1994 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee

← 1992 November 8, 1994 (1994-11-08) 1996 →
All 9 Tennessee seats to theUnited States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 3 6 Seats won 5 4 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 775,843 614,512 Percentage 54.77% 43.38% Swing 12.02% 7.79%
Party gains District results County results      Republican hold     Republican gain      Democratic hold Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Democratic   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

The1994 congressional elections in Tennessee was held on November 8, 1994, to determine who will represent thestate ofTennessee in theUnited States House of Representatives.

Following the 1994 elections,Republicans gained 2 seats, putting the Tennessee delegation at a 5-4Republican majority.^[1][2] The last time Republicans won a majority in the House delegation was in1972.

United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 1994[1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Republican	775,843	54.77%	5	2
	Democratic	614,512	43.38%	4	2
	Independents	26,069	1.84%	0	—
	Write-ins	78	0.01%	0	—
Totals		1,416,502	100.00%	9	—

1994 Tennessee's 3rd congressional district election

← 1992 1996 →

Nominee Zach Wamp Randy Button Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 84,583 73,839 Percentage 52.26% 45.62%

County results Wamp:     50–60%     60–70% Button:     50–60%     60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Marilyn Lloyd Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Zach Wamp Republican

Tennessee’s 3rd congressional district lied inEast Tennessee, anchored byChattanooga and surrounding communities. It included all ofAnderson,Bledsoe,Grundy,Hamilton,Marion,Meigs,Morgan,Polk,Roane,Sequatchie, andVan Buren counties, as well as part ofBradley County. The district had been represented byDemocratMarilyn Lloyd, who had served since 1975. Lloyd did not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 1994 after anarrow 1992 victory. She retired and endorsed her successor,RepublicanZach Wamp, in the general election.^[3]

Wamp’s strength was concentrated in the district’s population centers and most suburban areas. He posted his largest raw vote and margin inHamilton County, home to Chattanooga, and also carriedBradley County,Bledsoe,Roane, andSequatchie counties.

Democrat Randy Button performed best in a number of the district’s smaller and more rural counties. He wonGrundy,Marion,Meigs,Morgan,Polk,Van Buren, andAnderson Counties. Despite those wins, Button’s margins were not large enough to overcome Wamp’s advantage in Hamilton County and other population centers.^[4]

1994 Tennessee's 4th congressional district election

← 1992 1996 →

Nominee Van Hilleary Jeff Whorley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 81,539 60,489 Percentage 56.63% 42.01%

County results Hilleary:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Whorley:     50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Jim Cooper Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Van Hilleary Republican

Tennessee's 4th congressional district was located inMiddle Tennessee andEast Tennessee, stretching across a largely rural region with small cities and manufacturing communities. The district includedBedford,Campbell,Claiborne,Coffee,Cumberland,Fentress,Franklin,Giles,Grainger,Hamblen,Hardin,Lawrence,Lincoln,Moore,Pickett,Rhea,Scott,Union,Warren,Wayne, andWhite counties, as well as part ofKnox County.^[5]

Prior to the 1994 election, the district had been represented by six-termDemocratJim Cooper, first elected in 1982. Cooper chose not to seek re-election to the U.S. House and instead ran for theUnited States Senate that year; he became the Democratic nominee in thespecial Senate election but was defeated byRepublicanFred Thompson.

With Cooper’s retirement, the open seat drew Republican and Democratic candidates in a year that saw substantial Republican gains nationwide. In the general election, RepublicanVan Hilleary defeated Democratic nominee Jeff Whorley, winning relatively comfortably and flipping the seat Republican.^[6]

Hilleary’s strength was concentrated across much of the district’s eastern andUpper Cumberland counties, where he built large margins. He also carried most of the district’s more rural counties by comfortable margins.

Whorley performed best in some of the district’s southern and more Democratic-leaning counties. He carried Bedford, Franklin, Giles, Warren, and White counties, generally by modest margins.^[6]

1994 Tennessee's 6th congressional district election

← 1992 1996 →

Nominee Bart Gordon Steve Gill Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 90,933 88,759 Percentage 50.60% 49.39%

County results Gordon:     50–60%     60–70% Gill:     60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Bart Gordon Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Bart Gordon Democratic

Tennessee’s 6th congressional district lied inMiddle Tennessee, including all ofCannon,Clay,DeKalb,Jackson,Macon,Marshall,Overton,Putnam,Rutherford,Smith,Sumner,Trousdale,Wilson, andWilliamson Counties, as well as a small southern portion ofDavidson County. It had been represented by DemocratBart Gordon since 1985.

Bart Gordon won every rural county in the district and ran up particularly large margins in theUpper Cumberland, includingJackson,Overton,Smith, andTrousdale. He also carriedCannon,Clay,DeKalb,Macon,Marshall,Putnam,Rutherford, andSumner.

RepublicanSteve Gill performed best in the district’s suburban areas. He won theWilliamson County portion of the district by a wide margin and also carried the suburban precincts in the district’s share ofDavidson County. Those margins, however, were not large enough to offset Gordon’s strength in the district’s rural and exurban areas.^[7]

1994 Tennessee's 7th congressional district election

← 1992 1996 →

Nominee Ed Bryant Harold Byrd Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 102,587 65,851 Percentage 60.21% 38.65%

County results Bryant:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Byrd:     40–50%     50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Don Sundquist Republican Elected U.S. Representative Ed Bryant Republican

Tennessee's 7th congressional district was located inMiddle Tennessee andWest Tennessee, encompassing a mix of rural counties, small towns, and a portion ofShelby County. The district includedCheatham,Chester,Decatur,Dickson,Fayette,Hardeman,Henderson,Hickman,Lewis,Maury,McNairy,Montgomery,Perry, part ofRobertson, and part ofShelby counties.^[8]

The seat was open following the retirement of the incumbent,RepublicanDon Sundquist, whosuccessfully ran for governor.

Republican nomineeEd Bryant performed well mainly in the West Tennessee counties and overwhelmingly in the portion of Shelby County within the district, giving him a comfortable overall margin.^[9]

Democratic nominee Harold Bryant did well in the northern parts of the district in Middle Tennessee, but his gains were not sufficient to come close to Bryant’s advantage in Shelby County and other southern parts of the district.^[9]

• 1994 United States Senate election in Tennessee
• 1994 United States Senate special election in Tennessee
• 1994 Tennessee gubernatorial election
• 1994 United States elections

• 1994 United States House of Representatives elections
• United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
• 1994 Tennessee elections

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