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Tennessee's 6th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 6 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
Tennessee's 6th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 10, 2026
Primary: August 6, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

Varies by county
Voting in Tennessee

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
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, 2026
See also
Tennessee's 6th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th
Tennessee elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on August 6, 2026, in Tennessee's 6th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
March 10, 2026
August 6, 2026
November 3, 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.

This page focuses on Tennessee's 6th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Craig Ballin, Lore Bergman, and Mike Croley are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on August 6, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Craig Ballin
Craig Ballin
Image of Lore Bergman
Lore Bergman Candidate Connection
Image of Mike Croley
Mike Croley Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = 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.

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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Lore Bergman

Image of Lore Bergman

WebsiteFacebookYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I have been an organizer, an advocate and an activist. I am a woman with disabilities, that is so tired of hearing rich congressmen, vote against all programs for the disadvantaged and champion stupid and cruel legislation on how to fix Social Security, healthcare and other programs, when the have never been sick, poor, hungry or homeless, and probably never will be. I have been all of those things, and I have many ideas on how we can make things better for the people suffering here in TN and across America. There are many things congress can do to make things better, and I cannot wait to get on the floor of Congress and give my ideas for new legislation. I have advocated for the disabled and have suffered at times for it, but no matter what happens to me, I will continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, also for the average hard-working American, Farmer and Veteran. As a woman, I am also tired of old white Republican men, telling us women what to do about our reproductive issues. The Republicans have voted against every bill that could help improve a woman's life, including contraception and the Women Against Violence Act. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, it angers me greatly to think that people like this represent and speak for me in Congress. We have gone backwards more than 50 years in the last few years, and all women's freedoms are in jeopardy now, even the right to vote. I will fight for democracy equal rights for everyone!"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Leviticus 19:18 says ".... love thy neighbor, as thyself....". Just think what America would be like if the people in this country and the rest of the world would just remember that verse. We would never think about taking away food, health insurance, housing and utility assistance if we did. We would love the children more than we love our guns and easily agree on common sense gun legislation reform. We would always want equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, women and all minorities. We would be kind and empathetic to immigrants and have cruelty free and legal immigration policies. We would never make people live in fear, because they are trans, gay or in need of reproductive healthcare and we would save the earth!

When someone is in need, and gets help, it is not an "entitlement"! To be hungry and get fed, to be sick and get medical care, to be homeless and get housing, is not an entitlement, it is a human right. The only ones who are entitled, are the rich in congress who think they know what's best for people who are poor and/or disabled and elderly. The disabled are very much underrepresented in Congress and average Americans hardly ever get elected, because they do not have the money or time to be able to run for office. If we had average working Americans and people with disabilities in Congress, we would get so much done for the American people. Congress would work for them and not for corporations and the wealthy.

Women are more than baby making machines, at least we used to be. And now, only women who can conceive naturally are basically considered important. It sickens me to think that women that are younger than me; now have less rights than I had at their age. We are going backwards in our fight for freedom. Women should not have to live in fear, if they are of reproductive age. Since Roe vs. Wade was reversed, women's health care is a chaotic mess. Old white men should not decide what a woman can or cannot do about her own health decisions. No matter what you believe about abortion or IVF, it is your decision, not someone else's decision for you. When a woman cannot make decisions about her own body, she is not a free citizen.

Mike Croley

Image of Mike Croley

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I’m Mike Croley; Navy veteran, former federal employee, environmental engineer, and lifelong problem-solver. I’ve spent my life serving this country, from serving as a Naval officer to managing public safety programs for the Federal Government. Most recently, I worked as a Presidential Management Fellow at NOAA, where I helped lead climate resilience efforts and supported community-centered science. Then, with the stroke of a pen, the program was shut down. My colleagues and I were left without a path forward; not because we failed, but because we refused to play political games. I’m running for Congress in Tennessee’s 6th District because I’ve seen what happens when no one stands up for working people. I’ve seen the cost of silence. And I’ve had enough. If they won’t fight for us, I will. I don’t believe power should only flow through two parties. I believe it should flow through people who care. I’m not here to sell you a party line. I’m here to talk about clean water, fair wages, better schools, and protecting the places we love. I was raised in these hills, raised by the values of grit, integrity, and looking out for your neighbor. That’s what drives me. Not money, not lobbyists, and not ego. I’m not running to build a career. I’m running to rebuild trust in government and remind folks in TN-6 that this is our seat, not theirs. The federal government has spent the last 18 months training me to be a leader. Please, TN6, put me to work!"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I’m running because I’ve seen what happens when no one stands up and fights back. After serving as a Navy veteran, a Tennessee State Park Ranger, and a federal public servant, I watched the government I worked for get gutted by billionaires and cowards. I’m not a polished politician, I’m a problem solver. I stepped up because I couldn’t sit back any longer while working families, teachers, and veterans got left behind.

My campaign is grounded in common sense and service: protect our environment, legalize marijuana, pay teachers what they’re worth, and stop selling out rural Tennesseans for short-term profit. I’ll fight for fair wages, access to healthcare, and real investment in rural infrastructure, not performative culture wars.

I’m building a grassroots movement. Not for power, but for people. This campaign is powered by volunteers, small-dollar donors, and folks who believe in truth, transparency, and accountability. I’m not running to come close. I’m running to win, and to give TN-6 a representative who actually works for them. The federal government has invested heavily in training me to be a leader in government. I have worked across many departments and agencies including the Department of State, the National Ocean Service, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Tennessee

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Craig Ballin Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Lore Bergman Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Mike Croley Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Lloyd Dunn Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_tn_congressional_district_06.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+17. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 17 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Tennessee's 6th the 52nd most Republican district nationally.[2]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Tennessee's 6th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
32.0% 67.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Tennessee, 2024

Tennessee presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 15 Democratic wins
  • 17 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D R D R D D D D D R R R D R R D R R R D D R R R R R R R
See also: Party control of Tennessee state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Tennessee's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Tennessee
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 1 1
Republican 2 7 9
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 1 1
Total 2 9 11

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Tennessee's top three state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Tennessee, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Bill Lee
Secretary of State Republican Party Tre Hargett
Attorney General Republican Party Jonathan Skrmetti

State legislature

Tennessee State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 6
     Republican Party 27
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 33

Tennessee House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 24
     Republican Party 75
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 99

Trifecta control

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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Tennessee in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Tennessee U.S. House All candidates 25 N/A 3/10/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ LexisNexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed July 16, 2025
  2. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Marsha Blackburn (R)
Bill Hagerty (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
John Rose (R)
District 7
District 8
District 9
Republican Party (10)
Democratic Party (1)


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