Lamar Alexander

As a United States Senator, I wake up every day thinking I may be able to do something good for our country, and I go to bed most nights thinking that I have. It has been a great privilege to serve the people in Tennessee, as governor and in the United States Senate.

I tell stories from my 1,022-mile, six-month walk across Tennessee and how it made me a better candidate and a better governor in chapters 15 through 19 of my forthcoming memoir, THE EDUCATION OF A SENATOR: FROM JFK TO TRUMP, which will be available on May 19th, 2026, from @PostHillPress. You can preorder here: simonandschuster.com/books/The-Educ…

In 1974, when I was 34, I won the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee. I lost the general election because voters were mad at Republicans about Watergate and because people said I was a “stuffed shirt.” So, when I wanted to run again four years later, my wife, Honey, said, “Wait a minute. First, I want to know 𝘸𝘩𝘺 you're running. What do you hope to accomplish? And second, could we have a different sort of campaign?” So we talked about it with some other people, and she said, "Well, why doesn't Lamar just do what he likes to do? He likes music, he likes to walk, he likes to meet people, he likes the outdoors." And then she said, "Why don't you just walk across the state?" And you don't walk across the state in a blue suit. So she and I went down to Friedman's Army Surplus Store on Hillsboro Avenue in Nashville, and we bought all the red-and-black plaid shirts they had. We added it to the two I already had, and I wore one of those shirts every day on my 1,022-mile walk across the state. I did my best to shake hands with 1,000 people every day and spent the night with 73 families, most of whom I had not known before. I sank deep into the music, stories, and character of our state. I saw firsthand that Tennessee was third from the bottom in family incomes, there was little interest in bettering the education system, and the "anything is possible" spirit I grew up with in Maryville was not prevalent in the community.

I tell the story of this “coup” and how it later affected my public life in chapters 1 and 2 of my forthcoming memoir, THE EDUCATION OF A SENATOR, which will be available on May 19th, 2026, from Post Hill Press. Preorder here: simonandschuster.com/books/The-Educ…

And I learned this lesson: if you want to accomplish a result, you had better learn to work with people with whom you don’t always agree.

On a gloomy winter morning in Nashville, forty-seven years ago, the United States Attorney called to ask me to do something no American had ever done. He wanted Democrat legislative leaders to swear me, a Republican, into office three days early.

Preorder here: simonandschuster.com/books/The-Educ…

I was taught this lesson when I was a 29-year-old White House aide listening to presidential Counselor Bryce Harlow ask that question of junior staffers, a moment I recount in chapter 13 of my new memoir, THE EDUCATION OF A SENATOR, out on May 19th from @PostHillPress.

Yesterday, I spoke to students at the @UTBakerSchool about "Leading with Courage" in a class taught by former Governor @BillHaslam and University of Tennessee Chancellor @DondePlowman. I told them that courage is asking “What would be the right thing to do?” and then doing it.

In my new memoir. THE EDUCATION OF A SENATOR, I paint portraits of the presidents I worked with, tell stories about what I saw behind the scenes, and describe lessons I learned about American politics and our country’s future. Preorder now: simonandschuster.com/books/The-Educ…

We were friends during almost all of those years and he went out of his way to support my campaigns for public office. He was cheerful and principled but like Sen.  Everett Dirksen, one of his principles was flexibility. I will miss his hearty laughter and his friendship.

David Keene’s life spanned the life of the modern conservative movement — from Nixon, Agnew and Goldwater to Reagan, Bush and the NRA, as well as his leadership of the  American Conservative Union. In all of that he was hard to pigeonhole and he didn’t pigeonhole others.

His story reminds us of why we say and believe, 'We are all Americans.' I do not know of a more inspiring example of the American character than the heroism of this 26-year-old East Tennessee soldier.

When I introduced legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to MSG “Roddie” Edmonds, I said that Master Sgt. Edmonds' courageous statement, 'We are all Jews here,' saved hundreds of Jewish-American soldiers who were captured after the Battle of the Bulge.

@UTKnoxville She made friends everywhere and made lasting contributions in East Tennessee, especially to the University to Tennessee College of Music, the East Tennessee Historical Society, and to Maryville College. She was a dear friend.

@UTKnoxville Natalie Haslam was a beautiful person—beautiful in spirit, beautiful in appearance, and beautiful in her thoughtfulness for others.

Remembering Natalie L. Haslam (’52), who passed away on Jan. 16 at the age of 94. Read more about her life and impact on the university. torchbearer.utk.edu/2026/01/the-he…

Rod Paige was an education trailblazer who launched a national conversation about how best to improve low performing schools and how to hold adults accountable for our children’s learning. We are fortunate for his service.

One might ask, if we don’t end the filibuster, how will we stop future shutdowns? Simple: Stop paying salaries and traveling-home expenses for members of Congress until the government reopens. That should solve the problem within days.

The filibuster is a check on the passions of the president, the politicians and the people.

Most Republicans support the filibuster because they remember when Democrats had 60 senators, Obama was president, Republican votes didn’t matter & Democrats held hands and all jumped off the cliff together to enact ObamaCare & other partisan legislation. bit.ly/4qPfNT0