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Wendell "Wells" Blankenship
Office history
Wendell "Wells" Blankenship is an independent candidate running for U.S. House in Tennessee's newly configured 8th Congressional District in the 2026 election 35. The new district boundaries, approved by the state legislature and signed by Governor Bill Lee, split Memphis and Shelby County among the 5th, 8th, and 9th districts, dispersing voters into areas that lean Republican 35. Blankenship qualified for the ballot in this race alongside other independent candidates including Adam Austill, Antonio Futch, Pamela Jeanine "P." Moses, Horace Taylor, and Henry J. Ward III 37. He previously ran as an independent candidate for U.S. House in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District in 2024, where he received 1.7% of the vote (3,708 votes) against incumbent Steve Cohen 1. In that race, Blankenship completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, stating that the core responsibility of elected officials is to represent voters 25. He also ran for U.S. House in Tennessee's 9th District in 2022 as an independent, finishing third behind incumbent Steve Cohen and Republican challenger Charlotte Bergmann 18. Local reporting notes that Blankenship did not have a campaign website during the 2024 cycle 25.
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)
- State offices (Governor, US Senate, US Rep, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee) — Tennessee Registry of Election Finance. Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Blankenship”, and submit.
- 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.