The 1946 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Democratic governor Jim Nance McCord defeated Republican nominee William O. Lowe with 65.4% of the vote.
In the primary campaign, McCord faced a primary challenge from former governor Gordon Browning (who was in Germany and did not actively campaign). The 1946 primary was marred by an uprising known as the "Battle of Athens," which erupted when several hundred ex-World War II veterans launched an armed assault on the jail in Athens, Tennessee, where the sheriff and several Crump-linked figures had retreated with ballot boxes, presumably to fix local elections. McCord dispatched the state guard to restore order.
McCord comfortably defeated Browning, winning the primary with 59.8% of the vote.
Primary elections were held on August 1, 1946.
Major party candidates
Other candidates