Bill Hagerty Defeats Marquita Bradshaw to Win a Second Term in Tennessee's U.S. Senate Race

Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty has won a second term representing Tennessee in the U.S. Senate, defeating Democratic challenger Marquita Bradshaw in the Nov. 3 midterm election. NBC News called the race on election night, when Hagerty held about 54% of the vote to Bradshaw’s 44.1% as of 8:55 p.m. Central time, Nashville station WSMV reported.

The contest was a rematch of 2020, when the two first faced each other for the seat. Chattanooga’s Local 3 News reported that Hagerty won that race in a landslide, 62% to 35%. Election-night figures suggest Bradshaw narrowed the gap this time, though Hagerty still won comfortably. Vote totals are unofficial until the state certifies them.

Who is Marquita Bradshaw?

Bradshaw was born and raised in Memphis. She is the executive director of Sowing Justice, a nonprofit that focuses on environmental issues, according to Local 3 News.

The 2026 race was her third campaign for the U.S. Senate. After losing to Hagerty in 2020, she ran for Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s seat in 2024 but lost in the Democratic primary. This year her stated priorities included education, affordable housing and health care.

In 2026 she won the Democratic nomination again, setting up a second matchup with the incumbent.

Who is Bill Hagerty?

Hagerty, 67, is a Tennessee native, WSMV reported. He was born in Gallatin and lives in Nashville. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics and business administration and a law degree from Vanderbilt. Before he joined the Senate, he served as U.S. ambassador to Japan.

He has held the seat since winning it in 2020. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary this year, and President Donald Trump endorsed him.

Local 3 News reported that during his first term, three bills Hagerty introduced became law, including the GENIUS Act. A businessman by trade, he has backed lower federal taxes, cryptocurrency regulation and energy independence. He serves on four Senate committees.

What did Hagerty campaign on?

According to WSMV, Hagerty said his top issues were securing the southern border, lowering taxes, energy independence and strengthening national security. He also said he is “committed to lowering the cost of living for Tennessee families by fighting wasteful spending in Washington, making homeownership more affordable, and helping your paychecks go further.”

Bradshaw focused her campaign on education, housing and health care, according to Local 3 News.

Who else was on the ballot?

Besides Hagerty and Bradshaw, the ballot listed eight independent candidates, Local 3 News reported:

• Andrew Gerena
• Catherine Whitson
• David Sutman
• James Macon
• Jeremy Hearn
• Robert Jones
• Tharon Chandler
• Yoshi Matthews

None of the independents was a factor in the outcome, based on the early returns WSMV reported.

What the result means

Hagerty’s win keeps the seat in Republican hands. Bradshaw has now lost to him twice, although election-night numbers point to a closer margin than in 2020.

Tennessee voters also cast ballots for governor, U.S. House and state legislative seats on the same night, WSMV noted.

The sources used here did not include a public statement from Bradshaw on the result. Final, certified totals may differ slightly from the election-night numbers.

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