Five Tennessee Counties Shift to Democrats

Five Tennessee counties voted for the Democratic candidate in the 2026 governor's race, a shift from their voting patterns in the 2024 presidential election. Unofficial results from the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office confirm that Madison, Montgomery, Hamilton, Knox, and Rutherford counties turned blue this year. These counties previously supported Republican candidates in 2024.

Republican Marsha Blackburn won the governor's race overall. She will be the first woman to serve as governor of Tennessee. Her inauguration is scheduled for January 2027. The majority of the state's counties remained red, voting for Blackburn. No counties flipped to the Republican side in this race.

Associated Press data indicates a statewide shift toward Democratic voters in every county. Davidson County, which historically leans Democratic, saw a 25.6 point increase in support for the Democratic candidate compared to 2024. Williamson County, a Republican stronghold, recorded a 17.6 point rise in Democratic votes. Maury County saw a 21 point shift, with 33 percent of voters choosing the Democrat and 54 percent choosing the Republican.

In the 2024 election, nearly 72 percent of Maury County residents voted Republican. This year, the gap narrowed considerably. Census Bureau data shows that seven of the ten largest cities in Tennessee are located in counties that voted for Democrat Jerri Green in the midterm elections. These demographic shifts align with the broader trend of Democratic gains in major urban centers.

Two U.S. House seats also changed hands in the newly redrawn congressional map. Republicans captured Tennessee's U.S. House District 9. Democrats took control of District 4. Prior to the election, the Republican Party held all but one congressional district in the state. The midterms resulted in each major party flipping one district.

The governor's race was close, with the lead trading between Green and Blackburn for several hours on election night. This narrow margin contradicted earlier polls that predicted a wider victory for Blackburn. Democrats sought to capitalize on declining approval ratings for President Donald Trump, partly attributed to the war in Iran and its impact on fuel and food prices. Vice President JD Vance blamed the war for the Republican losses on Tuesday night.

The Republican Party has held the Tennessee governor's office for 15 years. The last Democrat elected to the position was Phil Bredesen, who served from 2003 to 2011. Midterm elections often favor the president's opposing party. This election cycle follows a pattern where many historically red states, including Texas, Iowa, and Kansas, also shifted to Democratic control.