2022→ ←2018
U.S. Senate, Tennessee
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 2, 2020
Primary: August 6, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Lamar Alexander (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: Varies by county Voting in Tennessee
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
U.S. Senate, Tennessee U.S. Senate •1st •2nd •3rd •4th •5th •6th •7th •8th •9th Tennessee elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 Alabama U.S. Senate raceAlaska U.S. Senate raceArizona U.S. Senate raceArkansas U.S. Senate raceColorado U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceGeorgia U.S. Senate raceIdaho U.S. Senate raceIllinois U.S. Senate raceIowa U.S. Senate raceKansas U.S. Senate raceKentucky U.S. Senate raceLouisiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNew Hampshire U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNorth Carolina U.S. Senate raceOklahoma U.S. Senate raceOregon U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceSouth Carolina U.S. Senate raceSouth Dakota U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

Marquita Bradshaw (D),Bill Hagerty (R), and nine independent candidates ran in theNovember 3, 2020, general election inTennessee. On December 17, 2018, incumbent Sen.Lamar Alexander (R), first elected in 2002,announced that he would not run for re-election. Alexander stated, "The people of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined years as governor and senator than anyone else from our state. I am deeply grateful, but now it is time for someone else to have that privilege."^[1]

Bradshaw defeatedRobin Kimbrough Hayes,James Mackler, and two other candidates in theDemocratic primary, receiving 35% of the vote followed by Kimbrough and Mackler with 27% and 23%, respectively. No other candidate received over 10% of the vote. In theRepublican primary, Hagerty defeatedManny Sethi and 13 other candidates, receiving 52% of the vote to Sethi's 39%. No other candidate received over 5% of the vote.

For more information about the Republican primary,click here.
For more information about the Democratic primary,click here.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also:Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Tennessee modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures and voter identification rules for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Individuals "with a special vulnerability to COVID-19" and "caretakers for individuals with a special vulnerability to COVID-19" were deemed to meet the existing statutory criteria for absentee voting eligibility. A law requiring first-time voters to vote in person was temporarily suspended.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak,click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Tennessee

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Tennessee on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Hagerty (R)	62.2	1,840,926
		Marquita Bradshaw (D)	35.2	1,040,691
		Elizabeth McLeod (Independent)	0.6	16,652
		Yomi Faparusi (Independent)	0.4	10,727
	Submit photo	Steven Hooper (Independent)	0.3	9,609
		Kacey Morgan (Independent) (Unofficially withdrew)	0.3	9,598
		Ronnie Henley (Independent)	0.3	8,478
		Aaron James (Independent)	0.2	7,203
		Eric William Stansberry (Independent)	0.2	6,781
		Dean Hill (Independent)	0.2	4,872
		Jeffrey Grunau (Independent)	0.1	4,160
		John Gentry (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	64

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,959,761
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch theCandidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tom Kovach (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

Marquita Bradshaw defeatedRobin Kimbrough Hayes,James Mackler,Gary Davis, andMark Pickrell in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marquita Bradshaw	35.5	117,962
		Robin Kimbrough Hayes	26.6	88,492
		James Mackler	23.8	78,966
		Gary Davis	9.3	30,758
		Mark Pickrell	4.8	16,045

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 332,223
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Diana Onyejiaka (D)
• Tharon Chandler (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Hagerty	50.8	331,267
		Manny Sethi	39.4	257,223
		George Flinn Jr.	3.4	22,454
		Jon Henry	1.2	8,104
		Natisha Brooks	1.2	8,072
		Byron Bush	0.8	5,420
	Submit photo	Clifford Adkins	0.8	5,316
		Terry Dicus	0.3	2,279
		Tom Emerson Jr.	0.3	2,252
		David Schuster	0.3	2,045
	Submit photo	John Osborne	0.3	1,877
		Roy Cope	0.3	1,791
		Kent Morrell	0.3	1,769
		Aaron Pettigrew	0.2	1,622
	Submit photo	Glen Neal	0.2	1,233

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 652,724
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Garrett Nichols (R)
• Johnny Presley (R)
• Larry Crim (R)
• Jim Elkins (R)
• Josh Gapp (R)
• Clyde Benson (R)
• Geoffrey Stokes Nielson (R)

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Tennessee in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, clickhere.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from theFederal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.^[2] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or onspending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.^[3]

Race ratings

See also:Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets:The Cook Political Report,Inside Elections,Sabato's Crystal Ball, andDDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe andSolid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[4]
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[5][6][7]

Election history

2018

See also:United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Tennessee

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Tennessee on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marsha Blackburn (R)	54.7	1,227,483
		Phil Bredesen (D)	43.9	985,450
	Submit photo	Trudy Austin (Independent)	0.4	9,455
		Dean Hill (Independent)	0.4	8,717
		Kris Todd (Independent)	0.2	5,084
	Submit photo	John Carico (Independent)	0.2	3,398
	Submit photo	Breton Phillips (Independent)	0.1	2,226
		Kevin Lee McCants (Independent)	0.1	1,927

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,243,740
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

Phil Bredesen defeatedGary Davis andJohn Wolfe in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee on August 2, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Phil Bredesen	91.5	349,718
		Gary Davis	5.3	20,170
	Submit photo	John Wolfe	3.2	12,269

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 382,157
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Billy Bailey (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

Marsha Blackburn defeatedAaron Pettigrew in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee on August 2, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marsha Blackburn	84.5	613,513
		Aaron Pettigrew	15.5	112,705

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 726,218
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Larry Crim (R)
• Stephen Lee Fincher (R)
• Rolando Toyos (R)
• Edgar A. Lawson (R)

2014

U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lamar AlexanderIncumbent	61.9%	850,087
	Democratic	Gordon Ball	31.9%	437,848
	Independent	Ed Gauthier	0.2%	2,314
	Independent	Bartholomew Phillips	0.2%	2,386
	Independent	C. Salekin	0.1%	787
	Independent	Danny Page	0.6%	7,713
	Independent	Eric Schechter	0.1%	1,673
	Constitution	Joe Wilmoth	2.6%	36,088
	Independent	Joshua James	0.4%	5,678
	Independent	Rick Tyler	0.4%	5,759
	Tea Party	Tom Emerson, Jr.	0.8%	11,157
	Green	Martin Pleasant	0.9%	12,570
	Write-in	Erin Kent Magee	0%	5
Total Votes				1,374,065
Source:U.S. House Clerk "2014 Election Statistics"

2012

U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bob CorkerIncumbent	64.9%	1,506,443
	Democratic	Mark E. Clayton	30.4%	705,882
	Constitution	Kermit Steck	0.8%	18,620
	Green	Martin Pleasant	1.7%	38,472
	Libertarian	Shaun E. Crowell	0.9%	20,936
	Independent	David Gatchell	0.3%	6,523
	Independent	Michael Joseph Long	0.3%	8,085
	Independent	Troy Stephen Scoggin	0.3%	8,080
Total Votes				2,320,189
Source:Tennessee Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2020
• United States Senate elections, 2020

Footnotes

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