East Tennessee voters joined Tennesseans statewide Tuesday, Nov. 3, to select a governor, members of Congress and the Tennessee General Assembly, and decide three proposed amendments to the state constitution. Knoxville voters also considered a City Charter amendment.

Republican Marsha Blackburn won the governor’s race statewide, becoming Tennessee’s first woman elected governor. Knox County, however, favored Democrat Jerri Green. All 102 Knox County precincts had reported in the county election commission’s 5:23 a.m. Nov. 4 update. Results remain unofficial until certified.

Tennessee governor

Blackburn received 957,136 votes (45.52%) statewide, compared with 902,953 (42.95%) for Green. Independent David Hatley received 195,564 (9.30%). Blackburn will succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Lee in January 2027.

In Knox County, Green received 76,116 votes (48.48%), Blackburn 66,600 (42.42%) and Hatley 11,298 (7.20%).

U.S. Senate

Republican incumbent Bill Hagerty won reelection over Democrat Marquita Bradshaw and independent candidates. In Knox County, Hagerty received 78,503 votes (50.24%) to Bradshaw’s 75,557 (48.35%). These figures are Knox County totals, not statewide totals. The winner serves a six-year term.

U.S. House — 2nd Congressional District

Republican incumbent Tim Burchett won reelection over Democrat Michaela Barnett and two independent candidates. Knox County reported Burchett with 78,125 votes (49.91%) and Barnett with 76,885 (49.12%). Independent Bruce Fine received 1,067 (0.68%) and Adam Heimerman 444 (0.28%). These figures reflect Knox County voting, not the full congressional district.

Tennessee General Assembly

State Senate District 5

Republican Jimmy Matlock won the districtwide race with 41,483 votes to Democrat David Miller’s 26,347, according to reported districtwide unofficial returns.

State Senate District 7

Republican incumbent Richard Briggs won with 33,498 votes (52.72%) to Democrat Bryan Langan’s 30,044 (47.28%).

Tennessee House of Representatives

  • District 14: Republican Jason Zachary defeated Democrat Lindsay Young Honaker, 17,097 (55.80%) to 13,543 (44.20%).
  • District 15: Democrat Sam McKenzie was unopposed and received 10,925 votes.
  • District 16: Republican Michele Carringer defeated Democrat Eliza Boles, 12,947 (59.53%) to 8,800 (40.47%).
  • District 18: Democrat Bryan Goldberg defeated Republican incumbent Elaine Davis, 14,020 (55.04%) to 11,452 (44.96%).
  • District 19: Republican Dave Wright defeated Democrat Jenny Fowler, 14,086 (65.52%) to 7,414 (34.48%).
  • District 89: Republican Justin Lafferty defeated Democrat Randy DeBord, 13,663 (55.20%) to 11,088 (44.80%).
  • District 90: Democrat Gloria Johnson was unopposed and received 12,928 votes.

The House figures above are from Knox County’s unofficial returns for the listed districts.

Tennessee constitutional amendments

All three amendments passed statewide, according to reported unofficial statewide results. The totals below are statewide, not Knox County-only.

Amendment 1 — Bail provisions

Expands the criminal charges for which a judge may deny bail before trial.

Yes: 1,330,845 (67.14%); No: 651,321 (32.86%). Outcome: Approved.

Amendment 2 — State property tax

Prohibits the state from levying a property tax.

Yes: 1,334,067 (66.74%); No: 664,715 (33.26%). Outcome: Approved.

Amendment 3 — Crime victims’ rights

Expands constitutional rights and protections for crime victims.

Yes: 1,526,306 (76.06%); No: 480,508 (23.94%). Outcome: Approved.

Tennessee constitutional amendments must receive more yes than no votes, and the yes votes must exceed half the total votes cast in the governor’s race.

Knoxville City Charter amendment

Knoxville voters narrowly approved a City Charter amendment concerning City Council elections. The proposal allows a candidate receiving a majority in the primary to be elected without a runoff. The unofficial vote was 24,312 for (50.63%) and 23,708 against (49.37%), a margin of 604 votes. Only voters within Knoxville city limits voted on the proposal.

Voter turnout and local results

The Knox County Election Commission reported all 102 precincts complete, with early and absentee voting also marked complete. A verified countywide ballot total and registered-voter turnout percentage were not available in the consulted returns, so those figures are omitted.

Knox County’s vote differed from the statewide governor’s race, favoring Green over Blackburn. The county also saw a particularly close congressional contest and a narrow City Charter amendment result.

Where to find official election results

Knox County Election Commission: https://elections.knoxcounty.org/

Tennessee Secretary of State elections: https://sos.tn.gov/elections

Statewide figures in this article are based on reported final unofficial returns summarized by Tennessee Town & City and other election reporting. Results reported after Election Day remain unofficial until certified by the appropriate election authorities.

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