Vivian Jones
March 20, 2025

The 2026 race for Tennessee governor is on. 

U.S. Rep. John Rose became the first candidate to formally announce a bid for the governor’s mansion on Thursday, framing himself as the conservative outsider in the contest.

A crowd of several hundred hailed Rose as he launched his campaign for the Republican nomination alongside a 1944 John Deere tractor on the steps of the 4-H & FFA building at the Wilson County Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Lebanon.

Light sleet was falling as Rose took the podium to the strains of Craig Morgan’s “International Harvester,” with his wife, Chelsea, and young sons Guy and Sam standing behind him.

“Today, as a grateful descendant of fearless Tennessee pioneers and as an eighth generation farmer, I humbly announce my candidacy for governor of the state of Tennessee,” Rose said.

Rose, R-Cookeville, has said his priority as governor would be to safeguard the state’s low taxes, low debt, low regulations, and Christian values won by years of strong conservative leadership. He points to his experiences as a private businessman and seasoned farmer as qualifiers that will set him apart in the race.

“Tennessee’s heritage should not be left in the past, though it should live in our future,” he said. “It’s up to us to maintain the character of this great state and to grow wisely.”

A family farmer and IT businessman, Rose has served in Congress since 2018, when he was elected to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Diane Black, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP gubernatorial nomination that year. Rose was previously Tennessee’s Commissioner of Agriculture, and state chair of the Future Farmers of America.

During his speech, Rose framed his family’s agricultural heritage as part of Tennesseans’ legacy of opportunity, service, and faith in God.

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