“Lauren Pinkston is exactly the kind of leader the Forward movement is working to support. Principled, collaborative, and focused on solving real problems. At a time when trust in politics is low and too many voters feel locked out of the process, leaders like Lauren are showing that it is possible to put people ahead of parties, deliver results, and be the kind of candidate people are proud to vote for.” 

-Kayla Berube, Forward Party National Political Director.

“Knowing who is on the ballot on the Republican side, there are some really polarizing figures that people are not excited about,” she said. “There are a lot of Republicans who were raised like I was with a core set of values that they just don’t feel represented by their party anymore.”

Lauren Pinkston, a seventh-generation Tennessean, is running as an independent for governor and said she wants to give people a third option who holds close enough to values on both sides of the aisle.

If this scenario prevails, it will be historic because the two-party nominees will be women. Yet, also potentially historic is that the two party nominees may not only have to contend with each other but with a serious independent gubernatorial candidate—a candidate who is also a woman. The contender is Lauren Pinkston.