United States · Election results history · 1988 Senate · Tennessee

Election 1988 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

1988 US Senate election in Tennessee

Jim Sasser (Democrat) beat Bill Andersen (Republican) in Tennessee in 1988, 65.1% to 34.5%, a margin of 30.6 points and 479,028 votes.

The Democratic hold continued from 1982, when Jim Sasser also won.

Democrats led in 94 of the 95 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 1. The largest, Shelby, cast 296,609 votes and went to the Democrat by 39.1 points. The closest was Pickett, where 115 votes separated the two parties.

United States

Results

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If only voted How this works

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Or set the national mood Turnout

Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

Senate

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
Jim Sasser won	Democratic	1,020,061	65.1%
Bill Andersen	Republican	541,033	34.5%
All other candidates		6,087	0.4%
Total		1,567,181

Every county

County	Democrat	Republican	Others	Total	Margin
Shelby	204,815 69.1%	88,768 29.9%	3,026	296,609	D+39.1
Davidson	126,569 69.1%	55,900 30.5%	808	183,277	D+38.6
Knox	66,540 59.4%	45,081 40.3%	342	111,963	D+19.2
Hamilton	60,154 54.8%	49,296 44.9%	332	109,782	D+9.9
Sullivan	29,928 60.8%	19,046 38.7%	219	49,193	D+22.1
Rutherford	21,070 66.2%	10,687 33.6%	74	31,831	D+32.6
Sumner	19,851 66.6%	9,903 33.2%	39	29,793	D+33.4
Williamson	14,764 52.5%	13,294 47.3%	45	28,103	D+5.2
Washington	17,527 62.4%	10,512 37.4%	62	28,101	D+25.0
Blount	15,039 53.5%	13,016 46.3%	40	28,095	D+7.2
Madison	18,824 67.2%	9,130 32.6%	67	28,021	D+34.6
Anderson	14,997 63.8%	8,459 36.0%	32	23,488	D+27.8
Bradley	11,834 52.7%	10,578 47.1%	43	22,455	D+5.6
Wilson	14,025 67.3%	6,776 32.5%	37	20,838	D+34.8
Montgomery	13,959 67.7%	6,617 32.1%	45	20,621	D+35.6
Roane	10,583 63.2%	6,152 36.7%	14	16,749	D+26.5
Greene	8,895 55.9%	6,982 43.9%	22	15,899	D+12.0
Carter	8,484 55.6%	6,751 44.2%	31	15,266	D+11.4
Putnam	10,719 71.3%	4,304 28.6%	20	15,043	D+42.6
Gibson	11,403 77.2%	3,350 22.7%	24	14,777	D+54.5
Hamblen	8,280 57.4%	6,125 42.5%	22	14,427	D+14.9
Sevier	6,657 46.5%	7,642 53.3%	27	14,326	R+6.9
Maury	9,431 67.9%	4,457 32.1%	10	13,898	D+35.8
Hawkins	8,184 59.3%	5,589 40.5%	19	13,792	D+18.8
McMinn	7,262 55.2%	5,875 44.7%	15	13,152	D+10.5
Coffee	8,955 68.7%	4,069 31.2%	13	13,037	D+37.5
Robertson	8,374 75.9%	2,645 24.0%	21	11,040	D+51.9
Cumberland	6,074 55.4%	4,872 44.5%	10	10,956	D+11.0
Lawrence	6,778 65.2%	3,612 34.7%	13	10,403	D+30.4
Franklin	7,549 73.3%	2,721 26.4%	27	10,297	D+46.9
Monroe	5,337 53.1%	4,713 46.9%	7	10,057	D+6.2
Dyer	6,992 69.7%	3,015 30.1%	23	10,030	D+39.7
Loudon	5,886 58.9%	4,087 40.9%	19	9,992	D+18.0
Tipton	6,853 68.7%	3,104 31.1%	21	9,978	D+37.6
Dickson	7,312 73.5%	2,621 26.3%	14	9,947	D+47.2
Weakley	7,239 73.7%	2,559 26.0%	26	9,824	D+47.6
Jefferson	5,060 54.3%	4,251 45.6%	6	9,317	D+8.7
Henry	7,104 77.6%	2,044 22.3%	10	9,158	D+55.3
Obion	7,105 79.3%	1,836 20.5%	17	8,958	D+58.8
Carroll	6,188 69.1%	2,759 30.8%	7	8,954	D+38.3
Campbell	5,852 66.6%	2,919 33.2%	12	8,783	D+33.4
Marion	6,079 69.6%	2,646 30.3%	8	8,733	D+39.3
Warren	6,417 73.5%	2,293 26.3%	20	8,730	D+47.2
Bedford	6,275 74.1%	2,182 25.8%	7	8,464	D+48.4
McNairy	5,205 68.2%	2,419 31.7%	6	7,630	D+36.5
Rhea	3,951 53.4%	3,434 46.4%	9	7,394	D+7.0
Henderson	4,309 59.6%	2,915 40.3%	6	7,230	D+19.3
Lincoln	5,327 75.0%	1,765 24.8%	14	7,106	D+50.1
Giles	5,060 73.7%	1,787 26.0%	19	6,866	D+47.7
Fayette	4,727 68.9%	2,109 30.7%	24	6,860	D+38.2
Claiborne	4,568 66.7%	2,273 33.2%	12	6,853	D+33.5
Cheatham	4,890 72.2%	1,870 27.6%	15	6,775	D+44.6
Lauderdale	5,164 76.7%	1,555 23.1%	14	6,733	D+53.6
Cocke	3,523 53.0%	3,119 46.9%	11	6,653	D+6.1
Hardeman	4,828 74.6%	1,624 25.1%	20	6,472	D+49.5
Hardin	4,234 65.8%	2,196 34.1%	6	6,436	D+31.7
Haywood	4,150 73.7%	1,462 26.0%	20	5,632	D+47.7
Marshall	4,073 74.1%	1,416 25.8%	5	5,494	D+48.4
White	3,967 75.1%	1,305 24.7%	9	5,281	D+50.4
Unicoi	2,933 56.6%	2,241 43.3%	6	5,180	D+13.4
Humphreys	4,067 80.1%	1,000 19.7%	9	5,076	D+60.4
Benton	4,042 80.1%	998 19.8%	9	5,049	D+60.3
Hickman	3,564 76.7%	1,079 23.2%	6	4,649	D+53.5
Johnson	2,459 53.5%	2,118 46.0%	23	4,600	D+7.4
Smith	3,455 79.0%	914 20.9%	3	4,372	D+58.1
Dekalb	3,279 76.2%	1,019 23.7%	4	4,302	D+52.5
Morgan	2,983 69.6%	1,297 30.2%	8	4,288	D+39.3
Chester	2,659 62.2%	1,612 37.7%	3	4,274	D+24.5
Wayne	2,329 54.6%	1,932 45.3%	7	4,268	D+9.3
Polk	2,738 64.2%	1,528 35.8%		4,266	D+28.4
Fentress	2,871 68.7%	1,295 31.0%	14	4,180	D+37.7
Overton	3,304 79.7%	834 20.1%	5	4,143	D+59.6
Macon	2,721 66.4%	1,370 33.5%	4	4,095	D+33.0
Decatur	2,885 72.6%	1,086 27.3%	1	3,972	D+45.3
Crockett	2,866 72.3%	1,093 27.6%	5	3,964	D+44.7
Grainger	2,126 55.1%	1,727 44.8%	4	3,857	D+10.3
Scott	2,385 63.2%	1,379 36.6%	8	3,772	D+26.7
Grundy	2,957 81.4%	672 18.5%	5	3,634	D+62.9
Union	1,993 60.0%	1,321 39.8%	5	3,319	D+20.2
Cannon	2,445 76.8%	728 22.9%	10	3,183	D+53.9
Bledsoe	1,824 57.3%	1,353 42.5%	5	3,182	D+14.8
Stewart	2,454 77.6%	707 22.4%	2	3,163	D+55.2
Jackson	2,485 82.9%	506 16.9%	6	2,997	D+66.0
Sequatchie	1,786 67.0%	876 32.9%	2	2,664	D+34.2
Lewis	2,007 75.5%	643 24.2%	10	2,660	D+51.3
Meigs	1,412 58.6%	991 41.1%	7	2,410	D+17.5
Houston	1,840 80.7%	436 19.1%	5	2,281	D+61.6
Clay	1,522 69.3%	673 30.6%	2	2,197	D+38.6
Perry	1,602 80.2%	391 19.6%	4	1,997	D+60.6
Trousdale	1,643 82.8%	337 17.0%	4	1,984	D+65.8
Hancock	987 56.4%	760 43.4%	4	1,751	D+13.0
Pickett	818 53.7%	703 46.1%	3	1,524	D+7.5
Van Buren	1,195 80.5%	289 19.5%	1	1,485	D+61.0
Lake	1,187 81.4%	268 18.4%	4	1,459	D+63.0
Moore	1,039 73.6%	370 26.2%	3	1,412	D+47.4

Counties as they stood in 1988; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.

Tennessee Senate elections we hold

Year	Winner	Margin
2024	Marsha Blackburn (R)	R+29.6
2020	Bill Hagerty (R)	R+27.0
2018	Marsha Blackburn (R)	R+10.8
2014	Lamar Alexander (R)	R+30.0
2012	Bob Corker (R)	R+34.5
2008	Lamar Alexander (R)	R+33.5
2006	Bob Corker (R)	R+2.7
2002	Lamar Alexander (R)	R+9.9
2000	Bill Frist (R)	R+32.9
1996	Fred Thompson (R)	R+24.5
1994	Bill Frist (R)	R+14.3
1990	Albert Gore Jr. (D)	D+37.9
1988	Jim Sasser (D)	D+30.6
1984	Al Gore (D)	D+26.9
1982	Jim Sasser (D)	D+23.9
1978	Howard H. Baker (R)	R+15.2
1976	James R. Sasser (D)	D+5.4
1972	Howard Baker Jr. (R)	R+23.7
1970	William E. Brock III (R)	R+3.9
1966	Howard Baker Jr. (R)	R+11.4
1964	Al Gore Sr. (D)	D+7.2
1960	Estes Kefauver (D)	D+43.5
1958	Al Gore Sr. (D)	D+60.0
1954	Estes Kefauver (D)	D+39.9
1952	Al Gore Sr. (D)	D+53.3
1948	Estes Kefauver (D)	D+31.9
1946	Kenneth McKellar (D)	D+40.4
1942	A. Tom Stewart (D)	D+47.4
1940	Kenneth McKellar (D)	D+41.6
1936	Nathan Bachman (D)	D+56.5
1934	Kenneth McKellar (D)	D+27.6
1930	Cordell Hull (D)	D+44.2
1928	Kenneth McKellar (D)	D+18.6
1924	Lawrence D. Tyson (D)	D+14.7
1922	Kenneth McKellar (D)	D+36.1
1918	John K. Shields (D)	D+24.6
1916	Kenneth McKellar (D)	D+9.8

1988 US Senate election in Tennessee

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