The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee published results of its poll on Wednesday revealing how registered Tennessee voters would vote in the 2024 presidential and senate general election races.
The right-of-center think tank polled 1,197 registered voters in the Volunteer State from March 15 to April 2.
In the 2024 presidential election, the poll shows former President Donald Trump with a 25-point lead (58 percent-33 percent) over incumbent President Joe Biden in a head-to-head matchup in the Volunteer State.
However, when Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. is added to the choices, Trump’s lead shrinks to 20 points over Biden (48 percent-28 percent) with RFK Jr. pulling 15 percent of the vote.
Trump’s head-to-head matchup lead against Biden in Tennessee is at its lowest point since the Beacon Center started releasing its polls last July.
As for the 2024 Senate race, U.S. incumbent Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) leads Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) by 16 points (45 percent-29 percent) while 26 percent of voters remain undecided.
Blackburn’s lead against Johnson has decreased four points since the Beacon Center’s October poll.
“While Senator Blackburn does maintain a clear advantage with her 16-point lead, there are some signs of hope for the Johnson campaign. In addition to her healthy lead in the Democratic primary, Johnson has made some inroads since our October poll, cutting Blackburn’s lead by four points. Additionally, many Tennesseans have yet to tune into the Senate race, leaving a significant 26% of general election voters undecided. With that being said, Senator Blackburn’s strong approval rating (+13%) and Tennessee’s conservative tilt make her a heavy favorite to retain her Senate seat,” Beacon spokesperson Mark Cunningham said in a statement.
In the 2024 Democrat presidential primary, Johnson leads Marquita Bradshaw, who was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, by a huge margin of 31 points (38 percent-7 percent).
Wednesday’s poll also asked likely voters about the job performance of Tennessee’s three statewide elected officials – Governor Bill Lee, Senator Blackburn, and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN).
Lee’s popularity among voters is favorable as a total of 48 percent approve of his job performance while only 28 percent disapprove.
Tennessee voters also approve of the job performances of both senators, as Blackburn’s job performance has the overall approval of 41 percent of Tennesseans while 34 percent approve of Hagerty’s job performance.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Donald Trump and Sen. Marsha Blackburn” by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
Marsha Blackburn works harder than almost any member of the Senate. Her record is stellar and the work she has done for Tennessee is outstanding. She believes in our Constitutional right to bear arms, unlike her opponent who would impose California gun laws on the people of Tennessee. A vote for Johnson is a vote for National Socialism. Trust me, the people of Tennessee would not like their civil liberties stripped from them. Vote Blackburn and save our patriotic State of Tennessee!
The silk stocking faux conservatives would rather re-elect Traitor Joe and maintain their financially motivated self interest than support President Trump. Throughout the state they are attacking anyone the speaks up. They believe in appeasement over liberty, freedom the rule of law.