U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has pledged to support legislation requiring Tennessee voters to register with a political party in order to participate in that party’s primary elections if elected governor.
In a post published Wednesday on X, Blackburn argued that Tennessee should move to a closed primary system in an effort to prevent voters from participating in another party’s nominating contest.
“No more cross-party interference. No more diluting votes. No more exploiting the rules,” Blackburn wrote. “It’s time for Tennessee to close our primaries, and, as your governor, I’ll work with our legislature to do just that.”
No more cross-party interference. No more diluting votes. No more exploiting the rules.
It's time for Tennessee to close our primaries, and, as your governor, I'll work with our legislature to do just that. pic.twitter.com/IPlSMVzUeV
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 29, 2026
Blackburn’s comments come after legislation to require party registration for primary elections failed during the 2026 legislative session.
House Bill 1159, sponsored by State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mount Juliet), and Senate Bill 0831, sponsored by State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), would have required voters to designate a political party affiliation when registering to vote in order to participate in that party’s primary election.
Voters who chose to register as “Unaffiliated” would have been barred from voting in partisan primaries but could still vote in general elections.
The bill failed in the House State and Local Government Committee in March after months of delays. The Senate companion bill was assigned to a Senate committee subcommittee but did not advance before the General Assembly adjourned.
Current Tennessee law requires voters to be bona fide members of the political party whose primary they seek to vote in or to declare their allegiance to that party at the polling place.
State Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) said Blackburn’s support could improve the measure’s prospects during the 2027 legislative session.
“I voted to close primaries in committee but the bill failed,” Zachary wrote on X. “With [Blackburn] as Governor and having her support, we can get this done in ’27!”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Image “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn.Â
