The 2016 Tennessee State Senate election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect 16 of the 33 seats for the
Tennessee's State Senate. The elections coincided with the
Presidential,
U.S. House
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
, and
State House elections. The
primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
s were held on August 4, 2016.
Retirements
Republicans
*
District 4 District 4 can refer to:
* District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany
*District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia
*District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam
* District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States
*IV District, Turku, in Finland
* Ausse ...
:
Ron Ramsey
Ronald Lynn Ramsey (; born November 20, 1955) is an American auctioneer, politician, and lobbyist, who served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Tennessee and speaker of the State Senate from 2007 to 2017. A Republican from Blountville in East ...
, lieutenant governor of Tennessee.
Predictions
Results summary
Closest race
Many of the senators running in this election ran unopposed. However, this race was the closest in the Senate election:
District 2
Republican primary
Candidates
* Doug Overbey, incumbent senator
* Scott Williams, veteran and small business owner
General election
District 4
Republican primary
Candidates
* John Paul Blevins
* Neal Kerney, veteran and small business owner
*
Jon Lundberg
Jon Lundberg (born June 26, 1961 in Royal Oak, Michigan) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Tennessee State Senate for the 4th district. He was first elected to the 105th Tennessee General Assembly (2007–2008). He serves a ...
, state representative for the
1st district
The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Inn ...
*
Tony Shipley
Tony Shipley (born August 23, 1953) is a former State Representative for the Tennessee House of Representatives 2nd District in Sullivan County.
Born in Blountville, Tennessee, Shipley is a graduate of Sullivan Central High School and also a 19 ...
, state representative for the
2nd district
Declined
* Ron Ramsey, incumbent senator and
Speaker of the Senate (retiring)
General election
District 6
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Becky Duncan Massey
Becky Duncan Massey is a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate for the 6th district, encompassing Knoxville and Knox County.
Biography
Early life and education
Becky Duncan Massey was born on January 2, 1955. Her father was John Duncan, ...
, incumbent senator
General election
District 8
Republican primary
* Frank Niceley, incumbent senator
General election
District 10
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Todd Gardenhire
Todd Gardenhire (born May 7, 1948) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate representing District 10 since January 8, 2013.
Education
Gardenhire earned his B.S. in business administration from the University o ...
, incumbent senator
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Ty O'Grady, entrepreneur and college professor
* Khristy Wilkinson
* Nick Wilkinson, director of the
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
Office of Economic Development
General election
District 12
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Ken Yager
Ken Yager (born January 5, 1947) is a Republican politician who is currently serving as a State Senator in Tennessee, for District 12. Yager was first elected to this position in 2008 and represents the people in the counties of District 12, w ...
, incumbent senator
General election
District 14
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Jim Tracy, incumbent senator
* Matt Randolph, retail manager
* Steve Lane, teacher
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Gayle Jordan, attorney
General election
District 16
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Janice Bowling
Janice Bowling is an American politician in Tennessee and senator for Tennessee's 16th State Senate district. Bowling is a Republican. Bowling has been a public official and community activist in her hometown of Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Political ...
, incumbent senator
* Michael Shane Wilcher, member of the
Warren County Commission from the 3rd district
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Mike Winton, businessman
* Alice Demetreon, retired corrections officer
General election
District 18
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Ferrell Haile
Ferrell Haile is an American politician and a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate representing District 18 since January 8, 2013. Haile previously served from his appointment November 22, 2010, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation o ...
, incumbent senator
General election
District 20
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Steven Dickerson
Steven Dickerson is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Tennessee Senate, representing District 20 from January 8, 2013 until November 3, 2020.
Education
Dickerson earned his BA in history from Sewanee: The University ...
, incumbent senator
* Ron McDow,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
delegate at the
2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, was held July 18–21, 2016, at Quicken Loa ...
Democratic primary
Candidates
* Erin Coleman, attorney
General election
District 22
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Mark Green, incumbent senator
* Lori L. Smith, small business owner, Clarksville fencing
Democratic primary
Candidates
* David L. Cutting, retired architectural engineer and small business owner
General election
District 24
Republican primary
Candidates
*
John Stevens, incumbent senator
General election
District 26
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Dolores Gresham
Dolores Gresham (born July 16, 1942) is a Republican politician from Tennessee. She was elected to the Tennessee Senate in the 2008 elections after having served three terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Her Senate District 26 encompas ...
, incumbent senator
* Bob Shutt, mayor of
Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,213 at the 2020 census. Savannah is located along the east side of the Tennessee River.
Savannah hosted the NAIA college football nationa ...
General election
District 28
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Joey Hensley
Joey Hensley (born July 28, 1955) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate representing District 28 since January 8, 2013. Hensley served consecutively in the Tennessee General Assembly from January 2003 until J ...
, incumbent senator
Independent candidate
* Joey Norman, firefighter
General election
District 30
Democratic primary
Candidates
*
Sara Kyle
Sara Peery Kyle (born October 21, 1952) is an American attorney and politician, and currently represents the 30th district in the Tennessee Senate. She became the second woman to elected to statewide office in Tennessee when she won the race fo ...
, incumbent senator
*
Beverly Marrero
Beverly Robison Marrero (born January 23, 1939) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Tennessee Senate District 30, which is a part of Shelby County. She was first elected to the 103rd General Assembly in the House by-electioa ...
, former 30th district senator
General election
District 32
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Mark Norris, incumbent senator
General election
See also
*
2016 Tennessee elections
Tennessee state elections in 2016 were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Primary elections for the United States House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee House of Representatives, as well as various judicial retention election ...
*
2016 Tennessee House of Representatives election
The 2016 Tennessee House of Representatives election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect 99 seats for the Tennessee House of Representatives. The elections coincided with the United States presidential election in Tennessee, 2016, Preside ...
References
{{Reflist
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.
The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue reg ...
Tennessee Senate elections