Tennessee's 8th Congressional District

Tennessee's 8th Congressional District

Incumbent

David Kustoff

Assumed office: January 3, 2017

Tennessee's 8th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by David Kustoff (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Tennessee representatives represented an average of 768,544 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 708,381 residents.

Elections

2024

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2024

Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Democratic primary)

Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Sarah Freeman and James Hart in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff (R)	72.7	235,357
		Sarah Freeman (D)	25.2	81,595
		James Hart (Independent)	2.1	6,675

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 323,627
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Sarah Freeman defeated Brenda Woods, Lynnette Williams, Leonard Perkins, and Lawrence Pivnick in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 1, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Freeman	33.7	5,552
		Brenda Woods	27.8	4,580
		Lynnette Williams	17.5	2,887
		Leonard Perkins	13.1	2,160
		Lawrence Pivnick	7.8	1,279

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,458
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 1, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff	100.0	55,809

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,809
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• George Flinn Jr. (R)

2022

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Lynnette Williams, James Hart, and Ronnie Henley in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff (R)	74.0	155,602
		Lynnette Williams (D)	24.3	51,102
		James Hart (Independent)	1.2	2,541
		Ronnie Henley (Independent)	0.5	1,070

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 210,315
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Lynnette Williams defeated Tim McDonald in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lynnette Williams	63.3	15,819
		Tim McDonald	36.7	9,187

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,006
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Bob Hendry, Danny Bridger Jr., and Dean Clouse in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff	83.7	69,538
		Bob Hendry	8.4	6,990
		Danny Bridger Jr.	5.1	4,233
		Dean Clouse	2.8	2,291

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 83,052
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2020

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Erika Stotts Pearson, James Hart, and Jon Dillard in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff (R)	68.5	227,216
		Erika Stotts Pearson (D)	29.5	97,890
		James Hart (Independent)	1.1	3,763
		Jon Dillard (Independent)	0.9	2,984

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 331,853
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Erika Stotts Pearson defeated Savannah Williamson, Lawrence Pivnick, and Hollis Skinner in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erika Stotts Pearson	51.1	14,510
		Savannah Williamson	20.4	5,788
		Lawrence Pivnick	16.5	4,685
		Hollis Skinner	11.9	3,389

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,372 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff	100.0	70,677

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2018

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated Erika Stotts Pearson and James Hart in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff (R)	67.7	168,030
		Erika Stotts Pearson (D)	30.1	74,755
		James Hart (Independent)	2.2	5,560

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 248,345
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Erika Stotts Pearson defeated John Boatner Jr. in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 2, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erika Stotts Pearson	50.4	17,137
		John Boatner Jr.	49.6	16,847

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,984
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8

Incumbent David Kustoff defeated George Flinn Jr. and Colleen Owens in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 8 on August 2, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Kustoff	56.0	57,741
		George Flinn Jr.	39.7	40,903
		Colleen Owens	4.3	4,460

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 103,104
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Stephen Lee Fincher did not seek re-election to his seat in 2016. Twenty-one candidates filed in the race to replace him. David Kustoff (R) defeated Rickey Hobson (D), and independents Shelia Godwin, James Hart, Adrian Montague, Mark Rawles, and Karen Free Spirit Talley-Lane in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hobson defeated Gregory Alan Frye in the Democratic primary, while Kustoff defeated 12 other candidates in the Republican primary. The primary elections took place on August 4, 2016.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	David Kustoff	68.8%	194,386
	Democratic	Rickey Hobson	25.1%	70,925
	Independent	Shelia Godwin	2.3%	6,442
	Independent	James Hart	1.4%	4,057
	Independent	Adrian Montague	0.9%	2,497
	Independent	Mark Rawles	0.9%	2,445
	Independent	Karen Free Spirit Talley-Lane	0.7%	1,981
Total Votes				282,733
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rickey Hobson	54.8%	7,774
Gregory Frye	45.2%	6,413
Total Votes		14,187
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Kustoff	27.4%	16,889
George Flinn Jr.	23.1%	14,200
Mark Luttrell	17.7%	10,878
Brian Kelsey	12.9%	7,942
Brad Greer	11.1%	6,819
Tom Leatherwood	4.3%	2,620
Hunter Baker	1.6%	1,014
Ken Atkins	0.7%	410
Raymond Honeycutt	0.4%	231
George Howell	0.3%	211
David Wharton	0.2%	131
David Bault	0.2%	109
David Maldonado	0.1%	76
Total Votes		61,530
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State

2014

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 8th Congressional District of Tennessee held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Stephen Lee Fincher (R) defeated Wes Bradley (D), Mark Rawles (C) and James Hart (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Stephen Lee Fincher Incumbent	70.8%	122,205
	Democratic	Wes Bradley	24.6%	42,403
	Constitution	Mark Rawles	2.6%	4,450
	Independent	James Hart	2%	3,446
Total Votes				172,504
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available.

2012

See also: Tennessee's 8th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 8th Congressional District of Tennessee held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Stephen Lee Fincher won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Timothy Dixon	28.4%	79,490
	Republican	Stephen Lee Fincher Incumbent	68.3%	190,923
	Independent	James Hart	2.2%	6,139
	Independent	Mark Rawles	1%	2,870
Total Votes				279,422
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010
On November 2, 2010, Stephen Fincher won election to the United States House. He defeated Roy Herron (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Stephen Fincher	60.3%	98,759
	Democratic	Roy Herron	39.7%	64,960
Total Votes				163,719

2008
On November 4, 2008, John S. Tanner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated James Hart (Write-in) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John S. Tanner incumbent	100%	180,465
	Write-in	James Hart	0%	54
Total Votes				180,519

2006
On November 7, 2006, John S. Tanner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Farmer (R) and James Hart (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John S. Tanner incumbent	73.2%	129,610
	Republican	John Farmer	26.8%	47,492
	Independent	James Hart	0%	6
Total Votes				177,108

2004
On November 2, 2004, John S. Tanner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated James L. Hart (R) and Dennis Bertrand (Write-in) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John S. Tanner incumbent	74.3%	173,623
	Republican	James L. Hart	25.6%	59,853
	Independent	Dennis Bertrand	0%	91
Total Votes				233,567

2002
On November 5, 2002, John S. Tanner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Mat McClain (R), James L. Hart (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John S. Tanner incumbent	70.1%	117,811
	Republican	Mat McClain	27.3%	45,853
	Independent	James L. Hart	2.6%	4,288
	N/A	Write-in	0%	18
Total Votes				167,970

2000
On November 7, 2000, John S. Tanner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Billy Yancy (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Tennessee District 8 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John S. Tanner incumbent	72.3%	143,127
	Republican	Billy Yancy	27.7%	54,929
	N/A	Write-in	0%	24
Total Votes				198,080

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also: Redistricting in Tennessee after the 2020 census

On February 6, 2022, Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed new congressional districts into law, approving a proposal passed by both chambers of the Tennessee legislature. On January 18, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended a congressional district proposal for consideration by the full Senate in a 7-2 vote along party lines, with all Republicans supporting the proposal and all Democrats opposing it. The Senate approved proposals for congressional and Senate maps in a 26-5 party-line vote on January 20. The House approved the congressional plan in a 70-26 party-line vote on January 24. This map took effect for Tennessee's 2022 congressional elections.

On November 15, 2021, Tennessee Democrats released a congressional district map keeping major cities like Nashville whole and putting Williamson, Rutherford, and Wilson counties in the state's fourth congressional district. The House Select Committee on Redistricting released a proposal on January 12, 2022.

How does redistricting in Tennessee work? In Tennessee, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.

The Tennessee Constitution requires that state Senate districts "preserve counties whole where possible." State statutes mandate that no more than 30 counties may be split across districts. Furthermore, state law requires that state legislative districts be contiguous. There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.

Tennessee District 8
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Tennessee District 8
starting January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

2010-2011

This is the 8th Congressional District prior to the 2010 redistricting.

See also: Redistricting in Tennessee after the 2010 census

In 2011, the Tennessee State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2024

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+21. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 21 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Tennessee's 8th the 34th most Republican district nationally.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 67.9%-30.6%.

2022

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+21. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 21 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Tennessee's 8th the 32nd most Republican district nationally.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 30.6% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 67.9%.

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+19. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 19 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Tennessee's 8th Congressional District the 42nd most Republican nationally.

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.01. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.01 points toward that party.

See also

• Redistricting in Tennessee
• Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
• Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2022
• Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2020
• Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack District 8

Footnotes

[show]

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Mark Green (R)

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (10)

Democratic Party (1)