Lauren Pinkston, photographed in the Fainting Goat Coffee in Spring Hill on Nov. 20, is running for Tennessee governor as an independent candidate. (Photo: J. Holly McCall/Tennessee Lookout)

Former Lipscomb University professor Lauren Pinkston, who has spent her career researching human trafficking prevention and community development, will run for governor as an independent candidate.

A first-time candidate, Pinkston, of Columbia, said she first considered running for the state legislature before eyeing the governor’s race.

“Knowing who is on the ballot on the Republican side, there are some really polarizing figures that people are not excited about,” she said. “There are a lot of Republicans who were raised like I was with a core set of values that they just don’t feel represented by

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