GOP Rep. John Rose launches run for Tennessee governor

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. John Rose on Thursday announced his candidacy for Tennessee governor in 2026, putting him on a likely collision course with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who also appears set on running.

Rose is the first major candidate to join the race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Lee. For weeks, Rose had told various Republican groups across the state he planned to launch a bid. Blackburn hasn't formally launched a campaign yet. Her likely candidacy as a two-time statewide elected official and ally of President Donald Trump has scared off some potential opponents, but not Rose.

“I’m a conservative outsider, Tennessee small business owner and farmer,” Rose, of Cookeville, told reporters. "And I think that when I can tell the people about my experience and my preparation, hopefully that will make the case, and others can make their case, and we'll let the people of Tennessee decide."

Flanked by tractors and supporters outside of an agricultural center, Rose made some specific promises in his launch Thursday. Among them, he said he would facilitate widening interstates and highways, ensure every Tennessean is within a half hour of emergency medical care and hire a teacher for education commissioner. He also pledged support for anti-abortion efforts, gun rights, mental health resources and nuclear power expansion.

Rose, who also is a former state agriculture commissioner and attorney, has enough personal wealth to help self-fund his campaign. He is in his fourth term in the House and represents a heavily Republican district spanning 19 counties, including many right-leaning rural areas and a section of Democratic-voting Nashville.

Since being elected to Congress in 2019, Rose has touted that he’s “one of the most conservative members.” He’s voted against foreign aid to Ukraine, objected to the 2020 election certification and later voted to overturn the election.

Both Blackburn and Rose have voiced strong support for Trump in a state that voted for him overwhelmingly the past three presidential elections. Trump endorsed Blackburn in her 2018 and 2024 Senate races, in which she faced little formal opposition from fellow Republicans. Trump had endorsed Rose for Congress as well.

In a statement Thursday, Blackburn said she will be the strongest conservative candidate, saying Trump is leading America into a “Golden Age."

“This is our time to prove what conservative leadership can do as power for education, regulation, health care and benefits return to the states,” Blackburn said.

Tennessee has remained a conservative stronghold. Lee defeated a Democratic opponent in 2022 by 32 percentage points, and Trump won Tennessee in 2024 by nearly 30 points.

Four others have opened fundraising accounts for potential gubernatorial bids: Republican Cito Pellegra, Democrat Tim Cyr and independents Stephen Cortney Maxwell and Manasa Reddy.

Because Blackburn was reelected last year, her Senate seat isn't at risk by running for governor. If Blackburn wins, a Senate seat opens up, and Blackburn as governor would possibly get to appoint the temporary replacement. Rose's congressional seat should be an open contest next year, as well.

Rose is the owner and president of Boson Software LLC, an information technology training firm. He previously served as the chairman of the Tennessee State Fair Association. His personal worth is between $24 million to $106 million, according to a 2023 congressional financial disclosure.

He briefly went viral last year when one of his sons made silly faces and hand motions on camera while Rose gave a speech decrying Trump’s felony conviction in New York.

Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville contributed to this report.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., left, speaks with Future Farmers of America students during Ag Day on the Hill, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., reaches to shake a hand after announcing his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., center, announces his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., announces his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., right, kisses his wife Chelsea Rose, left, before announcing his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., announces his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., announces his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

George Foreman became the heavyweight champion of the world in his 20s, only to lose his belt to Muhammad Ali in perhaps the most memorable fight in boxing history.

A full 20 years later in 1994, the 45-year-old Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship, throwing one perfect combination to steal Michael Moorer's title in an epic upset.

Few fighters ever had more big moments than Big George Foreman — and even after he finally left the ring, he was only getting started.

The fearsome heavyweight, who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Ali before his inspiring second act as a surprising champion and a successful businessman, died Friday night. Foreman was 76.

Foreman's family announced his death on social media, not saying how or where he died.

“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose," his family wrote. “A humanitarian, an Olympian and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was deeply respected. A force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family.”

A native Texan, Foreman began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist who inspired fear and awe as he climbed to the peak of the heavyweight division by stopping Joe Frazier in 1973. His formidable aura evaporated only a year later when Ali pulled off one of the most audacious victories in boxing history in Zaire, baiting and taunting Foreman into losing his belt.

Foreman left the sport a few years later, but returned after a 10-year absence and a self-described religious awakening.

The middle-aged fighter then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history, flooring Moorer — 19 years his junior — with a surgical right hand and claiming Moorer's two heavyweight belts. Foreman's 20 years is easily the longest gap between heavyweight title reigns.

“His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten,” former heavyweight champion of the world, Mike Tyson, said on X, formerly Twitter, as he expressed his condolences.

Foreman's transformation into an inspirational figure was complete, and he fought only four more times — finishing 76-5 with 68 knockouts — before moving onto his next career as a genial businessman, pitchman and occasional actor.

Outside the ring, he was best known as the face of the George Foreman Grill, which launched in the same year as his victory over Moorer. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and made him much wealthier than his sport ever did.

“George was a great friend to not only myself, but to my entire family,” Top Rank president Bob Arum said. “We’ve lost a family member and are absolutely devastated.”

In the first chapter of his boxing career, Foreman was nothing like the smiling grandfather who hawked his grills on television to great success.

Foreman dabbled in petty crime while growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, but changed his life through boxing. He made the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 and won gold in Mexico City as a teenager, stopping a 29-year-old opponent in a star-making performance.

Foreman rose to the pinnacle of the pro game over the next five years, but was also perceived as an aloof, unfriendly athlete, both through his demeanor and through the skewed racial lenses of the time.

Jim Lampley, the veteran boxing broadcaster who worked alongside Foreman for many years at HBO, told The Associated Press on Friday night that Foreman's initial demeanor was an attempt by his camp to emulate Sonny Liston, the glowering heavyweight champ of the 1960s.

“At some point somewhere along the way, he realized that wasn’t him," Lampley said.

Foreman stopped Frazier in an upset in Jamaica in January 1973 to win the belt, with his knockout inspiring Howard Cosell’s iconic call: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”

Foreman defended his belt against Ken Norton before accepting the fight with Ali in the now-immortal bout staged in Africa by promoter Don King. Ali put on a tactical masterclass against Foreman, showing off the “rope-a-dope” strategy that frustrated and infuriated the champion. Foreman was eventually knocked down for the first time in his career, and the fight was stopped in the eighth round.

Foreman told the BBC in 2014 that he took the fight almost out of charity to Ali, who he suspected to be broke.

“I said I was going to go out there and kill him, and people said, ‘Please, don’t say you’re going to kill Muhammad,’” Foreman said. “So I said, ‘OK, I’ll just beat him down to the ground.’ That’s how easy I thought the fight would be.”

Exhausted and disillusioned, Foreman stopped fighting in 1977 and largely spent the next decade preaching and working with kids in Houston after his religious awakening. He returned to boxing in 1987 in his late 30s with a plan to defy time through frequent ring appearances, and he racked up a lengthy series of victories before losing to Evander Holyfield in a surprisingly competitive title fight in 1991.

Three years later, Foreman got in the ring with Moorer in Las Vegas, more for his celebrity than for his perceived ability to beat Moorer. The champion appeared to win the first nine rounds rather comfortably, with Foreman unable to land his slower punches. But Foreman came alive in the 10th, hurting Moorer before slipping in the short right hand that sent Moorer to the canvas in earth-shaking fashion.

Lampley, who was calling the fight, named his upcoming autobiography — which includes a prologue about Foreman — after his famous call of that moment: “It Happened!”

Foreman quit the ring for good in 1997, although he occasionally discussed a comeback. He settled into a life as a boxing analyst for HBO and as a pitchman for the grills that grew his fame and fortune. Much of the world soon knew Foreman as both a lovable friend and a ferocious fighter.

“He started performing as this pitchman, this product pitchman with the big, ever-present giant grin on his face," Lampley recalled. "When I was working with him, people would say, ‘George is a big clown.’ And I would say, ‘Well, you can call him a clown, but he’s actually a genius. He may be the greatest genius I’ve ever met.’ And people would say, ‘Well, genius, what do you mean?’ I’d say, ‘Well, check the bank account. If that isn’t proof enough, I don’t know what is.’ So, he was a genius. He was a human genius.”

Foreman briefly starred in a sitcom called “George” in the 1990s, and he even appeared on the reality singing competition “The Masked Singer” in 2022. A biographical movie based on his life was released in 2023.

Foreman had 12 children, including five sons who are all famously named George Edward Foreman.

“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, husband, father, grand- and great-grandfather and the best friend you could have,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on social media. “His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”

AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

FILE - George Foreman, left, hits Michael Moorer in the face with a left during the second round of their heavyweight championship fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 5, 1994. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File)

FILE - Heavyweight boxer George Foreman is seen during his bout with Russia's Iones Chepulis during their Olympic finals in Mexico City, Oct. 27, 1968. Foreman captured the gold medal. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Heavyweight boxer George Foreman flexes his muscles after weighing in at 260 pounds for his upcoming fight against Shannon Briggs at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City., N.J., Thursday, Nov. 20, 1997. ((AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - George Foreman, center, lands a body punch to Muhammad Ali during fight action in Zaire, Africa, Oct. 30, 1974. Referee Zack Clayton is at right.(AP Photo, File)

FILE - Joe Frazier is staggered by hard right in second round of heavyweight title fight by challenger George Foreman in Kingston, Jamaica, on Jan. 23, 1973. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Former heavyweight champion George Foreman of Houston, reacts during a news conference in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1994.(AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File)

FILE - Muhammad Ali, left, and George Foreman arrive at a Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood, Calif, March 24, 1997. (AP Photo/E.J. Flynn, File)

FILE - Lou Savarese of New York City blocks a right from George Foreman during their scheduled 12 round bout at the Atlantic City Convention Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., Saturday, April 26, 1997. (AP Photo/B.Vartan Boyajian, File)

FILE -Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman gives a stern look to Muhammad Ali during the Sports Illustrated Legacy Awards Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

FILE - Boxing greats Muhammad Ali, left, and George Foreman arrive at a Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 24, 1997. (AP Photo/E.J. Flynn, File)

FILE - Heavyweight champion George Foreman responds to cheers of crowd in stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire Saturday night, October 26, 1974 during the weigh in for his title defense against Muhammad Ali. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Perspiration flies from the head of George Foreman as he takes a right from challenger Muhammad Ali in the seventh round in the match dubbed Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire, Oct. 30, 1974. (AP Photo/Ed Kolenovsky, File)

FILE - George Foreman yells, Oct. 15, 1974, in N'Sele, Kinshasa, Zaire. (AP Photo/Horst Faas, File)

FILE - Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman tells a story to the audience at the Sports Illustrated Legacy Awards, Oct. 1, 2015, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)