Out-of-state Dem Govs with 2028 ambitions are working to boost TN U.S. House candidates

Two Democratic governors with presidential aspirations are spending money and time in Tennessee to boost the party’s U.S. House candidates ahead of the November midterm election.

​Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political action committee, PAC, Ready for the Fight, has purchased around $1.6 million in television advertisements in Nashville and Memphis over the next four weeks, according to a Lookout analysis of Federal Communications Commission public inspection files.

Ready for the Fight has raised $20 million from Pritzker, a Democrat, according to Politico. The group’s ad attacks Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor in his Tennessee 9th U.S. Congressional race against Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson.

“The new ads are part of Ready for the Fight’s commitment to compete aggressively in places Democrats too often write off,” said PAC officials in a news release.

While Pritzker is spending in the state, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear visited Tennessee earlier this week to endorse Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in his campaign for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. A Nashville fundraiser Beshear headlined for Molder raised about $130,000.

​Both Pritzker and Beshear are considered potential Democratic Party presidential candidates in 2028. They are trying to boost the party’s chances of winning a congressional seat in Tennessee despite an unfavorable map.

​Tennessee state lawmakers redrew the state’s U.S. House map in May at President Donald Trump’s urging. The goal was to eliminate the last Democratic-held Tennessee congressional seat in Memphis by splitting the majority Black city across three House seats.

​The new map created nine districts that Trump won by 20 percentage points each in the 2024 election, with analysts favoring Republicans to win all nine of the new districts.

​Erin Covey, head of the Cook Political Report’s U.S. House rating, previously told the Lookout that even in an environment where the Democratic Party sees a national blue wave, picking up any of Tennessee’s congressional districts would be difficult.

Democrats face uphill battle in winning any Tennessee U.S. House race

​But Covey added that the party’s best shot in Tennessee would be the 5th, where Molder is running against Republican former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, and the 9th.

​“Democrats are running serious campaigns that have raised a lot of money and have enthusiasm,” Covey said.

The Ready for the Fight advertisement attacks Taylor for supporting Trump’s war in Iran, while praising Pearson.

Taylor said the advertisement showed he’s the frontrunner in the race.

“Justin Pearson is a far-left Democrat Socialist just like Pritzker,” said Taylor. “Pearson’s specialty is communism. Mine is common sense.”

Pearson didn’t respond to a question about the advertisement.

​The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, DCCC, has put both the 5th and 9th in its 2026 Red to Blue list of seats it plans to dedicate resources to as the party tries to regain control of the U.S. House.

​The DCCC has nearly four dozen House races on its Red to Blue list and would need to flip four seats while holding all its current ones to take the majority.

​Cook rates all nine of Tennessee’s congressional districts as solid Republican, the highest GOP favorability rating it gives when classifying the races.

Sam Stockard contributed to this report.