Aaron Gulbransen, political operative and founder of the Tennessee Conservatives Coalition, said U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) comparing his opponent in the 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial race, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), to Jeb Bush is “bizarre” and “dumb.”
On Thursday, Rose’s campaign manager, Chris Devaney, responded to a new poll showing Blackburn with a commanding 66 percent-14 percent lead over Rose among registered GOP primary voters by suggesting that early frontrunners on campaign trails often fail, before invoking Jeb Bush as an example.
“The campaign trail is littered with failed candidates who were front runners – ask Jeb Bush. John Rose will be working to earn Tennesseans votes over the next year in the real poll: Election Day,” Devaney said in a statement to The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy.
Gulbransen dismissed the analogy as politically tone-deaf and out of touch, arguing that Blackburn’s deep ties to Republican voters going back to her days in the Tennessee General Assembly and her close alignment with President Donald Trump make her the clear frontrunner in the gubernatorial race.
“Marsha Blackburn has clearly formed the deepest relationship with the Republican voters of Tennessee. She’s probably the most hated person by the radical left of the state because of everything that she’s done. Marsha is responsible for the fact that we do not have an income tax in this state,” Gulbransen explained on Thursday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
“Also, what these results tell me, which is also the truth, is Marsha Blackburn is the most closely aligned with President Trump…There is no one under the sun – let’s be very clear, in the entire state of Tennessee – that has done more for the conservative movement, the America First movement, than Marsha Blackburn, and the voters clearly know this,” he added.
To Devaney’s comment comparing Blackburn to Bush, Gulbransen said it was “the dumbest thing” he had ever heard and suggested that such a statement reflects poor campaign judgment.
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard…Throwing a shot that doesn’t land doesn’t make any sense to me,” Gulbransen said.
Gulbransen further pointed out that it signals desperation if Rose’s team continues resorting to pushing “ad hominem crazy attacks” against Blackburn.
Instead, Gulbransen emphasized that a smarter response from Rose’s campaign would have been to respectfully acknowledge Blackburn’s strong record while committing to run a competitive race.
“Your response is supposed to be the following: We look very much forward to a spirited campaign. We are going to work hard to earn every vote. Marsha Blackburn does have a great record representing Tennesseans, but we’re going to outwork her and blah, blah, blah. That’s what you should say,” Gulbransen said.
With regard to the Beacon Center of Tennessee’s poll showing Blackburn with a 52-point lead over Rose, Gulbransen argued the numbers clearly indicate that Rose has no viable path to victory, suggesting that anyone advising the congressman to stay in the race may be more interested in keeping their campaign salaries than winning a race.
“In the business, what we usually say when you’re faced with these poll numbers is it’s time to consider dropping out of the race because you don’t have a chance. You also then look at the people giving political advice, and frankly, if anybody’s telling John Rose to stay in this race, they’re probably just looking at keeping a campaign salary going on,” Gulbransen said.
“Frankly, anybody other than Marsha Blackburn is a minor candidate. [Rose], with 14 percent in what amounts to be a two-way race, in reality, is not a serious contender,” he added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Blacburn talks a great game (in fact she has never met a camera that she did not like) but frankly I consider her weak because she touts all the bills she comes up with but they rarely see the light of day. But frankly, she would be an improvement over the current and previous governors who seemed to have bought the title.