Tennessee law designates lethal injection as the primary execution method, with the electric chair available only as a backup if drugs cannot be obtained or if a court invalidates injection, or as an elective option for certain pre-1999 offenses. Recent botched lethal injection attempts in 2026, including the September 30 failure involving Christa Pike, prompted Republican legislative leaders and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn to call for reviews and consideration of alternatives such as electrocution as the default. Governor Bill Lee ordered an independent investigation and paused remaining executions for the year, but no bills have advanced to alter the statutory default. Any potential legislative change would occur in the 2027 session at the earliest, leaving the existing framework in place through the end of 2026 and supporting trader consensus against a shift this year.