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Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty and Democratic candidate Marquita Bradshaw are set for a November rematch for the incumbent’s seat in deep-red Tennessee, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ.
Hagerty, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan and adviser on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, ran unopposed while Bradshaw, an environmental activist, emerged victorious on Thursday from a field of four other Democrats.
Both Hagerty and Bradshaw ran for the seat in 2020, with the now-senator easily winning that year.
Bradshaw is the executive director of Sowing Justice, an environmental organization that describes itself as “a nonpartisan[,] nonprofit organization focusing on increasing civic engagement in fence-line polluted communities.”
Hagerty is heavily favored to win the general election in the fall, according to the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report, which rates the race as leaning solidly Republican.
The Tennessee senator announced he was running for reelection in February 2025, putting a stop to speculation about a possible run for governor to succeed Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R), who is term-limited.
Trump has backed Hagerty’s bid, saying in March 2025 on Truth Social that Hagerty was “doing a fantastic job representing the Great People of Tennessee!”
“He has been with us from the very beginning, helping us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump added late in his Truth Social post.
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