?
What's Next
sign the petition
we believe that

Tennessee voters
deserve debates

We're calling for a open debate between the top three candidates regardless of who's there. Marsha Blackburn's absence shouldn't cancel the whole show when 2/3 of Tennesseans are Democratic or Independent voters and nearly 20% of all voters are still undecided*
top three candidates

Why is there no open debate?

the issue

Three common reasons

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1 is not enough

‍Debates are historically not held when just one major party candidate won't participate.
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13 is too many

With 13 independents and no primary there's isn't a pre-defined way to choose who else enters.
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0 hosts  

As a result, organizations cancelled debates rather than holding politicians accountable.
These are solvable problems.
We're advocating for an open debate between the top three candidates to fix it for now, and for policy solutions to fix it for good.

How can we get an open debate?

the action

Petition for an open debate

Our petition calls for a neutral party to host an open debate that invites the top 3 candidates from each ballot group according to this year's primary and the independent debate.

Sign the petition

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Show the world we want a debate!

Share with friends

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Share and get more signatures!

What's Next?

we're glad you asked!

We advance ideas that make government work better for everyone

Like Ranked Choice Voting, Final Five Voting, and Jungle Primaries
We're building a coalition of members, partners, parties, and candidates who come together to build what's next in the journey for nonpartisan progress.
* All donations until November 3rd 2026 go to promoting a Tennessee Gubernatorial Debate
* Source for candidates and voter affiliation
* Source for undecided voters
Paid for by What's Next PAC.