Democratic Party primaries in Tennessee, 2026
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| Democratic Party primaries, 2026 |
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| Primary Date |
| August 6, 2026 |
| Federal elections |
| Democratic primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Democratic Party of Tennessee |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that will take place in Tennessee on August 6, 2026.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes a closed primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.[1]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. Senate
A Democratic Party primary takes place on August 6, 2026, in Tennessee to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
U.S. House
District 1
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 2
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 3
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 4
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 5
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 6
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 7
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 8
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 9
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State elections
State Senate
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2026
Tennessee State Senate elections, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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J. Adam Lowe (i) |
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| District 3 |
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Rusty Crowe (i) |
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| District 5 |
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Randy McNally (i) |
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| District 7 |
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Richard Briggs (i) |
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| District 9 |
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| District 11 |
|
Bo Watson (i) |
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| District 13 |
|
Dawn White (i) |
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| District 15 |
|
Paul Bailey (i) |
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| District 17 |
|
Mark Pody (i) |
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| District 19 |
Charlane Oliver (i) |
|
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| District 21 |
Jeff Yarbro (i) |
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| District 23 |
|
Kerry Roberts (i) |
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| District 25 |
|
Ed Jackson (i) |
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| District 27 |
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| District 29 |
Raumesh Akbari (i) |
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| District 31 |
|
Brent Taylor (i) |
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| District 33 |
London Lamar (i) |
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House of Representatives
State executive offices
One state executive office is up for election in Tennessee in 2026:
Governor of Tennessee
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyVoting information
- See also: Voting in Tennessee
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Context of the 2026 elections
Tennessee Party Control: 1992-2025
Five years of Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
State party overview
Democratic Party of Tennessee
- See also: Democratic Party of Tennessee
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 95 Tennessee counties—1 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Hardeman County, Tennessee | 7.92% | 5.91% | 6.18% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Tennessee with 60.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 34.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Tennessee cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Tennessee supported Democratic candidates for president and Republican candidates equally. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Tennessee. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns show the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns show the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[2][3]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 20 out of 99 state House districts in Tennessee with an average margin of victory of 50.7 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 22 out of 99 state House districts in Tennessee with an average margin of victory of 46.5 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 79 out of 99 state House districts in Tennessee with an average margin of victory of 36.8 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 77 out of 99 state House districts in Tennessee with an average margin of victory of 43.8 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 26.48% | 71.78% | R+45.3 | 19.62% | 76.53% | R+56.9 | R |
| 2 | 25.47% | 72.94% | R+47.5 | 22.34% | 73.09% | R+50.8 | R |
| 3 | 23.44% | 74.89% | R+51.5 | 15.82% | 81.34% | R+65.5 | R |
| 4 | 24.92% | 73.37% | R+48.5 | 17.60% | 79.09% | R+61.5 | R |
| 5 | 26.22% | 72.04% | R+45.8 | 18.39% | 78.32% | R+59.9 | R |
| 6 | 27.88% | 70.48% | R+42.6 | 24.82% | 70.87% | R+46.1 | R |
| 7 | 32.16% | 65.69% | R+33.5 | 28.10% | 67.14% | R+39 | R |
| 8 | 25.60% | 72.64% | R+47 | 22.13% | 73.51% | R+51.4 | R |
| 9 | 25.47% | 72.83% | R+47.4 | 16.67% | 80.51% | R+63.8 | R |
| 10 | 26.13% | 72.49% | R+46.4 | 19.78% | 76.98% | R+57.2 | R |
| 11 | 24.31% | 73.99% | R+49.7 | 16.57% | 80.41% | R+63.8 | R |
| 12 | 21.96% | 76.64% | R+54.7 | 18.10% | 78.27% | R+60.2 | R |
| 13 | 46.29% | 51.08% | R+4.8 | 46.53% | 46.55% | R+0 | R |
| 14 | 27.16% | 71.40% | R+44.2 | 31.73% | 62.39% | R+30.7 | R |
| 15 | 64.97% | 32.36% | D+32.6 | 63.19% | 30.19% | D+33 | D |
| 16 | 26.02% | 72.27% | R+46.3 | 25.79% | 69.20% | R+43.4 | R |
| 17 | 23.13% | 75.42% | R+52.3 | 17.26% | 79.08% | R+61.8 | R |
| 18 | 37.12% | 60.80% | R+23.7 | 40.01% | 52.84% | R+12.8 | R |
| 19 | 24.61% | 73.61% | R+49 | 20.94% | 74.82% | R+53.9 | R |
| 20 | 26.93% | 71.34% | R+44.4 | 24.49% | 70.69% | R+46.2 | R |
| 21 | 25.45% | 73.18% | R+47.7 | 21.22% | 75.52% | R+54.3 | R |
| 22 | 23.71% | 74.79% | R+51.1 | 16.46% | 80.41% | R+64 | R |
| 23 | 25.15% | 73.42% | R+48.3 | 17.86% | 79.49% | R+61.6 | R |
| 24 | 24.40% | 74.21% | R+49.8 | 21.09% | 74.46% | R+53.4 | R |
| 25 | 26.28% | 72.36% | R+46.1 | 20.11% | 77.28% | R+57.2 | R |
| 26 | 34.03% | 64.08% | R+30.1 | 31.79% | 62.75% | R+31 | R |
| 27 | 34.43% | 63.74% | R+29.3 | 31.70% | 62.61% | R+30.9 | R |
| 28 | 80.31% | 18.45% | D+61.9 | 77.92% | 17.79% | D+60.1 | D |
| 29 | 33.45% | 64.95% | R+31.5 | 29.81% | 65.70% | R+35.9 | R |
| 30 | 37.06% | 61.14% | R+24.1 | 34.33% | 60.41% | R+26.1 | R |
| 31 | 27.30% | 71.02% | R+43.7 | 18.77% | 78.05% | R+59.3 | R |
| 32 | 26.67% | 71.68% | R+45 | 21.60% | 74.28% | R+52.7 | R |
| 33 | 35.25% | 62.79% | R+27.5 | 31.54% | 63.16% | R+31.6 | R |
| 34 | 33.18% | 65.32% | R+32.1 | 31.29% | 63.52% | R+32.2 | R |
| 35 | 23.70% | 74.95% | R+51.3 | 15.89% | 81.43% | R+65.5 | R |
| 36 | 26.89% | 71.70% | R+44.8 | 18.57% | 78.26% | R+59.7 | R |
| 37 | 38.33% | 59.99% | R+21.7 | 36.08% | 58.84% | R+22.8 | R |
| 38 | 24.89% | 73.79% | R+48.9 | 16.00% | 81.84% | R+65.8 | R |
| 39 | 33.22% | 65.17% | R+32 | 24.43% | 72.61% | R+48.2 | R |
| 40 | 31.85% | 66.76% | R+34.9 | 23.97% | 72.67% | R+48.7 | R |
| 41 | 32.24% | 66.34% | R+34.1 | 20.31% | 77.25% | R+56.9 | D |
| 42 | 30.46% | 67.77% | R+37.3 | 25.64% | 70.08% | R+44.4 | R |
| 43 | 35.21% | 62.96% | R+27.8 | 22.37% | 74.65% | R+52.3 | R |
| 44 | 31.04% | 67.73% | R+36.7 | 26.55% | 69.59% | R+43 | R |
| 45 | 26.81% | 71.94% | R+45.1 | 25.43% | 70.33% | R+44.9 | R |
| 46 | 31.50% | 67.04% | R+35.5 | 25.22% | 70.47% | R+45.3 | R |
| 47 | 30.99% | 67.13% | R+36.1 | 23.89% | 72.27% | R+48.4 | R |
| 48 | 36.74% | 61.61% | R+24.9 | 33.92% | 60.93% | R+27 | R |
| 49 | 39.71% | 58.68% | R+19 | 37.26% | 57.65% | R+20.4 | R |
| 50 | 41.70% | 56.68% | R+15 | 44.24% | 50.66% | R+6.4 | D |
| 51 | 66.01% | 31.55% | D+34.5 | 67.37% | 26.85% | D+40.5 | D |
| 52 | 67.26% | 31.18% | D+36.1 | 67.30% | 27.78% | D+39.5 | D |
| 53 | 51.53% | 46.59% | D+4.9 | 54.11% | 38.90% | D+15.2 | D |
| 54 | 83.83% | 15.06% | D+68.8 | 81.44% | 15.31% | D+66.1 | D |
| 55 | 56.64% | 40.99% | D+15.7 | 62.66% | 30.37% | D+32.3 | D |
| 56 | 37.97% | 60.61% | R+22.6 | 47.22% | 46.82% | D+0.4 | R |
| 57 | 27.13% | 71.48% | R+44.4 | 24.99% | 70.38% | R+45.4 | R |
| 58 | 86.45% | 11.94% | D+74.5 | 82.52% | 12.58% | D+69.9 | D |
| 59 | 70.87% | 27.77% | D+43.1 | 70.12% | 26.06% | D+44.1 | D |
| 60 | 42.92% | 55.47% | R+12.6 | 44.82% | 49.40% | R+4.6 | D |
| 61 | 25.02% | 73.85% | R+48.8 | 31.20% | 63.62% | R+32.4 | R |
| 62 | 29.19% | 69.47% | R+40.3 | 22.37% | 74.69% | R+52.3 | R |
| 63 | 24.83% | 73.95% | R+49.1 | 28.09% | 66.72% | R+38.6 | R |
| 64 | 31.94% | 66.63% | R+34.7 | 25.56% | 70.79% | R+45.2 | R |
| 65 | 29.11% | 69.35% | R+40.2 | 29.72% | 64.68% | R+35 | R |
| 66 | 31.53% | 67.11% | R+35.6 | 24.53% | 71.72% | R+47.2 | R |
| 67 | 54.58% | 43.95% | D+10.6 | 47.83% | 45.50% | D+2.3 | D |
| 68 | 35.78% | 62.76% | R+27 | 31.26% | 63.72% | R+32.5 | R |
| 69 | 40.73% | 57.62% | R+16.9 | 29.72% | 66.98% | R+37.3 | R |
| 70 | 31.22% | 67.54% | R+36.3 | 22.18% | 75.41% | R+53.2 | R |
| 71 | 24.67% | 73.66% | R+49 | 15.60% | 81.73% | R+66.1 | R |
| 72 | 27.58% | 70.95% | R+43.4 | 18.81% | 78.70% | R+59.9 | R |
| 73 | 32.43% | 66.66% | R+34.2 | 30.38% | 66.96% | R+36.6 | R |
| 74 | 44.75% | 53.51% | R+8.8 | 32.44% | 62.91% | R+30.5 | R |
| 75 | 35.99% | 62.32% | R+26.3 | 23.49% | 73.77% | R+50.3 | R |
| 76 | 31.38% | 67.25% | R+35.9 | 24.03% | 73.21% | R+49.2 | R |
| 77 | 26.95% | 71.89% | R+44.9 | 19.93% | 77.87% | R+57.9 | R |
| 78 | 31.74% | 66.52% | R+34.8 | 24.60% | 71.32% | R+46.7 | R |
| 79 | 32.57% | 66.24% | R+33.7 | 25.73% | 71.87% | R+46.1 | R |
| 80 | 65.84% | 33.40% | D+32.4 | 59.47% | 38.32% | D+21.2 | D |
| 81 | 29.62% | 69.23% | R+39.6 | 24.73% | 72.28% | R+47.6 | R |
| 82 | 47.11% | 52.21% | R+5.1 | 39.75% | 58.51% | R+18.8 | D |
| 83 | 35.52% | 63.50% | R+28 | 42.62% | 53.17% | R+10.6 | R |
| 84 | 88.19% | 11.41% | D+76.8 | 87.27% | 10.83% | D+76.4 | D |
| 85 | 86.69% | 12.90% | D+73.8 | 86.70% | 11.57% | D+75.1 | D |
| 86 | 76.09% | 23.16% | D+52.9 | 72.98% | 24.31% | D+48.7 | D |
| 87 | 86.77% | 12.68% | D+74.1 | 86.66% | 11.18% | D+75.5 | D |
| 88 | 76.07% | 23.17% | D+52.9 | 75.43% | 21.94% | D+53.5 | D |
| 89 | 29.02% | 69.00% | R+40 | 30.19% | 63.68% | R+33.5 | R |
| 90 | 82.88% | 15.83% | D+67.1 | 82.77% | 13.27% | D+69.5 | D |
| 91 | 89.73% | 9.60% | D+80.1 | 86.97% | 10.77% | D+76.2 | D |
| 92 | 32.45% | 65.92% | R+33.5 | 23.60% | 73.36% | R+49.8 | R |
| 93 | 78.51% | 20.54% | D+58 | 76.41% | 20.35% | D+56.1 | D |
| 94 | 31.77% | 67.08% | R+35.3 | 26.34% | 71.15% | R+44.8 | R |
| 95 | 23.35% | 75.79% | R+52.4 | 28.51% | 67.82% | R+39.3 | R |
| 96 | 43.76% | 55.37% | R+11.6 | 50.57% | 45.95% | D+4.6 | D |
| 97 | 37.56% | 61.31% | R+23.8 | 41.60% | 54.17% | R+12.6 | R |
| 98 | 81.57% | 17.71% | D+63.9 | 80.24% | 17.34% | D+62.9 | D |
| 99 | 28.53% | 70.51% | R+42 | 29.33% | 67.14% | R+37.8 | R |
| Total | 39.08% | 59.48% | R+20.4 | 34.91% | 61.06% | R+26.2 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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