Tennessee state elections in 2022 were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Primary elections for the United States House of Representatives, governorship, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee House of Representatives, as well as various judicial retention elections, including elections for all five Tennessee Supreme Court justices as well as general local elections, were held on August 4, 2022. There were also four constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Tennessee on the November 8 ballot.
United States Congress House of Representatives
Tennessee elected nine U.S. Representatives, each representing one of Tennessee's nine congressional districts.
Results DistrictRepublicanDemocraticOthersTotalResult Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % 147,241 78.32% 37,049 19.71% 3,713 1.97% 188,003 100.0% Republican hold 141,089 67.91% 66,673 32.09% 0 0.00% 207,762 100.0% Republican hold 136,639 68.38% 60,334 30.19% 2,857 1.43% 199,830 100.0% Republican hold 122,401 70.57% 44,648 25.74% 6,388 3.68% 173,437 100.0% Republican hold 123,558 55.84% 93,648 42.32% 4,069 1.84% 221,275 100.0% Republican gain 129,388 66.33% 65,675 33.67% 0 0.00% 195,063 100.0% Republican hold 108,421 59.96% 68,973 38.14% 3,428 1.90% 180,822 100.0% Republican hold 155,602 73.99% 51,102 24.30% 3,611 1.72% 210,315 100.0% Republican hold 35,123 26.23% 93,800 70.04% 4,995 3.73% 133,918 100.0% Democratic holdTotal 1,099,462 64.28% 581,902 34.02% 29,061 1.70% 1,710,425 100.0%
Gubernatorial
Incumbent Republican governor Bill Lee was re-elected to a second term with almost 65% of the vote, improving on his performance from 2018.
The Tennessee primaries took place on August 4, 2022, with Lee and Democrat Jason Martin winning their respective parties' nominations.
Lee was sworn in on January 21, 2023.
Results
August 4, 2022, primary results
State legislature State Senate
Results by senate districts
Winners:
Elections for 17 of the 33 seats in Tennessee's State Senate were held on November 8, 2022. There were three open seats and 14 incumbents who ran for re-election.
Following the 2022 elections, no seats flipped.
+ Summary of the November 8, 2022 Tennessee Senate election results Party Candidates Votes Seats % Before Up Won After +/– Republican 15 546,264 70.64 27 13 13 27 Democratic 10 207,273 26.81 6 4 4 6 Independent 3 19,716 2.55 0 0 0 0 Total 773,253 100.00 33 17 17 33 Source:
State House of Representatives
Results by state house districts
Winners:
The election of all 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives occurred on November 8, 2022.
Republicans gained two seats, expanding their supermajority in the state house even more. John Windle lost his re-election bid after registering as an independent. + Summary of the November 8, 2022 Tennessee House election results Party Candidates Votes Seats % +/– Republican 81 1,077,324 70.48 75 2 Democratic 54 410,589 26.86 24 1 Independent 12 39,777 2.60 0 1 Write-in 804 0.05 0 Total 1,528,494 100.00 99 Source:
Close races Four races were decided by a margin of 10% or less:
District Winner Margin District 67 data-sort-value=1 1.34% District 59 data-sort-value=1 4.76% District 41 data-sort-value=1 (flip) 5.1% District 18 data-sort-value=1 8.22%
Ballot measures Amendment 1 This is an approved legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Constitution of Tennessee. The amendment adds language to the constitution to prohibit workplaces from requiring mandatory labor union membership for employees as a condition for employment. The U.S. state of Tennessee has been a right-to-work state by statute since 1947. However, this referendum will make the law a right and amendment written into the state's constitution.
Amendment 2 This amendment would add to article III, section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution a process for the temporary exercise of the powers and duties of the governor by the Speaker of the Senate—or the Speaker of the House if there is no Speaker of the Senate in office—when the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor. While a Speaker is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor, the Speaker would not be required to resign as Speaker or to resign as a member of the legislature; but the Speaker would not be able to preside as Speaker or vote as a member of the legislature. A Speaker who is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor would not get the governor's salary but would get the Speaker's salary. The amendment would also exempt a Speaker who is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor from provisions in the Constitution that would otherwise prohibit the Speaker from exercising the powers of the governor and from simultaneously holding more than one state office.
Amendment 3 This amendment would change the current language in article I, section 33 of the Tennessee Constitution, which says that slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a person who has been duly convicted of crime, are forever prohibited in this State. The amendment would delete this current language and replace it with the following language: “Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime."
Amendment 4 This amendment would delete article IX, section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution, which prohibits ministers of the gospel and priests of any denomination from holding a seat in either House of the legislature.
Judicial
Supreme Court retention elections
All incumbent Tennessee Supreme Court Justices won their retention elections.
District Attorneys
Tennessee District Attorneys, who serve as the prosecutors for felonies in the state, are elected to eight-year terms. One attorney is elected for each of the 32 judicial districts in Tennessee. This election marked the first for the newly established 32nd district. Following the 2014 elections, 16 attorneys were affiliated with the Republican Party, 5 with the Democratic Party, and 10 were Independents.
Results
+ Summary of elections District Incumbent elected # Counties Attorney Party Status 1 Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington Ken C. Baldwin Incumbent retired. Republican gain. Steve Finney (Republican) 2 Sullivan Incumbent re-elected.Barry P. Staubus (Republican) 3 Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, and Hawkins Incumbent re-elected. Dan E. Armstrong (Republican) 4 Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier Incumbent re-elected. Jimmy B. Dunn (Republican) 5 Blount Incumbent retired.Republican hold. Ryan Desmond (Republican) 6 Knox Incumbent re-elected.Charme Allen (Republican) 57.43% Jackson M. Fenner (Democratic) 42.57% 7 Anderson Incumbent re-elected.Dave S. Clark (Independent) 8 Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott, and Union Incumbent re-elected.Jared R. Effler (Independent) 9 Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane Incumbent re-elected.Russell Johnson (Independent) 10 Bradley, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk Stephen D. Crump Incumbent re-elected.Stephen D. Crump (Republican) 11 Hamilton Incumbent lost re-nomination.Republican hold.Coty Wamp (Republican) 59.00% John Allen Brooks (Democratic) 41.00% 12 Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain.Courtney Lynch (Republican) 68.94% Mike Taylor* (Independent) 31.06% 13 Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White Bryant C. Dunaway Incumbent re-elected. Bryant C. Dunaway (Republican) 14 Coffee Craig Northcott Incumbent re-elected.Craig Northcott (Republican) 15 Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale, and Wilson Tom P. Thompson Jr. Incumbent retired. Republican gain.Jason Lawson (Republican) 16 Cannon and Rutherford Jennings H. Jones Incumbent re-elected. Jennings H. Jones (Republican) 17 Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, and Moore Robert J. Carter Incumbent re-elected.Robert J. Carter (Independent) 18 Sumner Ray Whitley Incumbent re-elected.Ray Whitley (Republican) 19 Montgomery and Robertson John W. Carney Jr. Incumbent retired.Republican gain.Robert Nash (Republican) 20 Davidson Glenn Funk Incumbent re-elected.Glenn Funk (Democratic) 21 Hickman, Lewis, and Perry Kim R. Helper (R) Incumbent re-elected.Kim R. Helper (R) (Republican) 22 Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne Brent A. Cooper Incumbent re-elected.Brent A. Cooper (Republican) 23 Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, and Stewart Ray Crouch Jr. Incumbent re-elected.Ray Crouch Jr (Republican) 24 Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry Matthew F. Stowe Incumbent lost re-nomination.Republican hold.Neil Thomson (Republican) 25 Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy, and Tipton Mark E. Davidson Incumbent re-elected.Mark E. Davidson (Republican) 26 Chester, Henderson, and Madison Jody Pickens Incumbent re-elected.Jody Pickens (Republican) 27 Obion and Weakley Incumbent retired.Incumbent gain.Colin Johnson (Independent) 50.32% Adam P. Nelson (Republican) 49.68% 28 Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood Jason C. Scott Unknown party Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Frederick Agee (Republican) 29 Dyer and Lake Incumbent re-elected.Danny Goodman Jr.* (Independent) 66.73% Richard J. Schoepke (Independent) 33.27% 30 Shelby Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain.Steven J. Mulroy (Democratic) 56.25% Amy P. Weirich* (Republican) 43.75% 31 Van Buren and Warren Lisa Zavogiannis Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain.Christopher R. Stanford (Republican) 58.22% Lisa Zavogiannis* (Independent) 41.78% 32 WilliamsonN/AN/A New district.Republican gain. Hans L. Schwendimann (Republican)
Source:
District Attorney General District 11 (Countywide)
Republican nominee Coty Wamp, daughter of former U.S. representative Zach Wamp, and sister of Weston Wamp, won with 59.0% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee John Allen Brooks.
Results
May 3, 2022, primary results
Local elections
Hamilton County
County Mayor
Republican nominee Weston Wamp, son of former U.S. representative Zach Wamp, won with 57.9% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Matt Adams. Incumbent Republican mayor Jim Coppinger, who was appointed county mayor in 2011, chose not to run for a fourth term.
Results
May 3, 2022, primary results
Knox County
Incumbent Republican mayor Glenn Jacobs won re-election with 55.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Debbie Helsley.
Results
May 3, 2022, primary results
Shelby County
Incumbent Democratic Mayor Lee Harris won re-election with 58.0% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Worth Morgan.
Results
May 3, 2022, primary results
Clarksville
Incumbent Democratic mayor Joe Pitts ran for re-election and won a second term in office in a three-way race.
+November 8, 2022 Clarksville mayoral electionCandidateVotes%Joe Pitts (I)14,09554.54%David Allen8,71533.72%A.C. "Big Sarge" Lopez2,84611.01%Write-ins1890.73%Total25,845100.00%
Memphis
Memphis law states that mayors can only serve two terms. However, the Memphis City Council voted to put an ordinance on the ballot that, if passed, would extend the limit to three terms. Incumbent mayor Jim Strickland expressed interest in running for a third term if Memphis voters approved the ordinance. The ordinance was decided on August 4, 2022. Voters overwhelmingly rejected it, keeping the two-term limit in place and barring Strickland from seeking re-election. Memphis Ordinance 5823ChoiceVotes%Against52,58266.27%For26,75933.73%Total votes79,341100.00%
Murfreesboro
Incumbent Republican mayor Shane McFarland ran for re-election and won a third term in office in a three-way race. +August 4, 2022 Murfreesboro mayoral electionCandidateVotes%Shane McFarland (I)8,44666.45%Tony Lehew2,10316.55%Nathan Bennett2,10016.52%Write-ins610.48%Total12,710100.00%
See also Elections in Tennessee Political party strength in Tennessee Tennessee Democratic Party Tennessee Republican Party Government of Tennessee Tennessee Supreme Court