Tim McDonald (Tennessee)

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

Tim McDonald

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 4, 2022

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1969 - 1971

Personal

Birthplace

Bremerton, Wash.

Religion

Muslim

Profession

Logging, construction

Tim McDonald (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 8th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2022.

McDonald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tim McDonald was born in Bremerton, Washington. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971. McDonald attended the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and the University of Washington. His career experience includes working in logging and construction and as a professional pilot. He has been affiliated with the Wood Canoe Heritage Association and the NAACP.

Elections

2022

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Lynnette Williams, James Hart, and Ronnie Henley in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff (R)	74.0	155,602
	Submit photo	Lynnette Williams (D)	24.3	51,102
		James Hart (Independent)	1.2	2,541
		Ronnie Henley (Independent)	0.5	1,070

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 210,315
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Lynnette Williams defeated Tim McDonald in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Lynnette Williams	63.3	15,819
		Tim McDonald	36.7	9,187

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,006
= 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 Bob Hendry, Danny Bridger Jr., and Dean Clouse in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff	83.7	69,538
		Bob Hendry	8.4	6,990
		Danny Bridger Jr.	5.1	4,233
		Dean Clouse	2.8	2,291

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 83,052
= 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.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tim McDonald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDonald'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 retired airline pilot, former school board member, Vietnam veteran, father of two daughters. Moved to Tennessee in 2002 to help a woman in prison raise her two children. I was a school reading volunteer until recently put on the Terrorist Watch List for travel abroad. I believe in civility. I believe government works for us. I am a fiscal conservative, gun owner, I've never owned a television set. I believe great people make great nations. We all do our part. I'm doing mine. Will you join me? Can I assist you to do your part?

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?

• Let's be civil to one another
• Democracy is not a spectator sport
• Take care of your family, your neighbor, your country

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Personal involvement, individualism, independence

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

Jesus of Nazareth. He was a good man.

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

My only book...."The Lynching of Theresa Deion Harris, part one."

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

Courage

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

Courage to listen, courage to act

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

Listen to your constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Civility

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

Integration of Arkansas schools. I was age 12, delivering newspaper headlines

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

Newspaper delivery boy. Six years

What is your favorite book? Why?

Gary Larson's "The Far Side."

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

Snoopy from "Peanuts"

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

Some early 60's Pop song

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

Tobacco

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

The House is the most effective means for a large number of people, the body politic, to form national policies.

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

Yes

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

Internal dissent. Who are we? What do we stand for? How do we manifest our beliefs?

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

Government oversight

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Why not?

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Have term limits hurt us?

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

Not that I know

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The story of my former wife, still in prison, changed my life.

Tell us your favorite joke.

When is a door not a door? When it's a jar.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I have a background on the school board of challenging expenditures.

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

2022 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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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)