Charles Van Morgan, an Independent from Knoxville, is running for Tennessee governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He is certified for the ballot in a crowded field that includes candidates from the Republican, Democratic and Independent lines, according to BallotReady election data.
Morgan filed his candidacy March 4, 2026, and the Tennessee Secretary of State recorded his petition signatures as approved. This is his second run for the office. He ran as an Independent in 2022 and received 1,862 votes, or 0.1% of the total, according to Ballotpedia.
Candidate information
- Party: Independent
- Residence: Knoxville, Tennessee
- Birthplace: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
- Education: Bachelor of science in business, Tennessee Wesleyan College, 1995; master of arts, University of Tennessee, 2001; juris doctor, Nashville School of Law, 2015
Education details are claimed by the candidate in a WJHL questionnaire response.
Experience and public service
Morgan said he worked in security, law enforcement, police and corrections from 1989 to 2001. He said he then served as a state trooper with the Tennessee Department of Safety, Tennessee Highway Patrol, from 2001 to 2012. He said he has been a business owner of Safe Taxi since 2014.
All experience claims come from Morgan's WJHL questionnaire response.
On the issues
Government accountability and public corruption
Morgan said his top priority is to "give the government back to the people of Tennessee." He said he would hold weekly meetings in different cities to listen to residents. He also said he would institute a special prosecutor's office to investigate and prosecute government officials who violate the public trust, including Tennessee judges and politicians.
Healthcare
Morgan said he supports accepting federal Medicaid expansion money. He said he would subsidize free welfare healthcare charities and decriminalize marijuana to use the resulting tax revenue for a healthcare infrastructure for all Tennesseans.
Other candidates in the race
The ballot for Tennessee governor also includes Dave Seeman (Independent), David Hatley (Independent), Dean Brewer (Independent), Eddie Lee Murphy (Independent), Jerri Green (Democratic), Karl Knox Smithson (Independent), L. Webb Taylor (Independent), Lauren Pinkston (Independent), Marsha Blackburn (Republican), Misam Abidi (Independent), Ray Brown (Independent), Robert C. Vick (Independent), Victor L. Scoggin (Independent) and Wendell Jackson (Independent).
Candidate responses are drawn from Morgan's WJHL questionnaire. Biographical facts are sourced from the Tennessee Secretary of State and Ballotpedia. The Brentwood-Nolensville Record did not interview the candidate for this profile.
