Charles Van Morgan, an Independent from Knoxville, is running for Tennessee governor in the Nov. 3 general election. He filed his petition on March 4, and the Tennessee Secretary of State approved his signatures, according to state filing records.
It is a crowded race.
Other candidates, according to BallotReady election data:
- Marsha Blackburn (Republican)
- Jerri Green (Democratic)
- Dave Seeman (Independent)
- David Hatley (Independent)
- Dean Brewer (Independent)
- Eddie Lee Murphy (Independent)
- Karl Knox Smithson (Independent)
- L. Webb Taylor (Independent)
- Lauren Pinkston (Independent)
- Misam Abidi (Independent)
- Ray Brown (Independent)
- Robert C. Vick (Independent)
- Victor L. Scoggin (Independent)
- Wendell Jackson (Independent)
Candidate information
- Party: Independent
- Residence: Knoxville, Tennessee
- Birthplace: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, according to Ballotpedia
- Education (candidate-stated): bachelor of science in business, Tennessee Wesleyan College, 1995; master of arts, University of Tennessee, 2001; juris doctor, Nashville School of Law, 2015
- Previous run: Morgan ran as an Independent for Tennessee governor in 2022, receiving 1,862 votes, or 0.1% of the total, according to Ballotpedia
Experience and public service
Morgan described his professional background in a candidate questionnaire with WJHL. He said he worked in security, law enforcement, police and corrections from 1989 to 2001. He said he then served as a state trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol from 2001 to 2012. Morgan said he has owned a business called Safe Taxi since 2014.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Morgan's responses to a WJHL candidate questionnaire.
Government accountability and public corruption
Morgan said his top priority is to "give the government back to the people of Tennessee." He said he would hold weekly meetings in different cities to hear from residents. He also said he would create a special prosecutor's office to investigate and prosecute government officials who violate the public trust, including judges and politicians.
Healthcare
Morgan said he supports accepting federal Medicaid expansion money and would subsidize free welfare healthcare charities. He also said he supports decriminalizing marijuana and directing the resulting tax revenue toward building healthcare infrastructure for all Tennesseans.
Candidate positions and biographical details attributed to Morgan are based on his responses to a WJHL candidate questionnaire. The Duck River Sentinel did not interview the candidate.
