The 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Haslam was term-limited and prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term. Republican candidate Bill Lee was elected with 59.6% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean in a landslide. Despite LeeâÂÂs win, this was the closest win for a Republican since 1994. Lee was sworn in for his first term as Governor on January 19, 2019.
The primary elections took place on August 2, 2018, with Republican Bill Lee and Democrat Karl Dean winning their respective party nominations.
During the general election, Dean flipped back reliably Democratic Davidson, Haywood, and Shelby Counties, which voted for Republican governor Bill Haslam in 2014.
The results of the election marked the first time since 1982 that a candidate from the incumbent president's party was elected governor of Tennessee. This is also the first time that Republicans won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the state, and the first time that a Republican was elected to succeed another Republican.
As of 2018, this election had the largest number of candidates (28) in a statewide election in United States history; the previous record was the 2016 United States presidential election in Colorado. This large surge in candidates was mostly due to the Libertarian Party of Tennessee's protest of the state's party affiliation and ballot access laws.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in primary
Withdrawn
Declined
- Marsha Blackburn, U.S. representative (successfully ran for the U.S. Senate)
- Tim Burchett, mayor of Knox County (successfully ran in Tennessee's 2nd congressional district)
- Joe Carr, former state representative, perennial candidate
- Bob Corker, U.S. senator
- Stephen Fincher, former U.S. representative
- Alberto Gonzales, dean of the Belmont University School of Law and former U.S. attorney general
- Bill Hagerty, United States Ambassador to Japan and former Tennessee cabinet official
- Tre Hargett, Tennessee Secretary of State
- Rob Mitchell, Rutherford County property assessor
- Mark Norris, majority leader of the Tennessee Senate, appointed as judge to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- Andy Ogles, director of Tennessee chapter of Americans for Prosperity (successfully ran for mayor of Maury County)
- Ron Ramsey, former lieutenant governor of Tennessee and candidate for governor of Tennessee in 2010
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in primary
Declined
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Independents
Candidates
- Mark CoonRippy Brown (Independent)
- Sherry L. Clark (Libertarian)
- Justin Cornett (Libertarian)
- Gabriel Fancher (Libertarian)
- Sean Bruce Fleming (Libertarian)
- William Andrew Helmstetter (Libertarian)
- Cory King (Libertarian)
- Matthew Koch (Libertarian)
- Yvonne Neubert (Green)
- Alfred Shawn Rapoza (Libertarian)
- Chad Riden, comedian (Independent)
- Heather Scott (Libertarian)
- George Blackwell Smith IV (Libertarian)
- Jeremy Allen Stephenson (Libertarian)
- Tracy Yaste Tisdale (Libertarian)
- Mike Toews (Libertarian)
- Rick Tyler, candidate for TN-03 in 2016
- Vinnie Vineyard (Funkmaster V from Wrestling With Ghosts) (Libertarian)
- Jaron D. Weidner (Libertarian)
- Patrick Whitlock (Independent)
- Joe B. Wilmoth (Independent)
Notes
General election
Debates
Endorsements
Predictions
Polling
with Karl Dean<br />
with Craig Fitzhugh<br />
Results
By county
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Lee won seven of nine congressional districts.
See also
References
External links
Official campaign websites