Jerri Green

Jerri Green is a member of the Memphis City Council representing District 2 and the Chief Public Defender for Shelby County, Tennessee. A Tennessee native, she graduated from White Station High School in Memphis, earned a B.A. in English and political science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and received her law degree from Georgetown University. She is a licensed attorney who has practiced public interest law in Washington, D.C., Nashville and Memphis, taught criminal law and juvenile justice through the University of Phoenix and served as executive director of the Community Legal Center. She was deputy chief of staff and senior policy advisor to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. She was elected to the City Council on November 16, 2023. In the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary for governor she defeated Carnita Atwater, Tim Cyr, Adam Kurtz and Kevin Lee McCants, and the Associated Press projected her win that night. She faces Republican U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and several independent candidates on November 3, 2026.