Mark Pickrell

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Mark Pickrell

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 6, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Harvard College, 1988

Graduate

University of Tennessee College of Law, 1992

Personal

Birthplace

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Religion

Baptist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Mark Pickrell (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Tennessee. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 6, 2020.

Pickrell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2020

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2020 (August 6 Democratic primary)

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2020 (August 6 Republican primary)

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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,959,761
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia 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.

Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tom Kovach (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tennessee

Marquita Bradshaw defeated Robin Kimbrough Hayes, James Mackler, Gary Davis, and Mark 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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 332,223
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia 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

• 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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 652,724
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia 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

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

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mark Pickrell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pickrell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native of Oak Ridge who lives in Nashville. I grew up in Oak Ridge, graduating from Oak Ridge High School. I attended Harvard College and the University of Tennessee College of Law. I am an attorney and entrepreneur. I am a co-founder and Chief Administrative Officer of Virtuoso Surgical, Inc., a medical-device startup based in Nashville. I have been happily married for 25 years, and I have three amazing daughters. I am an ordained Baptist deacon, and I love to hunt and fish.

I am running for U.S. Senate because I believe that our economy has, over the past decades, become increasingly unstable and unfair. We have had six financial crises in the last two decades, each one worse than the last. Unless we change direction now, the economic damage that we are causing to our nation may last for decades. It is imperative that we fix our economy by repairing Main Street and refusing to bail out Wall Street.

I believe that, as a nation, we can change course and lay an economic foundation for the future. In the process, we can dramatically improve everyone's lives. The specific details of my Economic Plan can be found at my campaign website, www.Pickrell2020.net. Most Americans agree with my economic plan, yet Washington has fought, vigorously, against its principles. Why? Because Washington is beholden to Wall Street and not the American people.

If you agree with my Economic Plan, or at least most of it, I would greatly appreciate your support.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• America must change its economic direction, now.
• America must prioritize Main Street over Wall Street, now.
• Mark Pickrell is a Tennessee Democrat who the people of Tennessee can trust.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Economic issues. See the details of my Economic Plan at www.Pickrell2020.net

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My father. He is highly intelligent, and he was an excellent physicist in Oak Ridge. He is quiet and humble.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity. Purpose. Intelligence. Patience. Competence. Humility. Experience. Courage. Diligence.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am honest and hard-working. I am intelligent and experienced in the law. I am jovial and good-natured. I am tolerant of disagreement with others. I am positive, optimistic, and hopeful.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Communicate with constituents. Stay informed on the issues. Understand the legislation. Listen to colleagues. Always be present for work.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To re-orient our nation's economy toward a stable, fair, growing future.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

One of the Apollo missions to the moon (but not the first). I was five or six years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Newspaper boy delivering The Oak Ridger. I had the job for four years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Homage to Catalonia. It's about George Orwell's experience in the Spanish Civil War. In contrast to For Whom the Bells Toll, it is an unromanticized story of noble purposes and ignoble efforts, of illusion crushed by reality, of the triumph of evil over misdirected & unprepared good intentions.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Charlie Anderson in Shenandoah (played by Jimmie Stewart)

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Please Come to Boston"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My weight.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Re-establishing a stable foundation for our economy.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The Senate is impossible to gerrymander, which makes it, generally, more moderate than the House. The terms are six years, the longest term in the U.S. government except for the U.S. Supreme Court. 1/3 of the Senate rolls over each Congressional cycle, which also means that it is generally more stable than the House. Each State in the Senate is equal, which means that the Senate is not reflective of population.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

That depends on the effect that the Senator's previous experience in government or politics has had on the Senator. Some Senators have become too connected to government, and too disconnected from the private sector and ordinary life. That is a bad thing. Also, many individuals' experience in government or politics can narrow their political outlook, or their outlook on life. That also is a bad thing.

I believe that my 28-year career practicing appellate law in federal court has provided me with practical experience understanding the actual implementation of the laws that Congress enacts. In my experience, legislators who do not have that practical experience often do not seem to understand the actual effect (positive or negative) of Congress' laws.

Also, as an entrepreneur, I interact with federal agencies constantly: NIH, SEC, DoJ, CMS, IRS, FTC, USPTO, among others. Until you've been a leader in a business that interacts with so many branches of the federal government, you have no idea of the practical effect, and problems, that Congress' laws have on American life.

What do you think of the filibuster?

The only thing worse than majority rule is minority rule.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

1. Is the nominee a person of character? 2. Is the nominee competent?

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other senators?

Yes. The Senate is a very collegial place, and the Senate's rules require teamwork to get things done. You can't have good teamwork without good personal relationships.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Budget; Appropriations; Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs; Finance.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. Senate, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

This question is premature.

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Estes Kefauver.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)