Rose and Fritts give voters a side-by-side look at Knoxville gubernatorial forum

by Brandon Burley

The Redemption Project Newsroom

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts gave Republican, Independent and Libertarian voters a direct side-by-side look at two different arguments for Tennessee governor Friday night during a forum hosted by Josh Woody and the East Tennessee Young Republicans.

The forum did not settle the Republican primary.

It did something more useful for voters: it showed how Rose and Fritts explain themselves when placed in the same room, before the same audience, under the same moderator.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican frontrunner, was not present.

The Knoxville forum also came ahead of a scheduled July 20 Republican gubernatorial debate at Cumberland University in Lebanon. NewsChannel 5 has reported⁠ that Rose and Fritts accepted that debate invitation, while the station was still waiting to hear from Blackburn at the time of its report. In a separate NewsChannel 5 report, Blackburn declined to answer campaign questions as she left an event.

That timing gave the Knoxville forum added weight. It offered voters a preview of the arguments Rose and Fritts are likely to carry into the next stage of the race: Rose asked voters to see executive readiness, while Fritts asked voters to see urgency.

Rose framed the governor’s job as executive work, not simply legislative work. He pointed to his background as a farmer, businessman and congressman, saying the governor must take ideas and turn them into reality. He described himself as ready to go to work on day one and repeatedly emphasized business experience, rural Tennessee and his record supporting President Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress.

Fritts framed the race as a moment requiring confrontation, constitutional limits and less government. He leaned on his state legislative record, Christian identity, Second Amendment work, opposition to government overreach and criticism of state spending. He described himself as a “break glass in case of emergency” candidate and argued Tennessee needs a governor willing to challenge both Washington and Nashville.

The policy differences came through quickly.

On immigration, both candidates supported aggressive enforcement and cooperation with Trump’s deportation agenda. Fritts emphasized state-level enforcement, human trafficking investigations, employer accountability and making Tennessee inhospitable to illegal immigration. Rose emphasized his congressional record, border visits, support for federal enforcement funding and state cooperation with ICE.

On spending, both criticized taxpayer money going to organizations or companies they said do not reflect Tennessee values. Rose pointed to federal NGO spending and criticized state subsidies to corporations such as Starbucks and the Tennessee Titans. Fritts said he voted against the last two state budgets because of nonprofit spending and corporate welfare, and said he would veto pork spending as governor.

Data centers also surfaced. Rose was asked about data centers potentially owned or operated by China or other hostile interests. He said he had not heard significant evidence that Chinese companies were seeking to locate data centers in Tennessee, but said local communities should decide whether data centers fit their area, with state guidance on risks, benefits, energy, land and water. Fritts, in a separate spending answer, linked AI data centers and large technology projects to broader concerns about taxpayer subsidies for private profit.

Education produced one of the clearest answers of the night. Fritts was asked what he would say to parents who want or need to keep school vouchers because they believe public schools have failed their children. Fritts opposed the voucher program on constitutional grounds and said Tennessee should demand excellence from public schools instead. Rose did not receive that audience-card question during the portion of the forum reviewed by TRP, though he said in closing that he would appoint an education commissioner who had spent time teaching in a public school classroom.

The forum also unfolded against a question many Republican voters are discussing: whether opposition to Blackburn is being divided between Rose and Fritts.

That concern is not the same as polling evidence. Comments, crowd reaction and social media engagement can show what voters are talking about, but they do not measure the electorate.

Rose’s campaign has pointed to an internal McLaughlin & Associates poll showing Blackburn still leading but by a smaller margin than earlier public polling. NewsChannel 5 reported⁠ that poll at Blackburn 44%, Rose 29%, Fritts 12% and 15% undecided. Full crosstabs were not public in the reporting reviewed. TRP requested the crosstabs from both the Rose campaign and the polling firm but had not received them as of publication.

The forum also gave voters a view of candidate availability before the questions began. Fritts had arrived well before the program and spoke with attendees before the event. Rose arrived closer to the forum’s start, and the program began nearly 10 minutes after its scheduled time. Both candidates remained briefly afterward.

For all the sharp policy language, the forum ended with civility between the two men. Fritts said he had grown to love Rose and his family and suggested one of the two East Tennessee candidates would win. Rose thanked Fritts for asking supporters not to attack Rose’s family and said he was not running against Fritts, but “for Tennessee.”

That may have been one of the most useful moments of the night.

The Knoxville forum did not answer whether Rose or Fritts is the stronger alternative to Blackburn. It did give voters a clearer view of the choice between them.

One candidate argued experience and executive readiness.

The other argued urgency and constitutional confrontation.

Voters now have more evidence to decide which argument they trust.

Editor’s note: TRP streamed the forum live across multiple platforms, drawing more than 2,000 combined live and early views. TRP requested brief interviews with both candidates before the forum. Fritts agreed and was interviewed before the forum began. After the forum, Rose’s team declined the interview request.

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I am a retired detective and criminal justice / government educator based in Tennessee. I am a commentary write for Tennessee Lookout and a weekly columnist with Knox TN Today. My work examines public policy, public safety systems and civic responsibility. My reporting and commentary have also appeared in Governing, The Arizona Capitol Times, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Police1, among other state and regional outlets.

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