Tennessee — Elections 1892–2024

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1892–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+13.5%
1896	+6.0%
1900	+8.1%
1904	+10.8%
1908	+6.9%
1912	+28.9%
1916	+13.6%
1920	−2.8%
1924	+9.3%
1928	−11.1%
1932	+34.0%
1936	+37.9%
1940	+34.9%
1944	+21.2%
1948	+12.3%
1952	−0.3%
1956	−0.6%
1960	−7.1%
1964	+11.0%
1968	−9.7%
1972	−38.0%
1976	+13.0%
1980	−0.3%
1984	−16.3%
1988	−16.3%
1992	+4.7%
1996	+2.4%
2000	−3.9%
2004	−14.3%
2008	−15.0%
2012	−20.4%
2016	−26.0%
2020	−23.2%
2024	−29.7%

DemocraticRepublican

34 presidential elections

Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Other	Margin	Total
2024	R	34.5%Harris1,056,265	64.2%Trump1,966,865	0.7%Kennedy21,535	−29.7%	3,063,942
2020	R	37.4%Biden1,143,600	60.7%Trump1,852,475	1.0%Jorgensen29,877	−23.2%	3,053,761
2016	R	34.7%Clinton870,695	60.7%Trump1,522,925	4.6%Johnson114,407	−26.0%	2,508,027
2012	R	39.0%Obama960,709	59.4%Romney1,462,330	0.3%Stein6,515	−20.4%	2,460,904
2008	R	41.9%Obama1,089,883	56.9%McCain1,480,779	1.3%Nader33,138	−15.0%	2,603,800
2004	R	42.5%Kerry1,035,160	56.8%Bush1,383,336	0.7%Other16,453	−14.3%	2,434,949
2000	R	47.3%Gore981,720	51.1%Bush1,061,949	1.6%Nader32,512	−3.9%	2,076,181
1996	D	48.0%Clinton909,146	45.6%Dole863,530	6.4%Perot121,429	+2.4%	1,894,105
1992	D	47.1%Clinton933,521	42.4%Bush841,300	10.1%Perot199,968	+4.7%	1,982,638
1988	R	41.5%Dukakis679,794	57.9%Bush947,233	0.6%Paul9,224	−16.3%	1,636,251
1984	R	41.6%Mondale711,714	57.8%Reagan990,212	0.2%Bergland3,072	−16.3%	1,711,994
1980	R	48.4%Carter783,051	48.7%Reagan787,761	2.2%Anderson35,991	−0.3%	1,617,616
1976	D	55.9%Carter825,879	42.9%Ford633,969	0.4%Anderson5,769	+13.0%	1,476,345
1972	R	29.7%McGovern357,293	67.7%Nixon813,147	2.6%Schmitz30,742	−38.0%	1,201,182
1968	R	28.1%Humphrey351,233	37.8%Nixon472,592	34.0%Wallace424,792	−9.7%	1,248,617
1964	D	55.5%Johnson634,947	44.5%Goldwater508,965	0.0%	+11.0%	1,143,912
1960	R	45.8%Kennedy481,453	52.9%Nixon556,577	1.3%Byrd13,746	−7.1%	1,051,776
1956	R	48.6%Stevenson456,507	49.2%Eisenhower462,288	2.2%Andrews20,609	−0.6%	939,404
1952	R	49.7%Stevenson443,710	50.0%Eisenhower446,147	0.3%Hallinan2,696	−0.3%	892,553
1948	D	49.1%Truman270,402	36.9%Dewey202,914	14.0%Thurmond76,967	+12.3%	550,283
1944	D	60.4%Roosevelt308,707	39.2%Dewey200,311	0.3%Thomas1,674	+21.2%	510,692
1940	D	67.3%Roosevelt351,601	32.4%Willkie169,153	0.4%Thomas2,069	+34.9%	522,823
1936	D	68.8%Roosevelt328,083	30.8%Landon147,050	0.4%Lemke1,948	+37.9%	477,081
1932	D	66.5%Roosevelt259,463	32.5%Hoover126,752	1.0%Thomas4,048	+34.0%	390,263
1928	R	44.4%Smith156,169	55.4%Hoover195,195	0.2%Thomas660	−11.1%	352,024
1924	D	52.9%Davis158,679	43.6%Coolidge130,728	3.6%La Follette10,710	+9.3%	300,117
1920	R	48.3%Cox205,898	51.2%Harding217,898	0.5%Debs2,179	−2.8%	425,975
1916	D	56.3%Wilson153,280	42.7%Hughes116,223	1.0%Benson2,687	+13.6%	272,190
1912	D	53.0%Wilson133,021	24.1%Taft60,475	22.9%Roosevelt57,605	+28.9%	251,101
1908	D	52.7%Bryan135,604	45.9%Taft117,977	1.4%Debs3,595	+6.9%	257,176
1904	D	54.2%Parker131,653	43.4%Roosevelt105,372	2.4%Debs5,734	+10.8%	242,759
1900	D	53.0%Bryan145,249	45.0%McKinley123,108	2.0%Woolley5,513	+8.1%	273,870
1896	D	52.2%Bryan168,176	46.2%McKinley148,773	1.6%Palmer5,052	+6.0%	322,001
1892	D	51.3%Cleveland136,468	37.8%Harrison100,577	10.8%Weaver28,727	+13.5%	265,772

2026 election

On the ballot

Governoropen seatno nominee yet

Marsha Blackburnpresumptive nomineeJohn Rose

OPEN seat: incumbent Gov. Bill Lee (R) is term-limited. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the clear front-runner / presumptive GOP nominee (leads polls by 30+ points); U.S. Rep. John Rose is the main self-funding challenger. Aug 6 2026 primary not yet held. The Democratic field is contested with no clear favorite in this strongly Republican state (declared Democrats include Jerri Green and Carnita Atwater); no presumptive D nominee identified.

Full 2026 forecast →

U.S. Senateno nominee yet

Bill Hagertypresumptive nomineeMarquita Bradshaw

Primary 2026-08-06 (not yet held). Hagerty presumptive R; Dem primary contested (Bradshaw most prominent).

Full 2026 forecast →

Source · Akashic 2026 forecast.

Congressional elections · 222 House races · 17 Senate races

U.S. House

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), House. CC-BY 4.0. Seat totals count district winners; vote shares aggregate every district.
Seats won	D %	R %	Total
D 1 · R 8	33.4%	64.4%	2,926,955
D 1 · R 8	34.0%	64.3%	1,710,425
D 2 · R 7	38.9%	59.3%	2,841,744
D 2 · R 7	39.2%	59.2%	2,159,825

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	34.2%1,027,461	63.8%1,918,743	3,007,608
2020	R	35.2%1,040,691	62.2%1,840,926	2,959,761
2018	R	43.9%985,450	54.7%1,227,483	2,243,740
2014	R	31.9%437,848	61.9%850,087	1,374,060
2012	R	30.4%705,882	64.9%1,506,443	2,320,189
2008	R	31.6%767,236	65.1%1,579,477	2,424,585
2006	R	48.0%879,976	50.7%929,911	1,833,695
2002	R	44.3%728,232	54.3%891,498	1,642,076
2000	R	32.2%621,152	65.1%1,255,444	1,928,354
1996	R	36.8%654,937	61.4%1,091,554	1,778,603
1994	R	42.1%623,164	56.4%834,226	1,480,352
1990	D	67.7%530,898	29.8%233,703	783,813
1988	D	65.1%1,020,061	34.5%541,033	1,567,136
1984	D	60.7%1,000,607	33.8%557,016	1,648,036
1982	D	61.9%780,113	38.1%479,642	1,259,755
1978	R	40.3%466,228	55.5%642,644	1,157,023
1976	D	52.5%751,180	47.0%673,231	1,432,015

voter registration

Registered voters

Total registered voters, over time

Registered voters

Voter registration in Tennessee
Year	Total registered
2016	4,110,318
2018	4,163,359
2020	4,436,727
2022	4,549,183
2024	4,825,601

Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAVS)

A Republican state by 29.7 points, its Democratic vote cut down to two cities — Nashville and majority-Black Memphis — while the mountain east has held Republican since the Civil War.

A Republican state: R+23.2 (2020) → R+29.7 (2024) — Trump 1,966,865 to Harris 1,056,265; last Democratic win was Clinton in 1996 (D+2.4) · MIT Election Lab
Bluest and reddest: Davidson (Nashville) D+27.4; Scott County R+79.8 · MIT Election Lab 2024
The two urban islands: Davidson (Nashville) D+27.4 and Shelby (Memphis, majority Black) D+25.4 — Shelby cast the most Democratic votes of any county, 201,759; rural Haywood was the only other D county, by 25 votes · MIT Election Lab 2024
The Unionist east: Knox County (Knoxville) R+19.5 — East Tennessee has voted Republican since its Unionist highlands resisted secession in the Civil War · MIT Election Lab 2024
Middle Tennessee moves right: Maury County: R+26.9 (2012) → R+44.6 (2024), a 17.7-pt shift; Knox narrowed from R+29.2 (2012) to R+19.5 · MIT Election Lab
Open governor in 2026: Gov. Bill Lee (R) is term-limited; U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R) is the presumptive nominee, the Aug. 6 primaries not yet held · Akashic 2026 forecast

Political twins — states

The states whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

Alabama

94.0twin score

2016–2024 trajectory% Evangelical≠ % Black

% Evangelical2016–2024 trajectory≠ elasticity

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

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 →

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Tennessee. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/TN/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

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Largest cities in Tennessee

Nashville-Davidson Metropolitan Government (balance)

Tennessee at the ballot boxAll elections →

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Places within Tennessee

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Frequently asked questions

How did Tennessee vote in 2024?

In 2024, Tennessee voted Republican by 29.7 points (R+29.7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 3,063,942 votes cast, 1,056,265 went Democratic and 1,966,865 went Republican.

When did Tennessee last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Tennessee voted Democratic was 1996.

How many people live in Tennessee?

Tennessee has a population of 7,066,383 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Tennessee?

Median household income in Tennessee is $69,595 — below the national median of $80,734. The Tennessee state median is $69,595.

What is the political history of Tennessee?

Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Tennessee from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 17 went Republican.

Tennessee, Tennessee

U.S. House

U.S. Senate

Compare two places, side by side

Places within Tennessee

Frequently asked questions