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The greatest injustice I see every day is the one that is pitting us against each other and the one that makes us feel like we’re going crazy,” Pinkston said by phone. “You know, the system that is serving us is not one that we really relate to.”

Pinkston grew up in rural West Tennessee in a conservative home but said she has voted across ballots since her early 20s and, after 2016, has voted for third-party candidates.

Before moving back to the U.S. in 2019, Pinkston lived in Southeast Asia with her husband and four children. She has spent 15 years working in the anti-human trafficking field.

Pinkston said living in Laos and being in Uganda during that country’s 2016 election, which was criticized by international observers for widespread fraud, made her realize the fragile nature of democracy and the need to fight for what it means to be a democratic nation.

Tennessee is ready for an independent candidate, said Pinkston, who referenced a 2024 Gallup poll showing 43% of Americans considered themselves independent voters unaffiliated with the Democratic or Republican parties.

While polling and survey data show a growing interest in a third party, the situation is more nuanced than the numbers may indicate, said Dan DiSalvo, a political scientist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and Bill Galston, a senior fellow at Brookings and Wall Street Journal columnist, on a University of Tennessee in Knoxville public policy podcast about third-party candidates.

Tennessee has never had an independent governor. Two other independent candidates, Stephen Maxwell and Manasa Reddy, are running for governor in 2026, according to Ballotpedia.

Pinkston said running for governor is not something she is doing half-heartedly.

“We’re very serious about offering a moderate option to people who are looking for maybe a candidate that’s more fiscally conservative but is very dedicated to social safety nets and just general human rights and well-being,” she said.

Pinkston said she aims to prop up Tennessee farmers stifled by federal regulations, limiting data and benchmark tests that get in the way of teaching, and supporting robust workforce development.

The campaign will be won on small donations and reversing the state’s low voter turnout, she said.

Tennesseans are feeling very polarized by their leadership, and they’re finding themselves in a moment where they’re not thrilled, Pinkston said.

The Republican candidates for governor are U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood, U.S. Rep. John Rose of Cookville and state Rep. Monty Fritts of Kingston. Memphis City Council member Jerri Green, Carnita Atwater of Memphis, Tim Cyr of Gallatin and Adam “Ditch Kurtz of Nashville are declared Democratic candidates, according to Ballotpedia.

Republicans have held the Tennessee governorship since 2011. Primary elections are Aug. 6, 2026, and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026.