Tennessee State Senate elections, 2026
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| 2026 Tennessee Senate Election |
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Elections for the Tennessee State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is August 6, 2026. The filing deadline is March 10, 2026.
The Tennessee State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| As of February 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 6 | |
| Republican | 27 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | |
Candidates
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
Primary
Tennessee State Senate primary 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 |
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Bo Watson (i) |
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| District 13 |
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Dawn White (i) |
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| District 15 |
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Paul Bailey (i) |
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| District 17 |
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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 |
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Kerry Roberts (i) |
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| District 25 |
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Ed Jackson (i) |
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| District 27 |
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Jack Johnson (i) Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 29 |
Raumesh Akbari (i) |
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| District 31 |
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Brent Taylor (i) |
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| District 33 |
London Lamar (i) |
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General election
Tennessee State Senate general election 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 3 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 5 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 7 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 9 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 11 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 13 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 15 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 17 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 19 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 21 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 23 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 25 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 27 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 29 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 31 | Primary results pending | ||
| District 33 | Primary results pending | ||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Tennessee
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Tennessee. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Tennessee Senate from 2010 to 2026.[1] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Tennessee State Senate elections: 2010 - 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2026 | 17 | TBD | TBD |
| 2024 | 16 | 1 (6 percent) | 15 (94 percent) |
| 2022 | 17 | 3 (18 percent) | 14 (82 percent) |
| 2020 | 16 | 1 (6 percent) | 15 (94 percent) |
| 2018 | 18 | 3 (17 percent) | 15 (83 percent) |
| 2016 | 16 | 1 (6 percent) | 15 (94 percent) |
| 2014 | 18 | 4 (22 percent) | 14 (78 percent) |
| 2012 | 16 | 5 (31 percent) | 11 (69 percent) |
| 2010 | 17 | 2 (12 percent) | 15 (88 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Chapter 2-5 and Chapter 2-7 of the Tennessee Code
State legislative candidates
A candidate running for the state legislature, whether partisan or independent, must adhere to the same ballot access requirements, which are detailed below.
- The candidate must obtain a nominating petition from a county election commission office or the office of the state coordinator of elections.[2][3]
- The nominating petition must be signed by the candidate and at least 25 voters who are registered in the candidate's district.[2][3]
- The signer of a petition must include the address shown on his or her voter registration card in order for his or her signature to be counted.[3]
- The candidate must file the original nominating petition in the office of the county election commission by the first Thursday of April in his or her county of residence. The candidate must also file a certified duplicate in the county election commission office in each county wholly or partially within the candidate's district. This requirement applies to both political party candidates running in the primary and independent candidates running in the general election.[2][3]
- There are no filing fees.
Federal and statewide office
A partisan or independent candidate for governor, United States Representative, or United States Senator must obtain a nominating petition from a county election commission office or the office of the state coordinator of elections.[4][5]
- The nominating petition must be signed by at least 25 voters who are registered anywhere in Tennessee.[4][6]
- The signer of a petition must include the address shown on his or her voter registration card in order for the signature to be counted.[3]
- The candidate must file the nominating petition no later than noon on the first Thursday of April.[4][6]
- The candidate must file the original nominating petition in the office of the Tennessee State Election Commission. The candidate must also file a certified duplicate in the office of the state coordinator of elections. Both of these must be received by the qualifying deadline.[4][6]
- There are no filing fees.
For write-in candidates
In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate must file a certificate of write-in candidacy no later than noon on the 50th day before the general election in each county that makes up the district of the listed office. For the offices of governor, United States Senator, and United States Representative, this form must be filed with the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections.[7][8]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Tennessee State Senate, a candidate must be:[9]
- A U.S. citizen
- 30 years old before the general election
- A three-year resident of Tennessee before the general election
- A district resident for 1 year prior to the general election
- A qualified voter
- The following situations would eliminate a candidate from qualifying for office:
- Those who have been convicted of offering or giving a bribe, or of larceny, or any other offense declared infamous by law, unless restored to citizenship in the mode pointed out by law;
- Those against whom there is a judgment unpaid for any moneys received by them, in any official capacity, due to the United States, to this state, or any county thereof;
- Those who are defaulters to the treasury at the time of the election, and the election of any such person shall be void;
- Soldiers, seamen, marines, or airmen in the regular army or navy or air force of the United States; and
- Members of congress, and persons holding any office of profit or trust under any foreign power, other state of the union, or under the United States.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[10] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $33,060/year | $379.44/day. Legislators living within 50 miles of the Capitol receive a reduced amount of $86 per day. |
When sworn in
Tennessee legislators assume office on the day they are elected in the general election.[11]
Tennessee political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Tennessee Party Control: 1992-2026
Five years of Democratic trifectas • Sixteen 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 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | R |
Presidential politics in Tennessee
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Presidential election in Tennessee, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
64.2
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1,966,865 | 11 |
 
| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
34.5
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1,056,265 | 0 | |
 
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent) |
0.7
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21,535 | 0 | |
 
| Jill Stein/Samson LeBeau Kpadenou (Independent) |
0.3
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8,967 | 0 | |
 
| Jay Bowman/De Bowman (Independent) |
0.2
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5,865 | 0 | |
 
| Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (Independent) |
0.1
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3,457 | 0 | |
 
| Rachele Fruit/Dennis Richter (Independent) |
0.0
|
988 | 0 | |
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Total votes: 3,063,942 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Tennessee, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
60.7
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1,852,475 | 11 |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
37.5
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1,143,711 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (Independent) |
1.0
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29,877 | 0 | |
 
| Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent) |
0.3
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10,279 | 0 | |
 
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Independent) |
0.2
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5,365 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (Independent) |
0.1
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4,545 | 0 | |
 
| Alyson Kennedy/Malcolm Jarrett (Independent) |
0.1
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2,576 | 0 | |
 
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Independent) |
0.1
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2,301 | 0 | |
 
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Independent) |
0.1
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1,860 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.0
|
862 | 0 | ||
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Total votes: 3,053,851 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Tennessee, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 34.7% | 870,695 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
60.7% | 1,522,925 | 11 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.8% | 70,397 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.6% | 15,993 | 0 | |
| Independent | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.2% | 4,075 | 0 | |
| Independent | Alyson Kennedy/Osborne Hart | 0.1% | 2,877 | 0 | |
| Independent | Mike Smith/Daniel White | 0.3% | 7,276 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 0.5% | 13,789 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 2,508,027 | 11 | |||
| Election results via: Tennessee Secretary of State | |||||
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 |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On December 10, 2025, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's state legislative maps.[12] On November 22, 2023, the Davidson County Chancery Court had struck down the state Senate map, declaring it unconstitutional. The court ordered the state to create a new state Senate map by January 31, 2024.[13] On April 13, 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed a ruling by the Davidson County Chancery Court on April 6, blocking the same state Senate map. Gov. Lee signed the state's legislative districts into law on February 6, 2022.[14]
See also
| Tennessee | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tennessee Department of Elections, "Qualifying Procedures for Candidates for Tennessee House of Representatives," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Tennessee Code, "Chapter 2-5-101," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Tennessee Department of Elections, "Qualifying Procedures for Candidates for Governor," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Code, "Chapter 2-5-103," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Qualifying Procedures for United States Senate Tennessee Candidates for United States Senate," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Department of Elections, "Write-In Candidacy Form," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Code, "Chapter 2-7-133," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Qualifications for elected offices in Tennessee," accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Constitution, "Article II, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsuitend - ↑ The Tennessean, "Judges rule Tennessee Senate map unconstitutional, order legislature to redraw by Jan. 31," November 22, 2023
- ↑ The Tennessean, "Gov. Bill Lee signs redistricting bills dividing Davidson County into three congressional districts," February 7, 2022
