Minnesota and Tennessee: Two Different States with Two Different Legal Systems

 

Senator Blackburn was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 2024. She has a 6-year Senate term. On November 3, 2026, she was elected Governor of Tennessee. Can she hold both positions concurrently? No. Why? Tennessee Constitution, Article III, Section 13 states:

No member of Congress, or person holding any office under the United States, or this state, shall execute the office of governor.

It is different in Minnesota. See Josh Blackman & Seth Barrett Tillman, ‘Senator-Governor Klobuchar and the Problem of the Received Wisdom,’ Reason—Volokh Conspiracy (Nov. 6, 2026, 8:55 AM), <https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/06/senator-governor-klobuchar-and-the-problem-of-the-received-wisdom/>.

Seth Barrett Tillman, ‘Minnesota and Tennessee: Two Different States with Two Different Legal Systems,’ New Reform Club (Nov. 7, 2026, 3:12 PM), <https://reformclub.blogspot.com/2026/11/minnesota-and-tennessee-two-different.html>;