Tennessee's major candidates for governor should debate. That's the overwhelming sentiment from more than 300 responses to a recent Tennessean opinion poll.
With 40 days remaining before the Nov. 3 general election, Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn and Democratic nominee Jerri Green still have not debated or publicly outlined their competing visions for Tennessee after Gov. Bill Lee leaves office.
Green and independent candidates David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston have asked Blackburn to debate, but so far the U.S. senator has declined.
Earlier this week, Hatley announced on social media that he would donate $1 million to three charities if Blackburn agreed to debate him Oct.
8 in Nashville. Green responded on Facebook:
“As soon as David writes the checks and gives them to these charities, I’m happy to embarrass him and Marsha on October 8th.”
What the poll asked
The Tennessean.com opinion poll question asked the following:
Tennessee's major-party candidates for governor have not participated in a televised debate. What do you think?
- Voters deserve a debate before Election Day.
- A debate would be helpful, but it's not essential.
- A debate would not influence my vote.
- I don't have an opinion.
We then asked respondents a follow-up question: Why do you feel that way?
The verdict wasn’t close
Of the 307 responses, 96% selected "Voters deserve a debate before Election Day."
Only 1.3% chose "A debate would be helpful, but it's not essential," while 2.6% said a debate would not influence their vote. No respondents selected "I don't have an opinion."
The majority believe candidates should debate to show how they plan to serve Tennessee voters. Candidates are not required to debate, but many respondents said it is their civic responsibility to do so. As Aaron Rose of Old Hickory said, “It shouldn't be too much to ask to do an interview before getting a job and this is no different.”
Not everyone agreed
We also received responses from those in the extreme minority, including a few who felt “A debate wouldn’t influence their vote” and that it wouldn’t make a difference:
I believe both U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Memphis City Council member Jerri Green are highly qualified and very competent. But their differences on policies mean a debate would not influence my vote. I wouldn't waste my time watching a debate even if they had one. – Bob Giramma, Gallatin
The candidates could not be clearer on the main issues. Also, extreme radicals would come to the event attempting to intimidate and disrupt Blackburn. – Bob Bates, Murfreesboro
Democrats have no vision for this nation except to expand the power of government and let illegals into our country. – Wade Charnock, Clarksville
Here’s one response from someone who checked the “A debate would be helpful, but it’s not essential” box:
Some people are good at debates, some aren’t. That doesn’t prove anything. – Herschel Collier, Cleveland
Why voters want candidates on stage
Most respondents supported a debate, and there were far too many comments to include them all. However, these capture the themes we heard most often:
If a candidate refuses to go on the record and express their views directly to constituents, they do not deserve to hold office. – Alexandra Thompson, Union City
Any politician who refuses to debate their opponent is disrespecting the constituents whose voices they are supposed to represent. People deserve to see the candidates on stage, defending their positions on the issues voters care about, so people can make informed decisions. – Savannah Trent, Nashville
You want the highest office in the state. You should be required to stand before the people you want to represent and answer questions that matter most to us. You should be required to face your opponent and debate the hard issues and prove your readiness for the job. To fail to do this is an act of arrogance and cowardice. – David Cummings, Murfreesboro
Candidates owe it to all the citizens they represent, not just their core supporters. We are tired of 15-second sound bites attacking each other, or people of color and defending one tired old man in Washington, D.C. whose ideas are wrecking our economy and have started yet another war in the Middle East. What are they going to do for those of us in Tennessee? What changes are they going to make in Nashville that will help us at the grocery store, the gas station, when we have to pay our taxes or rent? – John Hash, Johnson City
Candidates for public office should be willing and ready to have difficult conversations. If they can't debate now, how do we know that they will stand up for our best interests once elected? The top running independent should also be allowed to join. It's appalling that we didn't have debates in the primaries. – David Brady, Lewisburg
If a person cannot stand on stage, defend their record and explain their policies, then they are hiding from their failures. I don't vote for cowards running from responsibility. – Rose Wellman, Memphis
Tacuma R. Roeback is The Tennessean’s community engagement and opinion editor. Reach him at troeback@gannett.com or follow him onX, Bluesky orLinkedIn.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Governor candidates owe Tennessee voters a debate, poll says | Opinion
