Marsha Blackburn Calls for Electric Chair in Tennessee After Christa Pike’s Execution Fails

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is calling for Tennessee to bring back the electric chair for executions after the state failed to carry out the lethal injection of convicted murderer Christa Pike.

Pike, who was convicted in the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, was scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026. However, the execution was halted after the lethal injection process failed.

The incident prompted Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to order a comprehensive, third-party review of the state’s execution procedures and pause the remaining scheduled executions for 2026.

What does Marsha Blackburn say about Christa Pike’s failed execution?

In a statement released on October 1, Blackburn described the failed execution as tragic and called for Tennessee to change its method of execution.

Christa Pike should have been executed long ago, Blackburn said.

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She argued that the failed process had prolonged the suffering of Slemmer’s family.

Blackburn said the state should conduct a thorough investigation into what went wrong but argued that Tennessee should return to the electric chair.

The answer is simple: bring back the electric chair and deliver justice for these victims swiftly, she said.

Marsha Blackburn’s opponent responds

Jerri Green, Blackburn’s Democratic opponent in the race to succeed Lee as Tennessee governor, criticized the proposal.

Green, who serves as Shelby County’s chief public defender, attributed the failed execution to what she described as a rushed process by Tennessee’s attorney general, noting that the execution of Tony Carruthers had also failed four months earlier.

Green also opposed the death penalty and said she would seek a moratorium on future executions if elected governor.

And Marsha Blackburn wants to bring back one of the most cruel forms of capital punishment, the electric chair. As a public defender, I’ve met a few too many people who were wrongfully convicted on death row who were later exonerated. As governor, I would put a moratorium on all future executions. If we say we are pro-life, that means we must be anti-death penalty.

Tennessee pauses executions

Following Pike’s failed execution, Lee announced that he had ordered an investigation into the Tennessee Department of Correction’s execution procedures.

Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the state’s most serious responsibilities,” Lee said, adding that executions must be carried out in a manner that is legal, constitutional and effective.

Lee subsequently halted the execution scheduled for later in 2026 while the review takes place.

The developments have renewed debate in Tennessee over the state’s execution procedures, methods of capital punishment, and whether executions should continue.