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Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2020

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2022
2018
Tennessee's 8th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 2, 2020
Primary: August 6, 2020
General: November 3, 2020

Pre-election incumbent:
David Kustoff (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
Tennessee's 8th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
Tennessee elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

All U.S. congressional districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Tennessee, held elections in 2020.

Incumbent David Kustoff won election in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
April 2, 2020
August 6, 2020
November 3, 2020


Heading into the election the incumbent was Republican David Kustoff, who was first elected in 2016. The race was one of 56 U.S. House rematches from 2018.

The 8th District is located in the northwest region of Tennessee and borders Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas. The district is made up of Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Haywood, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, Obion, Tipton,and Weakley counties and portions of Benton and Shelby counties.[1]

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Tennessee's 8th Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 33.2 29.5
Republican candidate Republican Party 65.4 68.5
Difference 32.2 39

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 the coronavirus (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. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Erika Stotts Pearson, James Hart, and Jon Dillard in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of David Kustoff
David Kustoff (R)
 
68.5
 
227,216
Image of Erika Stotts Pearson
Erika Stotts Pearson (D)
 
29.5
 
97,890
Image of James Hart
James Hart (Independent)
 
1.1
 
3,763
Image of Jon Dillard
Jon Dillard (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.9
 
2,984

Total votes: 331,853
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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Erika Stotts Pearson defeated Savannah Williamson, Lawrence Pivnick, and Hollis Skinner in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erika Stotts Pearson
Erika Stotts Pearson
 
51.1
 
14,510
Savannah Williamson
 
20.4
 
5,788
Image of Lawrence Pivnick
Lawrence Pivnick
 
16.5
 
4,685
Hollis Skinner
 
11.9
 
3,389

Total votes: 28,372
(100.00% precincts reporting)
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of David Kustoff
David Kustoff
 
100.0
 
70,677

Total votes: 70,677
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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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.

District analysis

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

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+19, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 19 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Tennessee's 8th Congressional District the 42nd most Republican nationally.[4]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.01. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.01 points toward that party.[5]

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
David Kustoff Republican Party $1,718,362 $1,076,430 $713,832 As of December 31, 2020
Erika Stotts Pearson Democratic Party $19,272 $16,085 $4,137 As of December 31, 2020
Jon Dillard Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
James Hart Independent $338 $310 $1,115 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. 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.


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, and DDHQ/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 and Solid 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.[6]
  • 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.[7][8][9]

Race ratings: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Candidate ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for 8th Congressional District candidates in Tennessee in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Tennessee 8th Congressional District All candidates 25 Fixed number N/A N/A 4/2/2020 Source

District election history

2018

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Erika Stotts Pearson and James Hart in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of David Kustoff
David Kustoff (R)
 
67.7
 
168,030
Image of Erika Stotts Pearson
Erika Stotts Pearson (D)
 
30.1
 
74,755
Image of James Hart
James Hart (Independent)
 
2.2
 
5,560

Total votes: 248,345
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Erika Stotts Pearson defeated John Boatner Jr. in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 2, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erika Stotts Pearson
Erika Stotts Pearson
 
50.4
 
17,137
Image of John Boatner Jr.
John Boatner Jr.
 
49.6
 
16,847

Total votes: 33,984
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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated George Flinn Jr. and Colleen Owens in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 2, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of David Kustoff
David Kustoff
 
56.0
 
57,741
Image of George Flinn Jr.
George Flinn Jr.
 
39.7
 
40,903
Image of Colleen Owens
Colleen Owens
 
4.3
 
4,460

Total votes: 103,104
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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2016

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Stephen Lee Fincher did not seek re-election to his seat in 2016. Twenty-one candidates filed in the race to replace him. David Kustoff (R) defeated Rickey Hobson (D), and independents Shelia Godwin, James Hart, Adrian Montague, Mark Rawles, and Karen Free Spirit Talley-Lane in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hobson defeated Gregory Alan Frye in the Democratic primary, while Kustoff defeated 12 other candidates in the Republican primary. The primary elections took place on August 4, 2016.[10][11][12]

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Kustoff 68.8% 194,386
     Democratic Rickey Hobson 25.1% 70,925
     Independent Shelia Godwin 2.3% 6,442
     Independent James Hart 1.4% 4,057
     Independent Adrian Montague 0.9% 2,497
     Independent Mark Rawles 0.9% 2,445
     Independent Karen Free Spirit Talley-Lane 0.7% 1,981
Total Votes 282,733
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State


U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRickey Hobson 54.8% 7,774
Gregory Frye 45.2% 6,413
Total Votes 14,187
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State


U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Kustoff 27.4% 16,889
George Flinn Jr. 23.1% 14,200
Mark Luttrell 17.7% 10,878
Brian Kelsey 12.9% 7,942
Brad Greer 11.1% 6,819
Tom Leatherwood 4.3% 2,620
Hunter Baker 1.6% 1,014
Ken Atkins 0.7% 410
Raymond Honeycutt 0.4% 231
George Howell 0.3% 211
David Wharton 0.2% 131
David Bault 0.2% 109
David Maldonado 0.1% 76
Total Votes 61,530
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State

2014

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District elections, 2014

Incumbent Stephen Lee Fincher won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. He defeated Wes Bradley, Mark Rawles and James Hart in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Lee Fincher Incumbent 70.8% 122,205
     Democratic Wes Bradley 24.6% 42,403
     Constitution Mark Rawles 2.6% 4,450
     Independent James Hart 2% 3,446
Total Votes 172,504
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available.

See also

External links

Footnotes


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
John Rose (R)
District 7
Vacant
District 8
District 9
Republican Party (9)
Democratic Party (1)
Vacancies (1)