The 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Lee was re-elected to a second term with 64.9% of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger Jason Martin. Lee improved on his performance from 2018.
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Turnout | 38.61% [1] 15.85 pp | ||||||||||||||||
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Lee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Martin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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The primary elections took place on August 4, 2022, with Lee and Martin winning their respective parties' nominations.[2][3]
During the general election, Lee flipped reliably Democratic Haywood County, home to Brownsville. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee, along with Shelby County, with a majority African-American population. Haywood County has not voted Republican on a presidential level since 1972. Martin won only Shelby and Davidson counties. This was the first time in state history that Davidson County did not vote for the winner in a gubernatorial re-election since Tennessee began allowing governors to serve for two consecutive terms.
Voter turnout for the 2022 midterm elections in Tennessee was the lowest it has been in nearly a decade, with only 38.6% of Tennessee's registered voters turning out. This turnout was far below the 2020 presidential election in Tennessee, which saw a turnout of 69.3%.[4][5] The last time turnout was this low in Tennessee was in the 2014 midterm elections. Tennessee's neighboring state Alabama saw a significant drop in voter turnout as well.
Bill Lee was sworn in for his second term on January 21, 2023.
Republican primary
editCandidates
editNominee
editDisqualified
editDeclined
edit- Andy Ogles, Mayor of Maury County (successfully ran for U.S. House)[9]
Endorsements
editU.S. Executive Branch officials
- Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018)[10]
- Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)[11]
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bill Lee (incumbent) | 494,362 | 100.00% | |
Total votes | 494,362 | 100.00% |
Democratic primary
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Jason Martin, pulmonologist and critical care specialist at Sumner Regional Medical Center and former Meharry Medical College professor[13][14]
Eliminated in primary
edit- Carnita Atwater, leader of New Chicago Community Development Corporation in Northern Memphis[15]
- J. B. Smiley Jr., Memphis city councilor[16]
Withdrew
editDeclined
edit- Gloria Johnson, state representative[19] (endorsed Jason Martin)[20]
Endorsements
editU.S. representatives
- Steve Cohen, U.S. representative for Tennessee's 9th congressional district (2007–present)[21]
Local officials
- Lee Harris, Mayor of Shelby County (2018–present) and former Minority Leader of the Tennessee Senate from the 29th district (2015–2018)[22]
- W. W. Herenton, former mayor of Memphis (1992–2009)[23]
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jason Martin | 101,552 | 39.39% | |
Democratic | J.B. Smiley Jr. | 100,062 | 38.81% | |
Democratic | Carnita Atwater | 56,227 | 21.81% | |
Total votes | 257,841 | 100.00% |
Independents
editCandidates
editDeclared
edit- Constance Every, nonprofit founder[25]
- John Gentry, accountant[25]
- Basil Marceaux, businessman and perennial candidate[25]
- Alfred O'Neil[25]
- Deborah Rouse, candidate for President of the United States in 2020[25]
- Michael Scantland, sales manager[25]
- Rick Tyler, perennial candidate (also ran for U.S. House)[25]
- Charles Van Morgan, small business owner[25]
Disqualified
editGeneral election
editPredictions
editSource | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[26] | Solid R | March 4, 2022 |
Inside Elections[27] | Solid R | July 22, 2022 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball[28] | Safe R | June 29, 2022 |
Politico[29] | Solid R | April 1, 2022 |
RCP[30] | Safe R | January 10, 2022 |
Fox News[31] | Solid R | May 12, 2022 |
538[32] | Solid R | August 4, 2022 |
Elections Daily[33] | Safe R | November 7, 2022 |
Fundraising
editCampaign finance reports as of July 5, 2022 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
Bill Lee (R) | $3,516,828 | $3,316,034 | $375,465 |
Jason Martin (D) | $187,424 | $495,649 | $160,736 |
Source: Tennessee Registry of Election Finance[34] |
Endorsements
editU.S. Executive Branch officials
- Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018) and former governor of South Carolina (2011–2017)[10]
- Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)[11]
Organizations
Labor unions
Polling
editPoll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bill Lee (R) |
Jason Martin (D) |
Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RABA Research[41] | July 21–31, 2022 | 549 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 52% | 28% | 6% | 14% |
Bill Lee vs. generic opponent
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Bill Lee (R) |
Generic Opponent |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vanderbilt University[42] | April 26 – May 14, 2022 | 1,000 (RV) | ± 3.8% | 48% | 39% | 12% |
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bill Lee (incumbent) | 1,129,390 | 64.91% | +5.55 | |
Democratic | Jason Martin | 572,818 | 32.92% | −5.63 | |
Independent | John Gentry | 15,395 | 0.89% | N/A | |
Independent | Constance Every | 10,277 | 0.59% | N/A | |
Independent | Deborah Rouse | 3,772 | 0.22% | N/A | |
Independent | Rick Tyler | 2,380 | 0.14% | N/A | |
Independent | Charles Van Morgan | 1,862 | 0.11% | N/A | |
Independent | Basil Marceaux | 1,568 | 0.09% | N/A | |
Independent | Alfred O'Neil | 1,216 | 0.07% | N/A | |
Independent | Michael Scantland | 815 | 0.05% | N/A | |
Write-In | Lemichael D. Wilson | 386 | 0.02% | N/A | |
Write-In | Charles Carney | 2 | 0.00% | N/A | |
Write-In | Stephen C. Maxwell | 1 | 0.00% | N/A | |
Write-In | Kameron Parker Scott | 0 | 0.00% | N/A | |
Total votes | 1,739,882 | 100.00% | |||
Turnout | 1,756,397 | 38.61% | −15.85% | ||
Registered electors | 4,549,183 | ||||
Republican hold |
By county
editBy county
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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
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See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2022". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Midterm Election Events Calendar". www.cnn.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ "Doctor critical of lax COVID rules wins Tenn. Dem gov race". AP NEWS. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ McCullough, Erin (November 11, 2022). "Less than 40% of registered voters in Tennessee turned out for the 2022 midterms". WKRN News 2. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Gonzales, Tony (November 10, 2022). "Tennessee voter turnout far below 2018 showing". 90.3 WPLM News. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Ebert, Joel. "'I love this job': Bill Lee says he'll seek a second term as Tennessee governor". The Tennessean. The USA Today Network. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Tennessee Petitions". TNSOS. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "New PAC Targets Gov. Lee's Re-Election Bid". Across Tennessee, TN Patch. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ Rau, Nate (March 23, 2022). "Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles enters District 5 race". Axios. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ a b "Nikki Haley endorses Republican Governor". ABC News. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Murray, Stephanie (August 16, 2021). "Redistricting looms in Texas". Politico. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "August 4, 2022 Republican Primary Governor" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "Doctor eyes run for governor". Nashville Post. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ "Sumner County doctor Jason Martin announces gubernatorial campaign | News | wsmv.com". www.wsmv.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- ^ "First Democratic Candidate for Governor". Tri-State Defender. April 8, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. Enters Democratic Race for Tennessee Governor". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Democrats running for governor make it official". Nashville Post. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ ""I'm suspending my campaign for governor."". Facebook. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- ^ "New PAC targets Lee's re-election bid". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ "I'm so excited y'all, @jasonbmartin is exactly the leadership TN families need now!". Twitter. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ "Memphis congressman endorses in '22 gubernatorial primary". Nashville Post. October 13, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- ^ "Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris endorses Smiley for governor". May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "20-Plus Tennessee Leaders Announce Support for JB Smiley, Jr. for Governor". The Tennessee Tribune. October 21, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- ^ "August 4, 2022 Democratic Primary Governor" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Petition Information". Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Governor Race Ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Gubernatorial race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Tennessee Governor Race 2022". Politico. April 1, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Governor Races". RCP. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Election Forecast". Fox News. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Election Forecast". FiveThirtyEight. June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ^ Szymanski, Joe (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Unveils Final 2022 Midterm Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ "Search Reports". Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
- ^ "NFIB Tennessee PAC Endorses Bill Lee for Second Term as Governor". National Federation of Independent Business. September 15, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Tennessee Endorsements". National Right to Life. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Tennessee Grades & Endorsements". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Bill Lee's Ratings and Endorsements". justfacts.votesmart.org. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "General Election Endorsements". Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "Tennessee - COMPAC Endorsements". UMWA. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ RABA Research
- ^ Vanderbilt University
- ^ State of Tennessee General Election Results Governor, November 8, 2022, Results By Office (PDF) (Report). Secretary of State of Tennessee. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Gubernatorial Results by County" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
External links
editOfficial campaign websites