New Poll: Jerri Green Closes Gap to Single Digits
September 17, 2026, 7:19 p.m.
MEMPHIS, TN — A major new independent poll released today reveals that the gubernatorial race has tightened dramatically into a single-digit race, with Democratic challenger Jerri Green surging to 42% against Marsha’s 41% when voters hear both of their bios.
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| Jerrie Green |
The findings confirm a massive and accelerating shift in voter sentiment. Since a Republican poll conducted by the Beacon Center, the race has shifted four points toward Green in just a matter of weeks. Most notably, Green has achieved a staggering 15-point surge since April, bucking expectations, and completely transforming the trajectory of the election.
Key highlights from the new independent poll include:
• A Single-Digit Race: Marsha is failing to break the 50% threshold, sitting at 45% while Green closes hard at 36%— a shrinking nine-point margin. The race has moved four points toward Green in just the last few weeks alone, with Green taking the lead 42% to 41% after voters hear both candidates' full bios.
• Vulnerable Frontrunner: Stuck at 45% a month after the primary, she is shedding voters instead of expanding her base toward a majority.
• Four-Month Surge: Green has gained an impressive 15 points since April, reflecting widespread grassroots enthusiasm and voter dissatisfaction with the status quo.
• The Background Check Tells the Story: When survey participants are given the opportunity to read both candidates' complete backgrounds and bios, Jerri Green takes the lead by one point, proving that the more voters learn about Green’s record, the more they want her as their next governor.
Voters are waking up to the fact that after 15 years of total GOP control of Tennessee, the status quo isn’t working for them. While Tennesseans have gotten poorer and sicker, the billionaires funding Marsha’s campaign have gotten richer, said Green’s campaign manager, Alex Hensley. Marsha is stalled out and failing to secure a majority, while Jerri's plans to lower costs, expand healthcare access, and fully fund public schools are resonating more loudly with voters every single day. This is officially a single-digit race, and once voters hear about Jerri's vision and track record, we win. |
With early momentum entirely on Green’s side, the campaign is calling on volunteers and supporters to keep spreading the word and help carry this unprecedented energy across the finish line on Election Day.
Jerri Green is a mom of three, Memphis City Councilwoman, and Chief Public Defender in Shelby County. A lifelong Tennessean, she was raised in Memphis, educated in Knoxville, and began her career in Nashville. Choosing Memphis as home, she’s fought for her community by championing the erasure of $17 million dollars in medical debt for Memphians, securing living wages for public employees, and making history as the first woman to win the nomination for governor by either party in Tennessee. She centers her campaign on public education, health care access, and getting corruption out of politics.
For more information, visit greenforgovernor.com.
