KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — While the governor’s race attracted much of the attention on Election Day, Tennessee voters also decided a number of high-profile federal and state races that will shape state and national politics for years to come. Please go to https://knoxcounty.org/election/ and https://sos.tn.gov/ for more election results.
Hagerty Wins Second Senate Term
Republican U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty won reelection, defeating Democratic challenger Marquita Bradshaw.
Unofficial statewide results showed Hagerty receiving approximately 55.1% of the vote, compared with 42.9% for Bradshaw, giving Republicans another six-year term in the U.S. Senate seat.
In Knox County, Hagerty also carried the county, receiving 78,503 votes (50.24%) to Bradshaw’s 75,557 votes (48.35%).
Burchett Holds On in Tight Congressional Race
One of the night’s closest races in East Tennessee was the contest for the 2nd Congressional District.
Republican Congressman Tim Burchett defeated Democrat Michaela Barnett, but by a much narrower margin than many previous elections. In Knox County, Burchett received 78,125 votes (49.91%) while Barnett earned 76,885 votes (49.12%). The margin was just 1,240 votes.
The race highlighted growing Democratic strength in Knoxville and surrounding suburban areas, even as Burchett retained enough support across the district to win reelection.
State Senate Races
District 5
Democrat David Miller narrowly defeated Republican Jimmy Matlock in Tennessee Senate District 5.
Unofficial Knox County results showed Miller receiving 10,699 votes (50.60%) compared to Matlock’s 10,447 votes (49.40%), a margin of just 252 votes. [
District 7
Republican incumbent Richard Briggs won reelection in Senate District 7.
Briggs received 33,498 votes (52.72%) while Democrat Bryan Langan earned 30,044 votes (47.28%).
State House Races
District 14
Republican Jason Zachary defeated Democrat Lindsay Young Honaker.
Zachary received 17,097 votes (55.80%), while Honaker received 13,543 votes (44.20%).
District 16
Republican Michele Carringer won reelection with 59.53% of the vote, defeating Democrat Eliza Boles, who received 40.47%.
District 18
One of the biggest legislative upsets came in District 18, where Democrat Bryan Goldberg defeated Republican incumbent Elaine Davis.
Goldberg received 14,020 votes (55.04%) compared to Davis’ 11,452 votes (44.96%).
District 19
Republican Dave Wright easily won reelection, receiving 65.52% of the vote against Democrat Jenny Fowler’s 34.48%.
District 89
Republican Justin Lafferty defeated Democrat Randy DeBord, winning 55.20% to 44.80%.
District 90
Democrat Gloria Johnson ran unopposed and was reelected with 100% of the vote.
What the Results Mean
The results showed Republicans continuing to dominate statewide races in Tennessee, with victories by Blackburn and Hagerty. However, several Knox County contests were highly competitive, and Democrats scored notable victories in legislative races, suggesting political trends in the Knoxville area continue to differ from much of the rest of the state.
