Incumbents hold firm in Nov. 5 election
Here's the rundown of who won, what they stand for, and how to get in touch with them.
In Hamilton County, incumbent Republicans won a majority of votes for offices in the United States Congress and four of the six Tennessee General Assembly seats on the ballot. Graphic/Ian-Alijah Bey.
By William Newlin
Turnout similar to 2020
Hamilton County voters turned out en masse to vote early and cast their ballots on Election Day. Turnout mirrored the county's record showing in the 2020 presidential election, with about 73% of registered voters making their voices heard.
Local election workers and independent auditors have counted each county ballot and published the results from every municipal, state, and federal race decided by voters. In one case, a single vote decided the outcome.
Here's how they all shook out.
United States Senate
Winner: Marsha Blackburn
Results
Sen. Blackburn won reelection with 56% of the vote in Hamilton County and 64% of all votes cast for senator in Tennessee.
Previous election performance
Six years ago, Sen. Blackburn won by a smaller margin. In a midterm election, she earned just over 2,000 more votes than her Democratic opponent Phil Bredesen in Hamilton County, a margin of less than two percentage points. Statewide, she earned about 55% of the vote in 2018.
Learn more about Sen. Blackburn
Sen. Blackburn did not respond to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire.
Learn more about Sen. Blackburn
Chattanooga office: (423) 541-2939
U.S. House of Representatives, District 3
Winner: Chuck Fleischmann
Results
Hamilton County reelected Rep. Fleischmann with 57% of its votes. He received 68% of the vote across all of the Third Congressional District, whose hourglass shape stretches east to Polk County and north to parts of Scott County.
Previous election performance
Rep. Fleischmann performed similarly in 2022, taking home 59% of the vote in Hamilton County and earning his spot in Washington, D.C., with 68% of the District 3 vote.
Learn more about Rep. Fleischmann
Rep. Fleischmann did not respond to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire.
Contact information:
Chattanooga office: (423) 756-2342
Tennessee Senate, District 10
Winner: Todd Gardenhire
Results
Earning 53% of the Hamilton County vote, Sen. Gardenhire was reelected to his fourth term as the District 10 representative. He received 61% of all the votes in the district, which includes a portion of Chattanooga and all of Marion, Sequatchie, and Bledsoe counties.
Previous election performance
Sen. Gardenhire had a worse showing in his previous reelection bid. In 2020, he failed to win a majority of votes in Hamilton County but carried the rest of District 10 to take the seat by a 53-47 margin.
Learn more about Sen. Gardenhire
n response to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire, Sen. Gardenhire said that he represents “the values of Tennesseans in District 10 which are based in traditional conservative values, libertarian principles and defending each person’s Constitutional rights.”
His top priority for the coming term? Responding to gun violence in schools:
“After what happened at the Covenant School in Nashville, I’ve already started working to find a way to get Resource Officers (armed security) into every school in Tennessee to provide as much protection as we can to our children," he said.
Contact information:
Nashville office: (615) 741-6682
TN House of Representatives, District 26
Winner: Greg Martin
Results
With 62% of the vote, Rep. Martin will return to Nashville for his second term in the General Assembly.
Previous election performance
Rep. Martin, a former Hamilton County commissioner and school board member, won his seat in 2022 with nearly 64% of the District 26 vote.
Learn more about Rep. Martin
In response to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire, Rep. Martin said his top priority for the coming term was to engage with all 75,000 residents in District 26:
“The best legislation doesn’t come from lobbyists or special interest groups. It comes from ‘we the people’ that elect our leaders.”
His core policy aims “will be public safety, parental choice in education, and economic policies that ensure Tennesseans are prosperous.”
Contact information:
Nashville office: (615) 741-2548
TN House of Representatives, District 27
Winner: Michele Reneau
Results
Reneau, a new face in state politics, won her spot in the General Assembly with just under 60% of the vote.
Previous election performance
Reneau beat Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, the incumbent Republican representing District 27, in the August primary election. In a nail-biter primary, Reneau won by 138 votes — a winning margin of 1.7 percentage points.
In 2022, Rep. Hazlewood won the general election for District 27 with nearly 71% of the vote.
Learn more about Reneau
Reneau did not respond to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire.
Contact information:
TN House of Representatives, District 28
Winner: Yusuf Hakeem
Results
Rep. Hakeem took 74% of the vote, beating an Independent challenger. No Republicans ran in the District 28 race.
Previous election performance
In the Democratic primary in August, Rep. Hakeem beat his opponent Demetrus Coonrod, carrying 63% of the vote. Rep. Hakeem has served as a state House member since 2018 and ran unopposed in the 2020 and 2022 general elections.
Learn more about Rep. Hakeem
Rep. Hakeem not respond to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire.
Contact information:
Nashville office: (615) 741-2702
TN House of Representatives, District 29
Winner: Greg Vital
Results
Rep. Vital defeated his Democratic opponent with 71% of the vote to retain his seat in the General Assembly.
Previous election performance
Rep. Vital ran unopposed in 2022 and has served as a state House member since winning a special election in 2021.
Learn more about Rep. Vital
In response to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire, Rep. Vital described himself as a “principled, fiscal conservative and compassionate entrepreneur involved in philanthropy and community projects and nonprofits for over 25 years.”
He shared several priorities for the coming term, including “wise investment” of state funds in infrastructure, broadband, and education.
Contact information:
Nashville office: (615) 741-3025
TN House of Representatives, District 30
Winner: Esther Helton-Haynes
Results
With the smallest margin of victory among her Republican statehouse colleagues in Hamilton County, Rep. Helton-Haynes won with nearly 60% of the vote.
Previous election performance
Rep. Helton-Haynes ran unopposed in 2022 and has served as a state House member since 2018. She garnered 61% of the vote in 2020, the only other presidential race in which Rep. Helton-Haynes also stood for office.
Learn more about Rep. Helton-Haynes
Rep. Helton-Haynes did not respond to the Chattamatters Voter Guide questionnaire.
Contact information:
Nashville office: (615) 741-3025
Municipal races
Seven cities and towns in Hamilton County had open seats on their local legislative bodies. Here's who will fill them:
Collegedale City Commission:
Laura Howse (2,536 votes)
Tim Johnson (2,350)
Billy Burnette (2,280)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
Collegedale's race was the closest of any contest decided on Nov. 5. Debbie Baker, an incumbent city commissioner, received 2,279 votes — she lost reelection by just one vote.
East Ridge City Council
Jeff Ezell (5,131 votes)
Andrea "Aundie" Witt (4,945)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
Lakesite City Commission
Bobby Bishop (890 votes)
David Howell (834)
Valerie J. Boddy (803)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
All three election winners are incumbents who did not face any challengers for a commission seat.
Red Bank City Commission
Stefanie Dalton (2,858 votes)
Terri Holmes (2,566)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
Commission candidate Jeff Price earned 2,446 votes, falling short of claiming a seat by 120 ballots.
Signal Mountain Town Council
Andrew Gardner (3,867 votes)
Eddie Smith (3,193)
J. Miles Jorgensen (3,030)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
Rufus Marye placed fourth, 219 votes shy of a council seat.
Soddy-Daisy City Commission
Travis Been (3,198 votes)
Jim Coleman (3,127)
Steve Everett (2,986)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
Walden
Lee Davis (mayor) (1,053 votes)
Lizzy Schmidt (alderman) (654)
Learn more about them with the Chattamatters Voter Guide.
Sitting mayor Lee Davis ran unopposed. Schmidt won reelection as one of two town aldermen by a 62-vote margin.
Referendum about on-site alcohol sales
Voters in unincorporated Hamilton County approved a referendum to allow businesses in unincorporated parts of the county to sell alcoholic drinks for customers to consume on-site.
Nearly 74% of voters favored the proposal.
Affected businesses can now apply for a state liquor license through the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission and, if approved, serve drinks with an alcohol content of 10.1% by volume or greater.
Learn more about the referendum in our story from last week, or check out the video explainer below.