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Wendell "Wells" Blankenship
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Wendell Wells Blankenship, who also goes by "Wells," is an independent candidate on Tennessee's certified 2026 candidate list for the redrawn 8th Congressional District, alongside fellow independents Adam D. Austill and Pamela Jeanine "P." Moses, Republican incumbent David Kustoff, and several Democrats 12. He previously ran as an independent candidate for Tennessee's 9th Congressional District in the 2024 general election, held November 5, 2024, receiving 3,708 votes; incumbent Democrat Steve Cohen won reelection, defeating Blankenship (listed on the official ballot as "Wendell Wells"), Republican Charlotte Bergmann, and independent Dennis Clark 34.
Background and education
Blankenship grew up in a business family in Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville in 1979, according to his company's website 5.
Career
Blankenship describes his career as spanning real estate, insurance, trading, residential property management, and commercial fishing in the Bering Sea 5. He owns Big American Media, a Memphis-based firm offering web design, photography and video production, and advertising services 5. In his 2024 congressional campaign, Blankenship's platform centered on a proposed "Confidence Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution that would limit members of Congress to six years of service, bar campaign funds and salaries for family members, and require members to place investments in a blind trust while in office 4.
Family
Blankenship has described himself as a single custodial parent 5.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Blankenship”, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name (“Blankenship”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Blankenship”and, if needed, select the applicable position.
Federal offices — campaign finance
- US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), not with state systems — FEC candidate search. Filter by office, state, and cycle to narrow the results. Financial disclosures (personal assets and income) for members of Congress and congressional candidates are filed with the US House Clerk or US Senate Office of Public Records, depending on the office.