Monty Fritts Gaining Steam in Tennessee Governor’s Race
Tennessee State Rep. Monty Fritts is gaining traction in 2026 gubernatorial race, with recent social media polling putting him ahead of his fellow Republican contenders.
Fritts, who entered the race in September 2025, became the latest major GOP candidate following campaign announcements from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) last year.
During an interview with The Todd Starnes Radio Show, Fritts said his track record and focus on limited government is what sets him apart from his two primary opponents.
“People are tired of career politicians,” he told Starnes. Listen to his full interview here.
“There’s a lot of people that just want to hear someone speak and say exactly what they think is the solution. And I try to do that,” he said.
An unofficial poll conducted on Facebook recently asked Tennessee voters who they would support for governor in November. Based on social media responses, Fritts was ahead of Blackburn and Rose.
The state senator said he’s proud of his score on The Freedom Index, a ranking system for federal and state legislators that analyzes their voting records on issues like limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a non-interventionist foreign policy.
The latest Freedom Index scores assigned Fritts a 94 and handed Blackburn and Rose scores of 68 and 73, respectively.
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Fritts said his campaign is about “keeping more money in your pocket, stop sending so many dollars to Nashville.”
“There’s an out-of-touchness in Nashville,” he told Starnes. “Our budget has grown like crazy in the last six years.”
After a Tennessee Lookout headline from September 2025 summarized his campaign — “East Tennessee Republican runs for governor to topple ‘Nashville establishment’” — Fritts said he agrees with that sentiment.
“I think seasoned career politicians either are opposing what President Trump is trying to do when he does something good, or they’re using his name a lot and really don’t support him. And I think people are sick of it,” he added.
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Categorized:politics