This profile is part of The Duck River Sentinel's 2026 election coverage. Candidate responses are attributed to their sources below.

David Hatley, an independent candidate with no party affiliation and no donors, is running for Tennessee governor in the Nov. 3 general election. He has loaned his campaign $7 million and spent just under $1 million on advertising, according to the Nashville Banner.

Hatley is certified for the ballot in a crowded field that includes Marsha Blackburn (Republican), Jerri Green (Democratic) and multiple other independents, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

  • Name: David Hatley
  • Party: Independent
  • Office sought: Tennessee governor
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Hometown: Elizabethton, Tennessee (Carter County)
  • Current role: Chief executive officer, Whisper LLC (since 2009), according to BallotReady
  • Business background: Hatley said he has built nine companies, holds 11 patents and operates 740,000 square feet of Tennessee manufacturing. He said his hot tub company is the No. 1 hot tub manufacturer in America and employs approximately 750 Tennessee workers.
  • Campaign funding: $7 million self-loaned; no donors, according to the Nashville Banner

His career has been in manufacturing. Hatley said he started his first business at twelve and opened his first retail store at eighteen. After rebuilding from the 2008 financial crisis, he said he established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan so workers could become owners. He described himself as the founder and builder of Whisper Outdoor, a hot tub manufacturing company, according to his campaign website.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Hatley's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims unless otherwise noted.

Affordable housing

Hatley said Tennessee is roughly 120,000 starter homes short. He said he would provide state infrastructure grants for water, sewer and road work in exchange for communities setting aside 5–10% of new developments for homes priced at $250,000 or less. He also said he would roll back building code changes that added cost without improving safety.

Data centers and economic development

Hatley said he would impose a moratorium on new data center approvals until Tennessee writes new rules. He said he would end payments in lieu of taxes and abatements, require at least half of new tax revenue from data centers to go to cutting property taxes for homeowners in the host county, and require companies to pay for their own power and water infrastructure.

Education and workforce

Hatley said his goal is for Tennessee to reach the top 10 nationally in reading within four years, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. He said he would place full-time reading coaches in the 100 lowest-performing elementary schools and require elementary teachers to demonstrate competency in the science of reading before licensure.

On workforce training, Hatley said he would end waitlists in the five highest-demand Tennessee College of Applied Technology programs: welding, mechatronics, practical nursing, industrial maintenance and HVAC. He said he would pay TCAT instructors competitively, cover credential exam fees for every high school student who earns one and double registered apprenticeships in four years.

Government accountability

Hatley said he would create an independent, nonpartisan state auditor elected statewide with authority to conduct forensic and performance audits, subpoena records and protect whistleblowers. He said the position would require a CPA or equivalent credentials.

He also said he would rebuild Tennessee's spending portal so every legally disclosable contract, grant, amendment and payment is posted within 30 days, searchable, downloadable and codified in law.

Public safety and crime

Hatley said he would clear the state crime-lab backlog, expand the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's violent-crime team and give rural sheriffs regional investigators with same-day state assistance.

On the opioid crisis, Hatley said he would triple the TBI's drug division from 48 to approximately 150 agents and require medication-assisted treatment in every county jail.

Candidate responses were collected from hatleyforgovernor.com and BallotReady questionnaire data. The Duck River Sentinel did not interview the candidate. This profile does not constitute an endorsement.