The next three weeks headed to November 3 will mean a dramatic increase in attack mail filling mailboxes and dramatic vitriol on the airwaves!! The latest example is a new mail piece hitting Marsha Blackburn from a group called American Exceptionalism Institute. (Some of her supporters have immediately complained about an out-of-state dark money group weighing in on the Tennessee Governor’s race, as they conveniently forget the out-of-state dark money groups that poured millions into attacking Marsha‘s primary opponent John Rose. Live by the sword, die by the sword.)
This is the same group that ran the Queen Pharma Mama ad against Marsha in the primary that was quickly pulled after failing to comply with new Tennessee regulations applicable to AI generated images.
Buckle up! The next three weeks will be very interesting!
MOLDER PROMOTES HIS POLL SHOWING HIM CLOSING THE GAP, SLIGHTLY, WITH HATCHER.
Democrat congressional candidate Chaz Molder claims he now trails Republican Charlie Hatcher in their 5th District battle by just five points, 41% to 46%, compared with 40% to 48% in the final days of August. With 11% still undecided, Molder says the race remains wide open.
According to Molder’s poll, voters who have recently seen, heard or read something about both candidates, the race is tied at 46%, even though those same voters favor a generic Republican by three points.
Impact Research, which has been pulling for other Democrats in Tennessee this year, conducted the survey September 28-October 1, 2026, among 552 likely general-election voters in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, using phone and text-to-web interviews. The overall margin of error is ±4.2 percentage points and is higher for subgroups. The prior poll was conducted Aug. 19-24.
Hatcher’s team points out that Molder has recently dropped $600,000 in television ads and has barely moved the needle in his favor and STILL trails. In fact, they note, Molder’s name ID is still below 50% (at 46%) despite his recent barrage of spending.
President Trump is visiting the district in Clarksville on Saturday which is expected to boost both Hatcher and Matt Van Epps, with both districts covering parts of Montgomery County. The Hatcher campaign just launched a positive ad promoting his ties to rural issues and agriculture which is a significant advantage for Hatcher over Molder.
A Hatcher strategist pointed out that they have not yet hit Molder with any comparative ads…yet.
THREE’S COMPANY! UPDATE: THE DEBATE IS ON…WITHOUT MARSHA. What a difference 24 hours makes. Just yesterday we pointed out that the Tennessee Press Association (TPA) was hosting a gubernatorial debate at MTSU on October 27 that Independents Lauren Pinkston and David Hatley had agreed to attend.
Republican nominee Blackburn has consistently declined to participate in any debates, both during the primary and now general election. Democrat Green also declined to participate in the TPA sponsored debate in a pointed press release on September 28.
Yesterday evening Green reversed course and now has indicated that she WILL participate in the TPA sponsored debate!
“Jerri Green is ready and eager to debate the issues and contrast her vision for Tennessee’s working families with her opponents. She has accepted the Tennessee Press Association debate on October 27th and looks forward to a robust discussion on how we lower costs, strengthen our schools, and make Tennessee government work for everyday people.”
The TPA will stream the debate so voters across the state can watch. Details should be forthcoming soon.
Steve Gill is editor and publisher of TriStar Daily.
