For related races, see 2018 United States gubernatorial elections.
Election for the governorship of Tennessee
2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election
← 2014
November 6, 2018
2022 →
Turnout
54.46% [1] 20.49 pp
Nominee
Bill Lee
Karl Dean
Party
Republican
Democratic
Popular vote
1,336,106
864,863
Percentage
59.56%
38.55%
County results
Congressional district results
State Senate districts results
State House district results
Precinct results
Lee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Dean: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% No data
Governor before election
Bill Haslam
Republican
Elected Governor
Bill Lee
Republican
Elections in Tennessee
Federal government
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Mayoral elections
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Nashville measures
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Let's Move Nashville
Government
v
t
e
The 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Haslam was term-limited, and is prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term. Republican candidate Bill Lee was elected with 59.6% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean.
The primary elections took place on August 2, 2018, with Republican Bill Lee and Democrat Karl Dean winning their respective party nominations.[2]
After the general election, the results marked the first time since 1982 that a candidate from the incumbent president's party was elected governor of Tennessee. This is also the first time that Republicans won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the state, and the first time that a Republican was elected to succeed another Republican.
As of 2018, this election had the largest number of candidates (28) in a statewide election in United States history; the previous record was the 2016 United States presidential election in Colorado. This large surge in candidates was mostly due to the Libertarian Party of Tennessee's protest of the state's party affiliation and ballot access laws.[3]
^"Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2018". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
^Almukhtar, Sarah (August 2, 2018). "Tennessee Primary Election Results". The New York Times.
^"Tennessee Gubernatorial Election Has Greatest Number of Candidates for a Regularly-Scheduled Statewide Election in U.S. History - Ballot Access News". ballot-access.org.
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[1] 20.49 pp
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