Could Tennessee Get a Bitcoin Reserve Under New Governor?

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn announced her candidacy for Governor today. A prominent crypto advocate, her victory could spell a new initiative for a local Bitcoin Reserve.

Blackburn supported a national Bitcoin Strategic Reserve bill and has co-sponsored other proposals, like the GENIUS Act. She has spoken at industry events in the state, and her campaign accepts crypto donations.

Tennessee’s Potential Next Pro-Crypto Governor

2025 has been a potent year for US crypto regulation, but the current Tennessee Governor, Bill Lee, hasn’t been particularly active. Since taking office in 2019, he’s signed multiple bills aiding the crypto industry without being a vocal supporter.

However, his term is expiring next year, and a new candidate may take the Volunteer State to the forefront of Web3 friendliness.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, by contrast, is a fierce supporter of the industry. Her campaign has accepted crypto donations for over a year, and she spoke at last year’s Bitcoin Conference in Nashville alongside President Trump.

She was also a co-sponsor of the GENIUS Act alongside other bills.

Could Blackburn Introduce a Bitcoin Reserve For Tennessee?

So, why should the crypto community care about this development? If Blackburn becomes Tennessee’s Governor, she’ll be less able to vote for nationwide legislative initiatives. However, her local influence would grow significantly.

Case in point, Blackburn sponsored a bill to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, but this referred to a national initiative. Right now, more than 20 US states are attempting to develop local reserves, but Tennessee isn’t among them.

According to crypto policy watchdogs, it’s one of the last holdouts.

As Governor, Marsha Blackburn would be in an ideal position to change this situation for Tennessee. She already supported a national Bitcoin Reserve, so a local counterpart seems like a logical next step.

Having a supportive Governor would be very beneficial to Tennessee’s hypothetical Bitcoin Reserve effort. In Arizona, the Governor vetoed Reserve bills, even though they were very popular in the legislature.

Conversely, a sympathetic executive branch can help get these initiatives off the ground.

All that is to say, it currently seems very likely that Blackburn will win this election. Tennessee is a deeply red state, and a Democrat hasn’t been elected Governor there since 2006.