Politics
Beacon Poll: Trump approval rating in Tennessee below 50%
A new Beacon Poll shows President Trump's approval rating in Tennessee at 48%, with further insights into 2028 presidential preferences and state races.
By Kim Jarrett · 2026-09-03T16:12:18.000Z
The Center Square – President Donald Trump's approval rating in Tennessee dropped below 50%, according to the latest Beacon Poll.
Forty eight percent of the 1,200 Tennesseans polled approved of the job the president is doing, while 51% disapproved. The poll has a 2.77% margin of error.
Of the 1,200 voters surveyed, 45% identified as conservative or somewhat conservative, 29% as moderate and 22% as liberal or somewhat liberal.
"This is a substantial development in a deep red state with a number of potentially competitive races this year," said Justin Owens, CEO of The Beacon Center, a Tennessee based free market policy and research organization. "While Trump is barely underwater with voters, this is a monumental shift from his 30 point victory here just two years ago."
Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn fared better in the poll with a 21% lead over Democrat Jerri Green. Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty leads Marquita Bradshaw, his Democrat opponent, by 25%.
"While our poll shows Senator Blackburn and Senator Hagerty in good shape in their respective races, this downward trend for Trump and the Republican brand generally could mean national Democrats spend more time and money in some of the congressional races this year," Owens said.
Looking ahead to 2028, 56% of 606 Republican voters surveyed said they would support Vice President J.D. Vance as the presidential nominee. Twenty two percent backed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and 11% supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Seven potential candidates received nods from the 306 registered Democrats polled. Former Vice President Kamala Harris leads the list with 30%, followed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom with 18% and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with 11%. Others receiving votes are U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez with 10%, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona with 8%, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia with 6% and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro with 2%.
This story originally appeared on thecentersquare.com https://www.thecentersquare.com/tennessee/article e0fb643b daa8 4746 baf6 51092e26aa1c.html .