Will a bold push for national AI regulations become the deciding factor in Tennessee's race for its first female governor?

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Unlikely. AI regulation could become a notable subplot in Tennessee’s governor’s race, but the available evidence suggests it is not the likeliest deciding factor. Marsha Blackburn has a visible AI profile. She has promoted a proposed national framework, the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act, aimed at creating one federal rulebook on child safety, creator rights, deepfakes, bias and innovation. She has also backed protections such as the NO FAKES Act and supported Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, which guards against AI voice and likeness misuse. That gives her a policy lane on AI that few statewide candidates have. But the race so far has been driven more by familiar state concerns: cost of living, schools, public safety, healthcare, immigration enforcement, jobs and economic growth. Blackburn’s campaign messaging has centered on those issues, while Jerri Green has emphasized childcare, public education, healthcare, housing, gun policy and what she calls a “human-first AI agenda.” Green has an AI position, but it is not the centerpiece of her campaign either. AI could matter if campaign deepfakes, data center siting, electricity and water costs, or online child-safety concerns move closer to voters’ daily lives. Tennessee has already seen AI-themed political ads and fights over disclosure rules, and debate over data centers has grown in Nashville and Memphis. Those local impacts could raise AI’s salience more than abstract national regulation. Still, unless those controversies intensify sharply, …

Marsha Blackburn Wins Tennessee GOP Governor Primary by 10%, Setting Up Historic November Race

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Marsha Blackburn Wins Tennessee GOP Governor Primary by 10%, Setting Up Historic November Race

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