2022 Tennessee elections


Tennessee state elections in 2022 were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Primary elections for the United States [House of Representatives], governorship, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee House of Representatives, as well as various judicial retention elections, including elections for all five Tennessee Supreme Court justices as well as general local elections, were held on August 4, 2022. There were also four constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Tennessee on the November 8 ballot.

United States Congress

House of Representatives

Tennessee elected nine U.S. Representatives, each representing one of Tennessee's nine congressional districts.

Gubernatorial

governor Bill Lee was re-elected to a second term with almost 65% of the vote, improving on his performance from 2018.
The Tennessee primaries took place on August 4, 2022, with Lee and Democrat Jason Martin winning their respective parties' nominations.
Lee was sworn in on January 21, 2023.

Results

'''August 4, 2022, primary results'''

State legislature

State Senate

Results by senate districts
Winners:
Elections for 17 of the 33 seats in Tennessee's State Senate were held on November 8, 2022. There were three open seats and 14 incumbents who ran for re-election.
Following the 2022 elections, no seats flipped.

State House of Representatives

Results by state house districts
Winners:
The election of all 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives occurred on November 8, 2022.
Republicans gained two seats, expanding their supermajority in the state house even more. John Windle lost his re-election bid after registering as an Independent.

Close races

Four races were decided by a margin of 10% or less:
DistrictWinnerMargin
District 67data-sort-value=1 1.34%
District 59data-sort-value=1 4.76%
District 41data-sort-value=1 5.1%
District 18data-sort-value=1 8.22%

Ballot measures

Amendment 1

This is an approved legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Constitution of Tennessee. The amendment adds language to the constitution to prohibit workplaces from requiring mandatory labor union membership for employees as a condition for employment. The U.S. state of Tennessee has been a right-to-work state by statute since 1947. However, this referendum will make the law a right and amendment written into the state's constitution.

Amendment 2

This amendment would add to article III, section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution a process for the temporary exercise of the powers and duties of the governor by the Speaker of the Senate—or the Speaker of the House if there is no Speaker of the Senate in office—when the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor. While a Speaker is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor, the Speaker would not be required to resign as Speaker or to resign as a member of the legislature; but the Speaker would not be able to preside as Speaker or vote as a member of the legislature. A Speaker who is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor would not get the governor's salary but would get the Speaker's salary. The amendment would also exempt a Speaker who is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor from provisions in the Constitution that would otherwise prohibit the Speaker from exercising the powers of the governor and from simultaneously holding more than one state office.

Amendment 3

This amendment would change the current language in article I, section 33 of the Tennessee Constitution, which says that slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a person who has been duly convicted of crime, are forever prohibited in this State. The amendment would delete this current language and replace it with the following language: “Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime."

Amendment 4

This amendment would delete article IX, section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution, which prohibits ministers of the gospel and priests of any denomination from holding a seat in either House of the legislature.

Judicial

Supreme Court retention elections

All incumbent Tennessee Supreme Court Justices won their retention elections.

District Attorneys

Tennessee District Attorneys, who serve as the prosecutors for felonies in the state, are elected to eight-year terms. One attorney is elected for each of the 32 judicial districts in Tennessee. This election marked the first for the newly established 32nd district. Following the 2014 elections, 16 attorneys were affiliated with the Republican Party, 5 with the Democratic Party, and 10 were Independents.

Results

Source:

District Attorney General District 11 (Countywide)

nominee Coty Wamp, daughter of former U.S. representative Zach Wamp, and sister of Weston Wamp, won with 59.0% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee John Allen Brooks.

Results

'''May 3, 2022, primary results'''

Local elections

Hamilton County

County Mayor

nominee Weston Wamp, son of former U.S. representative Zach Wamp, won with 57.9% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Matt Adams. Incumbent Republican mayor Jim Coppinger, who was appointed county mayor in 2011, chose not to run for a fourth term.

Results

'''May 3, 2022, primary results'''

Knox County

Incumbent Republican mayor Glenn Jacobs won re-election with 55.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Debbie Helsley.

Results

'''May 3, 2022, primary results'''

Shelby County

Incumbent Democratic Mayor Lee Harris won re-election with 58.0% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Worth Morgan.

Results

'''May 3, 2022, primary results'''

Clarksville

mayor Joe Pitts ran for re-election and won a second term in office in a three-way race.
CandidateVotes%
Joe Pitts 14,09554.54%
David Allen8,71533.72%
A.C. "Big Sarge" Lopez2,84611.01%
Write-ins1890.73%
Total25,845100.00%

Murfreesboro

mayor Shane McFarland ran for re-election and won a third term in office in a three-way race.
CandidateVotes%
Shane McFarland 8,44666.45%
Tony Lehew2,10316.55%
Nathan Bennett2,10016.52%
Write-ins610.48%
Total12,710100.00%