2022 Tennessee Senate election

For related races, see 2022 United States state legislative elections.

The 2022 Tennessee State Senate election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect 17 of the 33 seats for the Tennessee's State Senate. The elections coincided with the Governor, U.S. House, and State House elections. The primary elections were held on August 4, 2022.^[1]

2022 Tennessee State Senate election

← 2020 November 8, 2022 2024 →
17 of the 33 seats in the Tennessee State Senate 17 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Randy McNally Jeff Yarbro Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat 5th - Oak Ridge 21st - Nashville Last election 27 seats 6 seats Seats before 27 6 Seats won 27 6 Seat change Popular vote 546,264 207,273 Percentage 70.64% 26.81% Swing 0.77% 2.38%
Results by gains and holds Results by winning party vote share Results:      Republican hold      Democratic hold      No election Vote share:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Speaker before election Randy McNally Republican Elected Speaker Randy McNally Republican

Following the 2022 elections, no seats changed hands, leaving Tennessee's State Senate delegation at a 27–6 Republican supermajority.

Retirements

Republicans

• District 9: Mike Bell retired.^[2]
• District 31: Brian Kelsey retired.^[3]

Democrats

• District 19: Brenda Gilmore retired.^[4]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[5]	Safe R	May 19, 2022

Results summary

Summary of the November 8, 2022 Tennessee Senate election results

Party		Candidates	Votes		Seats
			No.	%	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:

Popular vote Republican   70.64% Democratic   26.81% Independents   2.55%

Senate seats Republican   81.82% Democratic   18.18%

Overview

District	Incumbent			Results	Candidates[6]
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
District 1	Mike Bell Redistricted from the 9th district	Republican	2010	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y J. Adam Lowe (Republican) ▌Patricia Waters (Democratic)
District 3	Rusty Crowe	Republican	1990	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Rusty Crowe (Republican)[7] ▌Kate Craig (Democratic)
District 5	Randy McNally	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Randy McNally (Republican)
District 7	Richard Briggs	Republican	2014	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Richard Briggs (Republican) ▌Bryan Langan (Democratic)
District 9	Steve Southerland Redistricted from the 1st district	Republican	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Steve Southerland (Republican) ▌Sara Thompson (Democratic)
District 11	Bo Watson	Republican	2006	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bo Watson (Republican)
District 13	Dawn White	Republican	2018	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Dawn White (Republican) ▌Kelly Northcutt (Democratic)
District 15	Paul Bailey	Republican	2014	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Paul Bailey (Republican)
District 17	Mark Pody	Republican	2018	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mark Pody (Republican) [8]
District 19	Brenda Gilmore	Democratic	2018	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Charlane Oliver (Democratic) ▌Pime Hernandez (Republican)
District 21	Jeff Yarbro	Democratic	2014	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jeff Yarbro (Democratic)[8] ▌Rueben Dockery (Independent)
District 23	Kerry Roberts Redistricted from the 25th district	Republican	2015	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Kerry Roberts (Republican)
District 25	Ed Jackson Redistricted from the 27th district	Republican	2014	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ed Jackson (Republican) ▌Ronnie Henley (Independent)
District 27	Jack Johnson Redistricted from the 23rd district	Republican	2006	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jack Johnson (Republican)
District 29	Raumesh Akbari	Democratic	2018	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Raumesh Akbari (Democratic)
District 31	Brian Kelsey	Republican	2008	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Brent Taylor (Republican) ▌Ruby Powell-Dennis (Democratic)
District 33	London Lamar	Democratic	2022 (Appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y London Lamar (Democratic) ▌Frederick D. Tappan (Republican) ▌Hastina D. Robinson (Independent)

District 1

See also: Tennessee's 1st Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 1st Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Adam Lowe Patricia Waters Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 38,381 7,828 Percentage 83.06% 16.94%

Results by county Lowe:      80–90%

Senator before election Mike Bell Republican Elected Senator Adam Lowe Republican

Incumbent Republican Mike Bell was redistricted from the 9th district, where he won with 77.7% of the vote against Democrat Carl Lansden in 2018. Bell announced his retirement from the Senate.^[9] Republican Adam Lowe won the general election, succeeding Bell.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Patricia Waters

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patricia Waters	2,005	100
Total votes			2,005	100

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Mark Hall, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 24th district
• J. Adam Lowe, conservative talk radio host, candidate for Tennessee Senate in 2014, candidate for Tennessee House of Representatives in 2014, Vice Chairman of the Bradley County Commission

Declined

• Mike Bell, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Hall	8,554	47.24
	Republican	J. Adam Lowe	9,551	52.75
Total votes			18,105	100

Results by county

Lowe

•   50-60%

Hall

•   50-60%

General election

Tennessee's 1st State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	J. Adam Lowe	38,381	83.06%
	Democratic	Patricia Waters	7,828	16.94%
Total votes			46,209	100%

District 3

See also: Tennessee's 3rd Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 3rd Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Rusty Crowe Kate Craig Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 39,237 13,099 Percentage 74.97% 25.03%

Results by county Crowe:      70–80%      80–90%

Senator before election Rusty Crowe Republican Elected Senator Rusty Crowe Republican

Incumbent Republican Rusty Crowe was re-elected with 100% of the vote in 2018 with no opposition. He ran for re-election and won.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Kate Craig, First Congressional District Chair for the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association (May 2019 – present), former chair of the Washington County Democratic Party (May 2017 – May 2021), and former candidate for Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Craig	2,479	100
Total votes			2,479	100

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Rusty Crowe, incumbent senator (1990–present)^[7]

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rusty Crowe	16,039	100
Total votes			16,039	100

General election

Tennessee's 3rd State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rusty Crowe	39,237	74.98%
	Democratic	Kate Craig	13,099	25.02%
Total votes			52,336	100%

District 5

See also: Tennessee's 5th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 5th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Randy McNally Party Republican Popular vote 43,402 Percentage 99.99%

Senator before election Randy McNally Republican Elected Senator Randy McNally Republican

Incumbent Republican Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally was re-elected with 71.8% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Randy McNally, incumbent senator (1987–present)
• Earle Segrest

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Randy McNally	12,965	83.7
	Republican	Earle Segrest	2,520	16.3
Total votes			15,485	100

General election

Tennessee's 5th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Randy McNally (incumbent)	43,402	99.99%
	Independent	Hannah Parton (write-in)	6	0.01%
Total votes			43,408	100.0
	Republican hold

District 7

See also: Tennessee's 7th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 7th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Richard Briggs Bryan Langan Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 32,925 19,894 Percentage 62.34% 37.66%

Results by precinct Briggs:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Langan:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Senator before election Rusty Crowe Republican Elected Senator Rusty Crowe Republican

Incumbent Republican Richard Briggs was re-elected with 55.6% of the vote in 2018. He is ran for re-election and won.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Bryan Langan

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bryan Langan	7,395	100
Total votes			7,395	100

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Richard Briggs, incumbent senator (2015–present)
• Kent A. Morrell

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Briggs	8,575	66.1
	Republican	Kent A. Morrell	4,395	33.9
Total votes			12,970	100

General election

Tennessee's 7th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Briggs	32,925	62.34%
	Democratic	Brian Langan	19,894	37.66%
Total votes			52,795	100%

District 9

See also: Tennessee's 9th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 9th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Steve Southerland Sara Thompson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 39,113 8,061 Percentage 82.91% 17.09%

Senator before election Steve Southerland Republican Elected Senator Steve Southerland Republican

Incumbent Republican Steve Southerland was redistricted from the 1st district to the 9th district, where he won unopposed with 100% of the vote. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Steve Southerland, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Southerland (incumbent)	13,532	100
Total votes			13,532	100

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Sara Thompson

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sara Thompson	1,763	100
Total votes			1,763	100

General election

Tennessee's 9th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Southerland	39,113	82.91%
	Democratic	Sara Thompson	19,894	17.09%
Total votes			47,174	100%

District 11

See also: Tennessee's 11th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 11th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Bo Watson Party Republican Popular vote 43,402 Percentage 100%

Senator before election Bo Watson Republican Elected Senator Bo Watson Republican

Incumbent Republican Bo Watson was re-elected with 65.14% of the vote in 2018. He ran re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Bo Watson, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bo Watson (incumbent)	13,532	100
Total votes			13,532	100

General election

Tennessee's 11th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bo Watson (incumbent)	45,593	100%
Total votes			45,593	100
	Republican hold

District 13

See also: Tennessee's 13th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 13th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Dawn White Kelly Northcutt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 31,936 17,427 Percentage 64.70% 35.30%

Senator before election Dawn White Republican Elected Senator Dawn White Republican

Incumbent Republican Dawn White was re-elected with 57.07% of the vote in 2018. She ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Dawn White, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dawn White (incumbent)	11,081	100
Total votes			11,081	100

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Kelly Northcutt

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kelly Northcutt	5,151	100
Total votes			5,151	100

General election

Tennessee's 13th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dawn White	31,936	64.70%
	Democratic	Kelly Northcutt	17,427	35.30%
Total votes			49,363	100.00%

District 15

See also: Tennessee's 15th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 15th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Paul Bailey Party Republican Popular vote 45,978 Percentage 100%

Senator before election Paul Bailey Republican Elected Senator Paul Bailey Republican

Incumbent Republican Paul Bailey was re-elected with 73.64% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Paul Bailey, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paul Bailey (incumbent)	20,785	100
Total votes			20,785	100

General election

Tennessee's 15th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paul Bailey (incumbent)	45,978	100%
Total votes			45,978	100
	Republican hold

District 17

See also: Tennessee's 17th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 17th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Mark Pody Party Republican Popular vote 39,381 Percentage 100%

Senator before election Mark Pody Republican Elected Senator Mark Pody Republican

Incumbent Republican Mark Pody was re-elected with 73.64% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Mark Pody, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Pody (incumbent)	13,161	100
Total votes			13,161	100

General election

Tennessee's 17th State Senate District General Election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Pody (incumbent)	39,381	100%
Total votes			39,381	100
	Republican hold

District 19

See also: Tennessee's 19th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 19th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Charlane Oliver Pime Hernandez Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 39,113 8,061 Percentage 82.91% 17.09%

Senator before election Brenda Gilmore Democratic Elected Senator Charlane Oliver Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Brenda Gilmore was re-elected with 85.79% of the vote in 2018. Gilmore announced her retirement from the Senate.^[10] Democrat Charlane Oliver won the general election, succeeding Gilmore.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Pime Hernandez

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pime Hernandez	1,037	100
Total votes			1,037	100

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Barry Barlow
• Jerry Maynard
• Charlane Oliver
• Rossi Turner
• Ludye N. Wallace

Declined

• Brenda Gilmore, incumbent senator

  Democratic primary

  Party		Candidate	Votes	%
  	Democratic	Charlane Oliver	5,801	43.73%
  	Democratic	Jerry Maynard	5,152	38.84%
  	Democratic	Ludye N. Wallace	1,521	11.47%
  	Democratic	Barry Barlow	454	3.42%
  	Democratic	Rossi Turner	336	2.53%
  Total votes			13,264	100

General election

Tennessee's 19th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Charlane Oliver	30,472	83.21%
	Republican	Pime Hernandez	6,150	16.79%
Total votes			36,622	100%

District 21

See also: Tennessee's 21st Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 21st Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Jeff Yarbro Rueben Dockery Party Democratic Independent Popular vote 33,061 10,038 Percentage 76.71% 23.29%

Senator before election Jeff Yarbro Democratic Elected Senator Jeff Yarbro Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Jeff Yarbro, was re-elected un-opposed with 100% of the vote in 2018. He is ran for re-election and won.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Jeff Yarbro, incumbent senator

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jeff Yarbro (incumbent)	11,496	100
Total votes			11,496	100

Independent primary

Candidates

Declared

• Rueben Dockery

General election

Tennessee's 21st State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jeff Yarbro	33,061	76.71%
	Independent	Rueben Dockery	10,038	23.29%
Total votes			46,209	100%

District 23

See also: Tennessee's 23rd Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 23rd Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Kerry Roberts Party Republican Popular vote 43,126 Percentage 100%

Senator before election Kerry Roberts Republican Elected Senator Kerry Roberts Republican

Incumbent Republican Kerry Roberts was redistricted from the 25th district, re-elected with 71.52% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Kerry Roberts, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kerry Roberts (incumbent)	18,736	100.00%
Total votes			18,736	100.00%

General election

Tennessee's 23rd State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kerry Roberts (incumbent)	43,126	100.00%
Total votes			43,126	100.00%
	Republican hold

District 25

See also: Tennessee's 25th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 25th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Ed Jackson Ronnie Henley Party Republican Independent Popular vote 35,766 9,278 Percentage 79.4% 20.6%

Senator before election Ed Jackson Republican Elected Senator Ed Jackson Republican

Incumbent Republican Ed Jackson was redistricted from the 27th district, re-elected with 65.14% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Ed Jackson, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ed Jackson	16,039	100
Total votes			16,039	100

Independent primary

Candidates

Declared

• Ronnie Henley

General election

Tennessee's 25th State Senate District General Election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ed Jackson	35,766	79.4%
	Independent	Ronnie Henley	9,278	20.6%
Total votes			45,044	100%

District 27

See also: Tennessee's 27th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 27th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Jack Johnson Party Republican Popular vote 39,381 Percentage 100%

Senator before election Jack Johnson Republican Elected Senator Jack Johnson Republican

Incumbent Republican Jack Johnson was redistricted from the 23rd district, re-elected with 66.90% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Jack Johnson, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jack Johnson (incumbent)	12,470	51.63
	Republican	Gary Humble	11,684	48.37
Total votes			24,154	100

General election

Tennessee's 27th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jack Johnson (incumbent)	55,443	100%
Total votes			55,443	100%
	Republican hold

District 29

See also: Tennessee's 29th Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 29th Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Raumesh Akbari Party Democratic Popular vote 30,204 Percentage 100%

Senator before election Raumesh Akbari Democratic Elected Senator Raumesh Akbari Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Raumesh Akbari was re-elected with 83.48% of the vote in 2018. She ran for re-election and won.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Raumesh Akbari, incumbent senator

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raumesh Akbari (incumbent)	21,565	100
Total votes			21,565	100

General election

Tennessee's 29th State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raumesh Akbari (incumbent)	30,204	100%
Total votes			30,204	100%

District 31

See also: Tennessee's 31st Senate district

2022 Tennessee's 31st Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee Brent Taylor Ruby Powell-Dennis Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 45,289 23,041 Percentage 66.28% 33.72%

Senator before election Brian Kelsey Republican Elected Senator Brent Taylor Republican

Incumbent Republican Brian Kelsey was re-elected with 50.89% of the vote in 2018. He ran for re-election and won.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Brent Taylor

Declined

• Brian Kelsey, incumbent senator

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brent Taylor	24,854	100
Total votes			24,854	100

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Ruby Powell-Dennis

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ruby Powell-Dennis	12,207	100
Total votes			12,207	100

General election

Tennessee's 31st State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brent Taylor	45,289	66.28%
	Democratic	Ruby Powell-Dennis	23,041	33.72%
Total votes			68,330	100.00%

District 33

See also: Tennessee's 33rd Senate district

Former incumbent Democrat Katrina Robinson was elected with 100% of the vote in 2018. In 2022, Robinson was expelled due to her indictment on charges of wire fraud. Democrat London Lamar was appointed to the Tennessee Senate in March 2022 by the Shelby County Commission. Lamar was sworn in on March 8, 2022, and effectively resigned her house seat.^[11]

Lamar ran for a full term and won.

2022 Tennessee's 33rd Senate district election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →

Nominee London Lamar Frederick D. Tappan Hastina D. Robinson Party Democratic Republican Independent Popular vote 24,617 5,426 512 Percentage 80.57% 17.76% 1.68%

Senator before election London Lamar Democratic Elected Senator London Lamar Democratic

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Frederick D. Tappan

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frederick D. Tappan	2,589	100.00%
Total votes			2,589	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Marion Latroy Alexandria-Williams Jr
• Rhonnie Brewer
• London Lamar, incumbent senator

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	London Lamar	12,661	68.54%
	Democratic	Marion Latroy Alexandria-Williams Jr	3,166	17.14%
	Democratic	Rhonnie Brewer	2,645	14.32%
Total votes			18,472	100.00%

Independent primary

Candidates

Declared

• Hastina D. Robinson

Tennessee's 33rd State Senate District general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	London Lamar	24,617	80.57%
	Republican	Frederick D. Tappan	5,426	17.76%
	Independent	Hastina D. Robinson	512	1.68%
Total votes			30,555	100.00%

See also

• 2022 Tennessee elections
• 2022 Tennessee House of Representatives election

Notes