{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJerri Green currently serves as a member of the Memphis City Council for District 2, having assumed office on January 1, 2024 [1]. On January 6, 2026, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced her appointment as Interim Chief Public Defender, succeeding the retiring Phyllis Aluko, with Green's transition into the role beginning January 12, 2026 [3][4]. Green is a candidate for Governor of Tennessee in the 2026 election, running as a member of the Democratic Party [1]. She officially announced her candidacy on July 14, 2025, stating that she plans to \"win\" the race and bring change to state politics [5].\n\nGreen's campaign platform emphasizes issues affecting working families, including education, wages, and public safety [6]. She has highlighted her personal experience as a mother of three, noting that her youngest child is autistic, which motivates her push for special education reforms [7]. Her stated policy priorities include strengthening special education programs and ending what she describes as \"welfare for the wealthy\" [7]. Green also unveiled a \"Day One Plan\" aimed at providing immediate relief to Tennesseans, including using $10 million in TANF funds to waive security deposits for working families [8].\n\nThe candidate has conducted a statewide tour to meet with voters, including stops in Chattanooga [9][6] and at Houston County's Irish Celebration in Erin, Tennessee [8]. On her campaign website, Green self-describes as a lawyer, public servant, and educator who aims to lead with \"common sense, compassion, and courage\" [10]. She is scheduled to appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on August 6, 2026 [1].\n\n## Background and education\n\nJerri Green was born in Memphis, Tennessee [1]. She is a lifelong Tennessean who has lived in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville [11]. Green graduated from White Station High School [1][2]. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville [2]. Green subsequently obtained her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, D.C. [2].\n\n## Career\n\nJerri Green is a licensed attorney in the state of Tennessee and holds memberships in the Memphis Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Association for Women Attorneys [2]. She previously worked with the Shelby County Public Defender's Office from 2009 to 2010 [4].\n\nGreen joined the Community Legal Center of Memphis, a Memphis legal-aid nonprofit, in 2016 as director of community engagement and was named the organization's interim executive director in March 2021, succeeding retiring executive director Anne Mathes [12].\n\nShe joined Shelby County government in 2021 as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Lee Harris and was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff in July 2024 [13][14]. On January 6, 2026, Mayor Harris appointed Green as Interim Shelby County Chief Public Defender, with her transition into the role beginning January 12, 2026 [3][4]. In this capacity, she oversees an office that handles more than 22,000 cases annually and has focused on improving client facilities and community resource visibility [15][14].\n\n## Office history\n\nJerri Green served as an attorney with the Shelby County Public Defender's Office from 2009 to 2010 [4]. She was the Democratic nominee for Tennessee House of Representatives District 83 in 2020, challenging five-term Republican incumbent Mark White; White won the November 3, 2020 general election, 54% to 46% [16][17].\n\nShe later worked for Shelby County Government starting in 2021, initially as senior policy adviser and, beginning in July 2024, as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Lee Harris [13][14]. In January 2026, Green was appointed by Mayor Harris as the Interim Shelby County Chief Public Defender, a role she began on January 12, 2026, following the retirement of Phyllis Aluko [3][4].\n\nGreen was elected to the Memphis City Council representing District 2 on November 16, 2023, and assumed office on January 1, 2024 [1][2]. Her current term is scheduled to end on January 1, 2028 [1].\n\nIn July 2025, Green announced her candidacy for Governor of Tennessee as a Democrat [5][18]. She is currently running in the Democratic primary scheduled for August 6, 2026 [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nAs a member of the Memphis City Council representing District 2, Green has focused her legislative agenda on economic stability for working families and public safety reforms. She advocates for living wages and programs to reduce violent crime and gun theft [11]. During her tenure, she was one of four sponsors of a resolution opposing the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis, urging Governor Bill Lee to reject such proposals in favor of addressing poverty and strengthening families; the resolution failed on a 4-4 council vote on September 23, 2025 [19][20]. Her campaign site credits her with championing healthcare access initiatives on the council, including pioneering an at-home HIV test program and securing funding for Black midwives [10].\n\nGreen's policy platform emphasizes expanding public education resources, particularly for special needs students. She supports strengthening special education services, a position influenced by her personal experience raising a child with autism [7]. She asserts that every child in Tennessee deserves quality public education regardless of their ZIP code and argues against abandoning schools [21]. Additionally, she has proposed using $10 million in TANF funds to provide immediate housing relief for working families as part of her Day One Plan [8].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nGreen's 2026 gubernatorial campaign has been marked by a public challenge to U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, who is running in the Republican primary for the same office. Green stated her intention to \"shake things up\" and told The Tennessee Journal, as reported by the Memphis Flyer, that she was \"planning to challenge Marsha Blackburn in the fall\" \u2014 a comment made before Blackburn had formally entered the race [22].\n\nAs a member of the Memphis City Council, Green was one of four sponsors of a resolution opposing the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis, arguing that \"public safety comes from opportunity not occupation\" and that sending troops would distract from tackling poverty [19]. The resolution failed on a 4-4 council vote, with two members abstaining, on September 23, 2025 [20].\n\nGreen has faced steep deficits in hypothetical general-election matchup polling against Blackburn, ahead of both parties' August 6, 2026 primaries. A Targoz survey of 1,157 registered voters conducted April 20-27, 2026 showed Blackburn leading Green 51% to 27%; this figure is sourced to a secondhand repost of the poll by the \"Election Time\" X/Twitter account, as no independent write-up of the underlying Targoz release could be confirmed [23]. A separate Beacon Poll survey of 1,200 Tennessee voters in May 2026 similarly found Blackburn leading Green by 24 points in a hypothetical matchup [24].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nGreen's career has been in law and public service rather than private business; her financial disclosures and professional history reflect salaries as an attorney, nonprofit employee, and county/city official, with no reported ownership of significant private businesses [14]. She attributes her policy focus on wages and cost of living to her own experience as a working mother, stating her goal is a government that serves \"everyone, not just the powerful or ultra-wealthy\" [10].\n\n## Family\n\nGreen self-describes as a \"proud mom of three\" [10]. She has publicly identified her children by name as Beau, Vivienne, and Wilder [10]. Green states that her youngest child is Autistic and relies on special education programs, a personal experience she cites as motivation for her platform's focus on special education reform [7].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Jerri Green - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jerri_Green)\n[2] [District-2 - The City of Memphis](https://memphistn.gov/city_council/district-2/)\n[3] [MAYOR LEE HARRIS APPOINTS JERRI GREEN AS INTERIM CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER - Shelby County, TN](https://www.shelbycountytn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4497)\n[4] [City Council member named interim Chief Public Defender - actionnews5.com](https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/01/06/city-council-member-named-interim-chief-public-defender/)\n[5] Memphis Councilwoman Jerri Green announces run for governor - actionnews5.com\n[6] [Jerri Green Visits Chattanooga Voters - WDEF](https://www.wdef.com/jerri-green-visits-chattanooga-voters/)\n[7] Jerri Green Wants to Strengthen Special Education, End \"Welfare for the Wealthy\" - Tennessee Firefly\n[8] [Jerri Green Unveils Day One Plan for Immediate Action to Help Tennesseans - Smith County Insider](https://smithcountyinsider.com/home-page-featured/jerri-green-unveils-day-one-plan-for-immediate-action-to-help-tennesseans/)\n[9] [Jerri Green, governor hopeful, to visit Chattanooga on Saturday - Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/aug/29/jerri-green-governor-hopeful-to-visit-chattanooga/)\n[10] [Meet Jerri Green | Democrat for Tennessee Governor](https://greenforgovernor.com/about/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[11] Jerri Green for Governor of Tennessee (https://greenforgovernor.com/)\n[12] [Memphis's Community Legal Center names Jerri Green interim executive director - Tennessee Lookout](https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/memphiss-community-legal-center-names-jerri-green-interim-executive-director/)\n[13] Jerri Green becomes Shelby County deputy chief of staff - Daily Memphian, 2024-07-25 (dailymemphian.com/article/45341) (Daily Memphian is a subscriber/paywalled site; the July 2024 promotion date above reflects the article's published dateline)\n[14] Shelby County mayor designates Jerri Green as Interim Chief Public Defender - localmemphis.com\n[15] How Jerri Green plans to breathe life back into one of the nation's oldest public defender offices - Daily Memphian (dailymemphian.com/subscriber/article/59245) (subscriber/paywalled; 22,000-case figure and office-focus details reflect the article's reporting)\n[16] District 83 matchup features \"one tough mother\" against five-term incumbent - Tennessee Lookout, 2020-10-13 (https://tennesseelookout.com/2020/10/13/district-83-matchup-features-one-tough-mother-against-five-term-incumbent/)\n[17] Rep. Mark White defends seat in Tennessee House - actionnews5.com, 2020-11-04\n[18] Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green to run for TN governor - localmemphis.com\n[19] Memphis council member Jerri Green to introduce resolution oppose National Guard deployment - localmemphis.com\n[20] [Resolution to stop National Guard deployment fails in Memphis City Council - actionnews5.com](https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/09/23/resolution-stop-national-guard-deployment-fails-memphis-city-council/), 2025-09-23\n[21] Tennessee Governor Race Candidate Jerri Green - Tennessee Firefly\n[22] [Green to Vie for Governor - Memphis Flyer](https://www.memphisflyer.com/green-to-vie-for-governor/)\n[23] Election Time (@ElectionTime_) on X - repost of Targoz poll result, April 20-27 2026, 1,157 RV (secondhand social-media repost; original Targoz release not independently located)\n[24] [Beacon Poll: May 2026 Results](https://www.beacontn.org/beacon-poll-may-2026-results/) - 1,200 TN voters, hypothetical general-election matchup","campaigns":[{"contest":"governor","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"Tennessee Governor"},{"contest":"memphis_city_council_district_2","county":"Shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Memphis City Council District 2"}],"cf_filings":[{"county":"shelby","displayname":"Green, Jerri","documents":[{"datesubmitted":"03/25/26","documentid":"F5E1C260-DC5F-4092-8378-B9F973087AD6","documentname":"Green, Jerri - 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Appointment of Treasurer 2023.pdf","documentnameid":["9C72EDCA-80BA-4C22-BEDD-8D4103A44F21","Green, Jerri - Appointment of Treasurer 2023.pdf"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Treasurer","electionname":null}],"filertype":"Candidate","officename":"Memphis City Council, Dist. 2","source_customer_id":"EE6EBC62-7B7C-432F-869E-4DE111271E07","source_filer_id":"F891CABC-351F-4E5C-B9FD-1B7D7685BFC4","source_system":"easyvote","state":"TN","status":"Active"}],"firstname":"Jerri","fullname":"Jerri Green","lastname":"Green","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"governor","contest_title":"Tennessee Governor","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"governor","office_title":"Governor","party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"governor","contest_title":"Tennessee Governor","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"governor","office_title":"Governor","party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"governor","office_title":"Governor","state":"TN","terms":[]},{"campaigns":[{"contest":"memphis_city_council_district_2","contest_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","county":"Shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2023-10-05","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"city_council_district_2","office_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":"shelby","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"memphis_city_council_district_2","contest_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","county":"Shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2023-10-05","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"city_council_district_2","office_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":{"county":"Shelby","electiondate":"2023-11-19","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"city_council_district_2","office_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","party":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2028-12-31","term_start":"2024-01-01"},"year":2023}],"office_key":"city_council_district_2","office_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","state":"TN","terms":[{"county":"Shelby","electiondate":"2023-11-19","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"city_council_district_2","office_title":"Memphis City Council District 2","party":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2028-12-31","term_start":"2024-01-01"}]}],"summary":"Memphis City Council member (District 2) since 2024 and interim Shelby County Chief Public Defender since January 2026; Democratic candidate for Tennessee governor, 2026 primary.","terms":[{"county":"shelby","electiondate":"2023-11-19","office":"city_council_district_2","state":"TN","term_end":"2028-12-31","term_start":"2024-01-01","title":"Memphis City Council District 2"}],"token":"VbbScYxNmh"}