$4 Million From One Billionaire Is Shaping Tennessee’s 2026 Governor’s Race
Billionaire Jeff Yass has put $4 million behind Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s bid for Tennessee governor, making him her largest single backer in a race that will determine the future of the state’s private school voucher program. Yass routed $3 million through Club for Growth’s School Freedom Fund PAC into the Tennessee Freedom Fund, a PAC registered to Club for Growth president David McIntosh. He separately donated $1 million directly to Team Tennessee, a PAC affiliated with Blackburn’s campaign.
The Tennessee Freedom Fund raised $4.6 million total between April and June 2026. It has aired two ads since early June: one implying Trump backs Blackburn without a formal endorsement, and one attacking rival Rep. John Rose as insufficiently anti-China.
$15 million raised by Club for Growth’s School Freedom Fund this election cycle, all from Jeff Yass
That figure funds voucher-aligned candidates across multiple states. Yass, whose profile as a TikTok investor has drawn scrutiny, has backed Blackburn since her 2002 House campaign. Club for Growth also helped her win her 2018 U.S. Senate seat.
Club for Growth Has Already Redrawn Tennessee’s Legislature Over Vouchers
This is not Club for Growth’s first play in Tennessee’s education battles. In 2024, the group spent more than $3 million in state legislative races, running ads against Republicans who had opposed Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher expansion. That expansion failed in 2024. It narrowly passed in 2025 after newly elected Club for Growth-backed legislators provided the deciding votes.
The group continued after the session ended. It spent roughly $380,000 in the 2025 Republican primary for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional seat to block state Rep. Jody Barrett, who had voted against vouchers in both 2024 and 2025.
The pattern is consistent: Club for Growth identifies voucher opponents, funds primary challengers, and moves on to the next race. Tennessee’s governor’s office is the next target.
Blackburn Is the Only Top Candidate Fully Behind Voucher Expansion
Tennessee’s current voucher program is capped at 35,000 students. Blackburn has called for expanding it further. Among the top primary candidates, she is the only one with a 100% pro-voucher position, which is why Club for Growth is backing her over the field.
Every dollar Club for Growth spends on state races serves the same end: a legislature and an executive office that will keep expanding publicly funded payments to private schools, with no publicly accountable governance structure attached.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact the Tennessee General Assembly Education Committee by calling the main legislative line at (615) 741-3511. Ask members to strengthen public accountability requirements for any voucher expansion, including financial audits and student outcome reporting for all participating private schools.
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Call your own U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to oppose federal legislation that would nationalize private school voucher programs. The CHOICE Act and similar bills have been introduced repeatedly. Ask your senator where they stand.
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File a public comment with the Tennessee Department of Education at tn.gov/education about transparency in the existing voucher program. Ask the department to publicly report test scores, graduation rates, and financial data for every school receiving voucher funds.
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Check who funds your state-level candidates. The National Institute on Money in Politics tracks dark money and PAC contributions at followthemoney.org. Search your state legislators’ donors before the next primary.
Sources
Tennessee Lookout: Club for Growth Donates $3M to PAC Backing Blackburn for Governor Tennessee Lookout: Jeff Yass Gives $1M to PAC Supporting Blackburn’s Gubernatorial Campaign Brennan Center for Justice: How Private School Voucher Programs Affect Public School Funding ProPublica: How Club for Growth Became a Kingmaker in Republican Primaries Follow the Money: Tennessee 2026 Campaign Finance Tracker