akashic
1876–2024
State House District 85·Tennessee

Tennessee 85th State House District has voted Democratic in nine straight presidential cycles.

One of Tennessee's most lopsided legislative districts by presidential margin

1876 — 2024·38 elections
TN
Latest
D+25
in 2024
Archetype
Democratic loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
45,379
2024 ACS

Tennessee 85th State House District, Tennessee: Democratic loyalist district. In 2024, voted D+25%. Democratic peak: D+93 in 1936.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+25MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
Democratic loyalistAkashic typology
Population
45,3792024 5-year
Median household income
$63,7672024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
34.0%2024 5-year
Black
52.4%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
8.8%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+93 in 1936MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+33 in 1972MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
1 counties · 1 D · 0 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+25.2%
9,9615,87116,201
D
+30.4%
12,1506,40918,862
D
+27.5%
10,3185,74416,656
D
+26.0%
11,4756,69718,346
D
+27.4%
12,6537,18119,954
D
+15.6%
10,7107,80718,626
D
+14.4%
9,4006,99816,625
D
+13.3%
8,8706,73016,113
D
+10.4%
9,4457,56918,074
R
−2.5%
7,3937,77315,254
R
−1.1%
8,1938,37916,652
D
+6.2%
7,8626,91915,231
D
+6.9%
7,3016,35113,804
R
−32.6%
4,0037,99412,238
D
+3.5%
4,0233,62411,449
D
+5.2%
5,5044,96310,467
R
−0.5%
4,2594,3058,719
R
−2.7%
3,0633,2436,666
D
+4.8%
3,5443,2176,768
O
+14.3%
1,1787193,218
D
+63.5%
2,4015352,940
D
+77.4%
2,8473613,213
D
+93.2%
3,0361043,145
D
+70.7%
1,8923132,232
D
+20.2%
8915911,486
D
+27.4%
6763641,139
D
+29.8%
7894241,226
D
+41.1%
541223774
D
+58.5%
33229518
D
+40.3%
366152531
D
+53.3%
429127567
D
+26.6%
254146406
D
+6.3%
288253553
D
+67.2%
31155381
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
7.2%
Irish
5.2%
American
4.9%
German
4.6%
Italian
1.8%
Scottish
1.3%
French
0.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 35.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.4%
85+
1.0%
1.7%
75–84
2.3%
4.1%
65–74
5.2%
5.4%
55–64
6.3%
5.5%
45–54
6.2%
6.1%
35–44
6.8%
7.0%
25–34
7.7%
4.3%
18–24
4.4%
9.5%
5–17
9.2%
3.4%
<5
3.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$63,767
State House District 85 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 85$63,767
Tennessee$69,595
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
17.8%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1826.6%
Working age (18–64)14.9%
Seniors (65+)14.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
88.8%
speak English only
Spanish6.9%
Other Indo-European1.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.6%
Other languages1.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
24.3%
Other Christian
18.4%
Pentecostal & Holiness
7.0%
Catholic & Orthodox
6.1%
Methodist
5.6%
Mainline Protestant
3.6%
Non-Christian
3.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 31.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin exceeding 56 points Republican, this Middle or East Tennessee district sits among the state's most one-sided constituencies, where general-election competition is effectively decided in the primary.

The Democratic margin in Tennessee 85th State House District reached its widest at ninety-three points in 1936. The margin in 2024 was twenty-five points — still decisive.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $63,767, a 34% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 45,379 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State House District 85, Tennessee. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/47085/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State House District 85, Tennessee vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 85, Tennessee voted Democratic by 25.2 points (D+25), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 16,201 votes cast, 9,961 went Democratic and 5,871 went Republican.
What is State House District 85, Tennessee's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 85, Tennessee as a "Democratic loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 28 times, Republican 5 times, and other 1 times.
When did State House District 85, Tennessee last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 85, Tennessee voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in State House District 85, Tennessee?
State House District 85, Tennessee has a population of 45,379 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 85, Tennessee?
Median household income in State House District 85, Tennessee is $63,767 — below the national median of $80,734. The Tennessee state median is $69,595.
What is the political history of State House District 85, Tennessee?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 85, Tennessee from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 28 went Democratic and 5 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Democratic loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.