Federal race · November 3, 2026
U.S. Senate
One of Tennessee's two U.S. senators, who vote on federal legislation, confirm presidential nominees and ratify treaties.
6-year term. Regular election for the full term beginning January 2027. Republican incumbent Bill Hagerty, first elected in 2020, was unopposed in the August 6, 2026 Republican primary. Marquita Bradshaw won the Democratic primary with 54.8% of the vote over Maria Brewer (18.0%), Kevin Lee McCants, Civil Miller-Watkins and Diana Onyejiaka. Eight independent candidates qualified by petition.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Marquita Bradshaw
Executive Director, Sowing JusticeMarquita Bradshaw is a Memphis environmental justice activist who was the Democratic nominee against Bill Hagerty in 2020 and won the August 2026 Democratic primary with 54.8% of the vote. She leads the nonprofit Sowing Justice. Her campaign focuses on public school funding, health care access, affordable housing, voting rights, rural broadband and environmental protection.
Tharon Chandler of Lawrenceburg qualified for the U.S. Senate ballot as an independent by petition, filed February 10, 2026. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 and was the Democratic nominee for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District in 2016. No campaign website or platform for his 2026 run was found.
Andrew Gerena of Knoxville, who campaigns under the nickname "Jeranimo," qualified as an independent by petition, filed March 9, 2026. He describes himself as a working-class Tennessean whose jobs have included military service, commercial trucking, IT and scientific research. He says he is running without political connections or outside financial support.
Bill Hagerty
U.S. Senator from Tennessee (since 2021)Bill Hagerty is a Republican who has represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate since 2021, after serving as U.S. ambassador to Japan and as Tennessee's economic development commissioner. He was unopposed in the August 2026 Republican primary. He says his campaign centers on lower taxes, energy independence, border security and the rule of law, and on supporting President Trump's agenda.
Jeremy Dean Hearn of Collierville qualified as an independent by petition, filed February 20, 2026. His campaign website describes a background in computing and proposals including an "Equal Earnings Act" and a pledge to rely on $1 contributions from supporters.
Robert Jones of Jonesborough qualified as an independent by petition, filed March 4, 2026. His campaign, themed "Unity Through Community," says he will not accept campaign donations and promotes an accountability act and a public service pledge on transparency.
James William Macon III of Memphis qualified for the U.S. Senate ballot as an independent by petition, filed March 10, 2026. No campaign website or published platform was found.
Yoshi D. Matthews of Goodlettsville qualified as an independent by petition, filed February 2, 2026. Her campaign site says she has a background in business, accounting and nonprofit work and founded FTP Nonprofit, which supports people with disabilities. She says she wants independent leadership that puts hardworking Tennesseans first.
David Sutman Jr. of Gray qualified as an independent by petition, filed March 6, 2026. He describes himself as a working Tennessean with a business background rather than a career politician. His campaign focuses on the cost of living, independence from party leadership and government accountability.
Catherine "Barcy" Whitson of Chattanooga qualified as an independent by petition, filed February 27, 2026. Her campaign says she worked in the insurance industry and has spent 20 years as a volunteer life coach, pastor and mentor. Her platform, under the slogan "Tennessee Deserves Better," focuses on living costs, health care, public schools and housing.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Marquita Bradshaw Democratic | Tharon Chandler Independent | Andrew Gerena Independent | Bill Hagerty Republican | Jeremy Dean Hearn Independent | Robert Jones Independent | James William Macon III Independent | Yoshi D. Matthews Independent | David Sutman, Jr. Independent | Catherine Barcel "Barcy" Whitson Independent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy & Jobs | Says she would expand access to good-paying jobs, support small businesses, ensure fair wages and remove barriers to economic opportunity. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Sponsored the GENIUS Act, which created the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins and was signed into law in July 2025. | Proposes an "Equal Earnings Act" on pay and says new jobs could be created through a computer operating system he describes. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Presents a universal basic income as a way to reduce economic insecurity and help families with rising costs. | Says he wants to ease pressure on families from rising prices for groceries, housing and fuel and to support small businesses. | Says she would work to lower costs, create higher-paying jobs and support small businesses, including in green energy. |
| Elections & Democracy | Supports equal access to the ballot, transparent elections and independent redistricting to end gerrymandering. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Asks supporters for "a pledge of $1" and says he would avoid large contributions. | Says he would seek to pass an Accountability Act giving public servants clear access to the will of their constituents, and promotes a Public Service Pledge on transparency. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports congressional term limits, more transparency in federal spending and firmer performance standards for officials. | No public position found yet |
| Taxes | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Opposes large tax breaks for corporations. | Voted for the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which extended the 2017 tax cuts, and lists lower taxes as a campaign priority. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Says she wants to protect seniors from losing their homes to property taxes. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Education | Supports well-funded public schools, competitive teacher pay and more student support services. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports more public school funding, expanded vocational training and finding ways to address student debt. |
| Energy & Environment | Supports clean energy, reducing pollution and creating sustainable jobs, with attention to vulnerable communities. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports the Ratepayer Protection Act, intended to keep data-center power costs off household bills, and opposes blanket data center moratoriums. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Foreign Policy | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Opposes spending tax revenue on what he calls "never ending regime change wars." | Co-introduced the bipartisan BLADE Act, which would authorize export controls and sanctions on foreign entities that copy U.S. AI models without permission. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Health Care | Says health care is a right; supports coverage regardless of income or preexisting conditions, lower drug prices and protecting rural hospitals. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports lowering prescription drug costs and protecting rural hospitals. |
| Housing | Supports expanding affordable housing, more help for renters and first-time homebuyers, and efforts to address homelessness. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Proposes tiny-house communities built with churches and businesses to help Tennesseans without housing. |
| Infrastructure | Supports building affordable, high-speed broadband, with a focus on rural and underserved areas. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports mass transit, including reviving a proposed high-speed rail link between Chattanooga and Atlanta. |
| Immigration | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Introduced the End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act, which would require citizenship checks for public housing and deny community development block grants to sanctuary cities. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Public Safety | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Has praised the federal Memphis Safe Task Force as an example of "where cooperation can make a difference" and thanked the FBI for opening a permanent office in Memphis. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Reparations | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Supports what she calls a "fair, lawful, and limited Tennessee-based solution" on reparations. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |