Charles Van Morgan

Charles Van Morgan is an independent candidate running for Governor of Tennessee in the 2026 election ¹. He was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and resides in Knoxville ¹. Morgan earned a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1996, a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 2001, and a J.D. from Nashville School of Law in 2015 ¹. His professional background includes owning a logistics and transportation business and serving as a police officer and trooper ¹. Specifically, Morgan was a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper who was fired in 2012 after driving past a fatal wreck that killed 20-year-old Gordon Kyle Anito; the family of the deceased dropped a $10 million lawsuit against him and the patrol ³³.

In October 2022, during his previous gubernatorial campaign, Morgan was arrested at a Hamilton County voting site on River Terminal Road. Police responded to complaints from the Hamilton County Election Commission regarding a disturbance; an affidavit stated that Morgan was "screaming about politics, cursing, getting into people’s faces and harassing the voters" ¹³. Morgan denied these allegations, telling reporters he was simply campaigning and that election officials were acting corruptly ¹⁰. He was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and intimidation of voters, and police reported finding a handgun on him during the arrest ¹³. The charges against him were dismissed in June 2023 ¹¹. Following the incident, Morgan filed a lawsuit against Hamilton County, accusing officials of violating his rights ¹².

Morgan’s public record includes other legal disputes. In 2022, the Tennessee Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s decision to grant protective orders against him in favor of his sister, Tammy Goodrich, following a dispute over their mother’s estate. The court opinion noted that Goodrich alleged Morgan screamed threats to "destroy" her and her husband ³. Morgan argued in the appeal that he was only responding to political smears, stating he wanted to "annihilate her character since she was annihilating [his]" ²⁵.

In his 2022 campaign, Morgan identified as a moderate independent. His questionnaire responses indicated support for lower taxes for the majority while requiring the "super rich" to pay their fair share, and he opposed taxpayer-funded public education through college, favoring trade schools instead ⁸. He stated that individuals should not be required to provide services if it violates their moral beliefs ⁸. On national security, he supported gathering intelligence on Islamic terrorism but strongly disagreed with the BDS movement regarding Israel ⁸. Morgan has also been involved in a civil dispute with his sister over family estate matters, which resulted in protective orders being issued against him ³.

Sources