SAM STOCKARD

Sam Stockard

[email protected]

Sam Stockard is a reporter at the Tennessee Lookout. He is veteran Tennessee reporter and editor, having written for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, where he served as lead editor when the paper won an award for being the state's best Sunday newspaper two years in a row. He has led the Capitol Hill bureau for The Daily Memphian. His awards include Best Single Editorial from the Tennessee Press Association.

Report: State probing overdoses at Morgan County prison
Tennessee

Report: State probing overdoses at Morgan County prison

Aug 04, 2026
Sam Stockard
The Tennessee Department of Correction is believed to be investigating a series of overdoses at the Morgan County prison, based on reports from other media outlets. A spokesperson for the state declined to confirm the overdoses, saying only that the...
Gov predicts Tennessee will be a finalist for nuclear campus
Tennessee

Gov predicts Tennessee will be a finalist for nuclear campus

Aug 04, 2026
Sam Stockard
Gov. Bill Lee said Monday Tennessee has a “really good chance” at being one of two states in the running for a $50 billion nuclear energy campus but hedged on whether it would store nuclear waste. Speaking to the Nashville...
Stockard on the Stump: Dark-money complaint headed to Tennessee Election Finance Registry
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: Dark-money complaint headed to Tennessee Election Finance Registry

Jul 31, 2026
Sam Stockard
Better late than never, Tennessee’s campaign finance watchdog will take up a sworn complaint against a dark-money group that’s been pounding U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn with a TV ad calling her “queen pharma mama.” The Registry of Election Finance is...
Blackburn backer seeks investigation into dark-money ads against gubernatorial candidate
Tennessee

Blackburn backer seeks investigation into dark-money ads against gubernatorial candidate

Jul 29, 2026
Sam Stockard Adam Friedman
A surrogate for Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn has filed a sworn complaint with the state’s campaign finance watchdog seeking an investigation into a dark-money group running TV ads calling the U.S. senator “queen pharma mama.” Chip Buck of Pall...
Blackburn goes after dark-money group calling her ‘queen pharma mama’
Tennessee

Blackburn goes after dark-money group calling her ‘queen pharma mama’

Jul 28, 2026
Sam Stockard
Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and her gubernatorial campaign are demanding a dark-money group pull a TV ad that calls her “queen pharma mama” and infers she took money to pass federal pharmaceutical law. Attorneys for Blackburn notified officers with...
Candidates bank on endorsements as primary draws near
Tennessee

Candidates bank on endorsements as primary draws near

Jul 28, 2026
Sam Stockard
Political endorsements and independent spending are ramping up as congressional candidates wrangle for votes in the closing days of the Aug. 6 primary. U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Culleoka is depending on the backing of President Donald Trump, U.S. House...
Stockard on the Stump: Congressional candidate says he’ll drop Chinese military stocks
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: Congressional candidate says he’ll drop Chinese military stocks

Jul 24, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee Sen. Brent Taylor held Chinese military stocks as part of his investment portfolio even though he says President Donald Trump endorsed him in the Republican primary for the 9th Congressional District seat because he’ll be tough on China. Taylor...
Tennessee gubernatorial candidates take on eclectic legislation, pass few bills with gravity
Tennessee

Tennessee gubernatorial candidates take on eclectic legislation, pass few bills with gravity

Jul 22, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee’s Republican gubernatorial candidates are far from prolific lawmakers, passing little legislation during their tenures in the state legislature and Congress. State Rep. Monty Fritts’ biggest claim to fame is passage of the so-called “chemtrails” bill that was panned by...
Death row inmate seeks replacement of physician in charge of botched execution
Tennessee

Death row inmate seeks replacement of physician in charge of botched execution

Jul 21, 2026
Sam Stockard
A death row inmate is asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to replace the physician in charge of a botched execution in May or appoint a special master to consider his claim that a scheduled Aug. 13 execution could be unconstitutional...
State ordered to state whether it will use doctor involved in failed execution
Tennessee

State ordered to state whether it will use doctor involved in failed execution

Jul 20, 2026
Sam Stockard
A Davidson County judge is requiring the state to reveal whether it plans to use the same doctor involved in a botched May execution in the Aug. 13 lethal injection scheduled for death row inmate Darrell Hines. Chancellor Russell Perkins...
Stockard on the Stump: It’s not debatable, Blackburn shifting for money
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: It’s not debatable, Blackburn shifting for money

Jul 17, 2026
Sam Stockard
As early voting begins in Tennessee’s gubernatorial primary election, frontrunning U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn appears to think she has the Republican race wrapped while simultaneously showing signs of paranoia. Blackburn is set to hold a fundraising reception Aug. 26 in...
Chattanooga state-appointed airport board withdraws from lawsuit
Tennessee

Chattanooga state-appointed airport board withdraws from lawsuit

Jul 16, 2026
Sam Stockard
A state-appointed airport board in Chattanooga voted Thursday to withdraw from a city lawsuit filed to avert a state takeover. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that five of nine board members present at a meeting voted unanimously to pull...