Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District House Race Winner

Tennessee's 6th Congressional District holds a Nov. 3 election to replace Rep. John Rose, who gave up the seat for an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid. Democrat Mike Croley, a Navy veteran and former federal employee, is campaigning on affordability, government accountability, congressional term limits, a ban on lawmaker stock trading, and raising the federal minimum wage. Republican Johnny Garrett, a sitting state representative and attorney endorsed by Riley Gaines, backs President Trump's agenda, stricter immigration enforcement, barring transgender athletes from women's sports, and tax cuts. Both candidates support lowering costs, gun rights, and domestic job growth. Early voting runs through Oct. 29 in the heavily Republican-leaning district.

Shelby County, Tennessee's largest voting jurisdiction with more than 582,000 registered voters, heads into the November midterms under a new congressional map after the Republican-led legislature redrew districts in May, splitting the state's only Democratic-held seat, centered on majority-Black Memphis, into three districts: 9, 8, and 5. Republicans currently hold eight of Tennessee's nine congressional seats and hope redistricting helps them sweep all three Shelby County races. Early voting begins October 14.

District 9 pits Republican Brent Taylor against Democrat Justin Pearson, alongside independents. District 8 features Republican incumbent David Kustoff against Democrat Heidi Kuhn and several independents, while District 5 has Republican Charlie Hatcher facing Democrat Chaz Molder. Local political observers view District 5 as potentially the most competitive race, while some believe Pearson has a viable shot in District 9. Election officials say they've added review processes after a ballot error affected roughly 700 absentee voters in July, and expect the redistricting fight could drive higher turnout among voters upset by the changes.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican front-runner for Tennessee governor, has declined to debate or appear on stage with challengers, including Democratic nominee Jerri Green, and has largely avoided detailed press interviews ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Early voting is underway. Critics, including some traditional Republicans, describe growing "Blackburn fatigue," citing her reliance on front-runner status, close alignment with President Trump, and a reserved campaign style. Her August primary turnout of roughly 311,392 votes was down slightly from 2018. Green has cited polling showing a close race. Blackburn's campaign has answered written questionnaires but has not engaged directly with reporters or opponents on policy specifics.

A multi-agency investigation into prostitution and human trafficking at massage parlors in Columbia, Tennessee has revealed indirect links to both campaigns for the state's 5th Congressional District. On September 9, authorities executed search warrants at seven locations statewide, arresting 10 women as part of a probe involving the Columbia Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, ICE, and other agencies.

Neither congressional candidate was implicated directly in the raid, but records show a building housing one raided spa, Sunshine/Red Fruit Spa, is owned by an LLC in which Columbia Mayor and Democratic candidate Chaz Molder holds a 25% stake. Molder's campaign said he had no knowledge of illegal activity and no authority over tenants; the LLC evicted the operator after learning of the violations. Separately, a paid contract worker for Republican candidate Charlie Hatcher's campaign was reportedly present during the raid, though he has not been charged. The Hatcher campaign confirmed the worker resigned and criticized Molder's ownership stake as undercutting his anti-corruption platform.