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2024 Tennessee Senate election

The 2024 Tennessee State Senate elections were held on November 5, 2024, to elect 16 of the 33 seats in the Tennessee State Senate. The elections coincided with the Presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and State House elections. The primary elections were held on August 1, 2024, with the exception of presidential primaries being held on March 5. Tennessee has open primaries, meaning that any voter can choose to vote on either a Republican or Democratic ballot during primary elections.

Following the 2024 elections, no seats changed hands, leaving Tennessee's State Senate delegation at a 27–6 Republican supermajority.

Retirements

Republicans

  1. District 2: Art Swann retired.

Incumbents defeated

In primary election

Two incumbent senators, both Republicans, were defeated in the August 1 primary election.

Republicans

  1. District 4: Jon Lundberg lost renomination to Bobby Harshbarger.
  2. District 8: Frank Niceley lost renomination to Jessie Seal.

Predictions

Summary of results

Italics denote an open seat held by the incumbent party; bold text denotes a gain for a party.

Overview

District 2

The 2nd Senate district consists of all of Blount, Monroe, and Polk counties, and part of Bradley County. Since 2017, the district had been represented by Art Swann. On January 11, 2024, Swann announced he would not seek re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Tom Hatcher, circuit court clerk of Blount County
  • Bryan Richey, state representative from the 20th district
  • John Pullias, business owner and manufacturing consultant

Declined

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

General Election

District 4

The 4th senate district includes all of Hawkins and Sullivan counties. The district had been represented by Jon Lundberg.

Republican primary

Incumbent Republican state senator Jon Lundberg ran for re-election with the backing of much of the state Republican establishment, including incumbent governor Bill Lee, lieutenant governor Randy McNally, and Senate Majority leader Jack Johnson, while his opponent, Bobby Harshbarger, the son of Diana Harshbarger, was backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Candidates

  • Jon Lundberg, incumbent senator
  • Robert “Bob” Harshbarger III, pharmacist, former Kingsport board of alderman candidate in 2021, and son of U.S. congresswoman Diana Harshbarger

Endorsements

Results

Independent candidates

  • Dalia M. Price

General election

District 6

The 6th Senate district includes a large portion of Knox County. It covers southern and western portions of Knoxville, Seymour, and Strawberry Plains. The district had been represented by Becky Duncan Massey.

Republican Becky Duncan Massey easily won re-election and outperformed U.S. Representative Tim Burchett in many precincts within her district. While Burchett recorded the strongest showing of any Republican in Knox County during the 2024 federal races, Massey exceeded his performance in the part of Knox County that fall within her district.

Republican primary

Candidates

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Domonica Bryan, social worker

Results

General Election

District 8

The 8th senate district includes Claiborne, Hancock, Union, Grainger, Jefferson, and part of Sevier County. The district had been represented by Frank Niceley.

Incumbent Frank Niceley was defeated for re-election in the Republican primary by Jessie Seal after opposing the expansion of the state's school voucher program. Seal easily won the general election with 83.6% of the vote.

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Frank Niceley, incumbent senator
  • Jessie Seal, public relations director

Endorsements

Results

Note: This includes the write-in totals in only Union and Sevier County.

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • R.E. Ellison, software developer

Results

Note: This includes the write-in totals in only Union and Sevier County.

General election

District 10

The 10th senate district covers all of Bledsoe, Marion, and Sequatchi counties, including part of Hamilton County. The district had been represented by Todd Gardenhire.

During the 2022 redistricting cycle, maps enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly significantly altered Senate District 10. Bradley County was removed, which had previously helped anchor the district’s Republican lean, while boundaries within Hamilton County were adjusted to shift some Democratic areas of East Chattanooga into neighboring District 11. These changes made this portion of Hamilton County more competitive, while the addition of the reliably Republican counties of Bledsoe County, Marion County, and Sequatchie County strengthened the district’s overall Republican lean compared to the previous lines.

Todd Gardenhire won re-election with 61.2% of the vote, defeating his Democratic opponent Missy Crutchfield. Gardenhire won the district's portion of Hamilton County by 7%.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Note: This includes the write-in totals in only Hamilton County.

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Missy Crutchfield, activist and daughter of former state senator Ward Crutchfield

Results

Note: This includes the write-in totals in only Hamilton County.

General election

District 12

The 12th senate district covers Campbell, Clay, Fentress, Macon, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Roane, and Scott Counties. The district had been represented by Republican Ken Yager.

Note: Only four counties — Clay, Macon, Overton, and Roane — have released write-in totals for the primary.

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Ken Yager, incumbent Senator
  • Teena Hedrick, nurse

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Curtis Kelly

Results

Independent candidates

  • Charles Hutson II

General election

District 14

The 14th senate district covers Bedford, Cannon, and Moore counties, including part of part of Rutherford County. The district had been represented by Republican Shane Reeves.

During the 2022 redistricting cycle, the district’s boundaries were adjusted, though its overall partisan alignment did not change drastically. Lincoln County and Marshall County were removed, while Cannon County was added, and the district took in more Democratic-leaning areas of Rutherford County, including much of La Vergne and more Democratic parts of Murfreesboro. These changes slightly reduced the district’s Republican margin, though it remained a solidly Republican seat.

Shane Reeves won re-election with 68.0% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee E. R. Smith. Although redistricting made the district’s portion of Rutherford County less Republican-leaning, Reeves still carried that area by a comfortable margin, winning it 58.8%–41.2%.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • E. R. Smith

Results

General election

District 16

The 16th senate district covers Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, and Warren counties. The district had been represented by Republican Janice Bowling.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Independent candidates

  • Scott Bean

General election

District 18

The 18th senate district is based in Sumner and Trousdale Counties. The district had been represented by Republican and Senate President Ferrell Haile.

Republican primary

Candidates

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Walter S. Chandler, entrepreneur

Results

Independent candidates

  • Laura A. Black
  • John Gentry

General election

District 20

The 20th senate district is based in Davidson County, and encompasses many of Nashville's wealthy inner suburbs, including Forest Hills, Belle Meade, and parts of Oak Hill and Goodlettsville. The district had been represented by Democrat Heidi Campbell.

During the 2022 redistricting cycle, Tennessee’s Republican controlled Legislature enacted new state legislative maps that affected Senate District 20. As part of the reconfiguration of Davidson County, District 20 was adjusted to allow District 17 to extend into Davidson and take in areas such as the Nashville International Airport. This adjustment added more Democratic friendly precincts to District 20. Civil rights groups criticized the overall changes as diluting minority voting strength, while courts later dismissed the related legal challenge.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Wyatt Rampy, candidate for Tennessee's 59th House district in 2022

Results

General Election

District 22

The 22nd senate district is based in Clarksville, and covers most of Montgomery County. The district had been represented by Republican Bill Powers.

Following the 2022 redistricting cycle, population growth in Montgomery County led to the district’s boundaries shrinking. Houston and Stewart counties were removed and assigned to neighboring District 24, while a precinct in northeastern Montgomery County was transferred to District 23.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Karen Reynolds, Clarksville city councillor for ward 9

Results

General election

District 24

The 24th district covers all of all of Benton, Carroll, Gibson, Henry, Houston, Obion, Stewart, and Weakley counties. The district had been represented by Republican John Stevens since 2017.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

As no Democratic or independent candidates ran in the district, Stevens ran unopposed in the general election.

District 26

The 26th district covers all of all of Chester, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lawrence, McNairy, and Wayne Counties. The district had been represented by Republican Page Walley since 2021.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

As no Democratic or independent candidates ran in the district, Walley ran unopposed in the general election.

District 28

The 28th Senate district includes Maury, Marshall, Lewis, and Giles counties, as well part of Williamson County. The district had been represented by Joey Hensley.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

General election

District 30

The 30th Senate district is based in Memphis, covering much of the city's Downtown, North, and East neighborhoods. The district had been represented by Sara Kyle.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Independent candidates

  • Mitchell Morrison

General election

District 32

The 32nd Senate district is based in the eastern and northern suburbs of Memphis in Shelby as well as Lauderdale and Tipton Counties, covering parts of Memphis proper as well as Covington, Atoka, Munford, and most of Bartlett. The district had been represented by Paul Rose.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

As no Democratic or independent candidates ran in the district, Rose ran unopposed in the general election.

See also

References