and it goes in my first budget. Second, and this part is crucial… The fund these checks come from is running short. It also covers surviving spouses and low-income seniors, more than a hundred thousand Tennesseans in all, and the state’s own financial office says it needs ten to nineteen million dollars more than it has been given. If that fund runs dry, the law requires every check in it to be cut across the board. So, I will fund the calculation fix and put the whole program on solid footing, with steady, recurring money rather than one-time patches that buy a single year at a time. All told, that is roughly sixteen million dollars in my first budget, growing toward the high twenties in the years after as the need the state has already certified comes due. In a nearly sixty billion dollar budget, the money is there. This is a question of priorities, and veterans are one of mine. I will fix the calculation and the fund behind it before it runs dry.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery. I respect the intended purpose of this effort and I will not stand in its way. If this amendment reaches the ballot, the voters decide, and that is exactly how it should work. However, I must share my concern that a lottery is not a sufficient veterans funding plan, because when I looked hard at the numbers, they do not hold up. In most states that have tried a veterans lottery game, it brings in only a few million dollars a year. One big state does better than that, but it is a fraction of what Tennessee’s veterans actually need. And under this process, the first dollar could not arrive until around 2031. There is also a pattern worth knowing about: when a state sets aside lottery money for a good cause, that money often ends up taking the place of what the budget was already spending, so the cause finishes no better off than it started. Taking care of the people who served is a core promise this state makes, and core promises get paid for directly, out in the open, where you can hold me to them. My budget puts about twenty-four million dollars a year on average toward veterans services. Starting in my first year that would include service officers across all 95 counties held to one clear standard and measured by whether veterans actually get the benefits they earned, veterans trained to support other veterans in the rural counties that have the least help today, and mental health care a veteran can actually reach. That is real money on a real timeline, rather than waiting for a vote five years from now.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. Yes, without hesitation, and I will push to get it done in the 2027 session. A veteran living with chronic pain, or carrying the weight of what they saw in combat, should be able to sit down with their doctor and have every safe, proven option on the table. Right now Tennessee takes one of those options away before the conversation even begins. We can do this responsibly, the way working programs in other states already do it: real testing, clear labeling, honest rules about who qualifies and who provides it. No veteran should have to drive across a state line, or simply go without, to get medicine their own doctor would recommend. I will be honest that my own view goes a step further than this one question, but a medical program is where the need is most urgent and the agreement is widest, so that is what I will fight to get across the finish line.
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? I am not a military veteran. My 40-year career has been dedicated to serving Tennessee communities from within our public education system as a teacher, coach, and school administrator.
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans/Surviving Spouses. Yes, absolutely. It is fundamentally unjust that Tennessee’s current calculation formula penalizes our 100% permanently and totally disabled veterans simply because local real estate markets are rising. Deducting relief based on volatile “Market Value” shifts rather than standard county-assessed values breaks our promise to these families and costs them thousands of dollars. When 24 states entirely exempt these heroes from property taxes, Tennessee cannot afford to lag behind and chase veterans away to neighboring states. As Governor, I will not “kick the financial can” down the road. I will fully support the changes proposed in HB0436/SB0651. Furthermore, I will exercise executive leadership by prioritizing the projected $6 million cost directly within my administration’s annual Unified State Budget, ensuring our disabled veterans and surviving spouses receive the full, stable relief they earned.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery. Yes. I support SJR 0614 and the creation of a dedicated instant-ticket game to benefit the Tennessee Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (TNFVA). As a Christian Independent, I approach this issue with careful stewardship. What makes this resolution exceptional is its strict financial guardrails: it creates a completely voluntary funding mechanism, requires zero tax increases on Tennesseans, and strictly protects our existing K-12 and higher education lottery funds. By creating a dedicated revenue stream that cannot be raided for the general fund, we can provide critical grants for county service officers, emergency outreach, housing assistance, and mental health programs—which is one of the core pillars of my campaign. I will proudly support this resolution and sign the enabling legislation once Tennessee voters approve it at the ballot box.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. Yes, I will support a strictly regulated, highly clinical medical framework, but with firm boundaries against recreational legalization. My platform stands on a foundation of faith, compassion, and common sense. I am definitely and completely opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana—we do not need commercialized drug markets, retail pot shops, or the public safety risks they bring to Tennessee neighborhoods. However, scriptural and executive compassion dictates that we should not deny tightly controlled medical relief to those enduring severe suffering. If a licensed physician determines that a non-smokable, strictly regulated medical cannabis derivative is the most effective treatment to ease the pain of a veteran battling severe service-connected PTSD, a terminal cancer patient, or a child experiencing debilitating seizures, our state should provide a safe, legal pathway. As Governor, I would support establishing a medical-only program during the 2027 session, provided it mirrors a strict “pharmacy-only” or clinical model with heavy doctor-patient oversight, keeping products entirely out of standard retail storefronts and ensuring our communities remain safe.
Senate Races
Responses received from candidates that will be on the November Ballot are listed. This is the list of certified senatorial candidates as identified by the Tennessee Secretary of State (district order) and contact efforts made by TNVET. All candidates, that had published email addresses listed on either their campaign website or their campaign FaceBook page were contacted. However, if the email listed on the campaign site or FaceBook page was a state government office email listing (this was the case for some incumbents) TNVET did not send the questionnaire. We will not mix campaign inquiries with official state business addresses. Due to time constraints, priorty contact will be given to senate races with more than one candidate. Their responses to the questions are listed with date received. Only the responses to the questions are published. If the response to a question had multiple paragraphs these were combine into one for space saving. The websites of candidates have been provided if further information about their campaigns is desired (just click on the web link site name).
Responses received from candidates that will be on the November Ballot are listed. This is the list of certified senatorial candidates as identified by the Tennessee Secretary of State (district order) and contact efforts made by TNVET. All candidates, that had published email addresses listed on either their campaign website or their campaign FaceBook page were contacted. However, if the email listed on the campaign site or FaceBook page was a state government office email listing (this was the case for some incumbents) TNVET did not send the questionnaire. We will not mix campaign inquiries with official state business addresses. Due to time constraints, priorty contact will be given to senate races with more than one candidate. Their responses to the questions are listed with date received. Only the responses to the questions are published. If the response to a question had multiple paragraphs these were combine into one for space saving. The websites of candidates have been provided if further information about their campaigns is desired (just click on the web link site name).
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? I am not personally a veteran, but have numerous veterans in my family, including my grandfather who landed at Normandy and my uncle who flew over Bosnia.
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans/Surviving Spouses. Unequivocally yes, and I want to point out how this type of policy shows the Legislature’s hypocrisy, where they loudly proclaim their patriotism and support for veterans while doing little to nothing to help them. I perceive of the Democratic platform as trying to create a homeland fit for heroes, and is part of why I myself am a Democrat.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery. Yes. I suspect the ban is in part an understandable but still overblown reaction to Operation Waltz. Of course, there would need to be mechanisms to ensure nothing corrupt occurs, but given we have since legalized a more formal lottery, that is at this point basically a non-issue. The law needs to be updated, and I support doing so.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. I support legalization on a recreational basis so I certainly support allowing cannabis for medical issues, and therefore answer another unequivocal yes.
District 14
Jason Zachary (R) – Campaign website not functioning, no campaign contact email
Question 1: Are you a military veteran? No. My dad enlisted and served in the Air Force for 20 years, so I grew up on or near military bases.
Question 2: Property Tax Reimbursement for 100% Disabled Veterans/Surviving Spouses. Yes. Our state should do what it can to keep housing affordable of disabled vets and their families. On a personal note, my dad is a disabled vet and the property tax relief he has received has allowed him to be comfortably retired in the home he bought nearly 20 years ago after a long career of service. This reimbursement should be limited to one primary residence per family if it is not already.
Question 3: Veteran Lottery. Yes. Whether by lottery or another source of revenue, I support supplementing state veterans services, especially in rural areas where resources are often few and far between. As with any aspect of our public wealth, there should be a good amount of oversight regarding where the funds are going and whether they are being used effectively to help our veterans. Helping state run veterans’ services should take priority over third party or nonprofit programs.
Question 4: Medical Cannabis. Absolutely. I support medical cannabis legalization. I want it done the right way. To me, the right way prioritizes patient and small grower interests over corporate interests. Medical cannabis should be sold with a lower tax rate, fewer regulations on some growers, and patients should be allowed to grow a limited number of their own plants. It is one thing to legalize medical cannabis, it is another to prioritize patients over industry profit. I will prioritize patients.
Connie Casha (D) – The website attributed to this candidate appears to have been hacked. We have alerted the candidate to our findings. Candidate has been contacted with our questionnaire Sept 2, 2026
District 50
Bo Mitchell (D) – No state candidate campaign website or campaign contact email