2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee facts for kids
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| Turnout | 53.89% | ||||||||||||||||
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County results
Blackburn: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Bredesen: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% |
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The 2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee was an important vote that happened on November 6, 2018. People in Tennessee voted to choose who would represent them in the United States Senate in Washington, D.C.
The main candidates were Marsha Blackburn from the Republican Party and Phil Bredesen from the Democratic Party. In the end, Marsha Blackburn won the election and became the new U.S. Senator for Tennessee.
Contents
What is a U.S. Senate Election?
A U.S. Senate election is when people vote for someone to represent their state in the United States Senate. The Senate is part of the United States Congress, which makes laws for the whole country. Each state has two senators, no matter how big or small the state is. Senators serve for six years.
Who Ran for Senate in 2018?
In the 2018 election for Tennessee's Senate seat, two main candidates were trying to win.
Marsha Blackburn: Republican Candidate
Marsha Blackburn was the candidate for the Republican Party. Before running for Senate, she had served in the United States House of Representatives, representing a part of Tennessee. She was well-known in Tennessee politics.
Phil Bredesen: Democratic Candidate
Phil Bredesen was the candidate for the Democratic Party. He had previously served as the Governor of Tennessee, which is the top leader of the state government. Many people in Tennessee knew him from his time as governor.
How Candidates Are Chosen: Primary Elections
Before the main election, political parties hold their own smaller elections called "primaries." In a primary election, people vote to choose which candidate from their party will run in the general election. It's like an internal competition to pick the best person to represent the party.
Republican Primary Results
In the Republican primary, Marsha Blackburn won by a large margin. She received most of the votes from Republican voters. This meant she would be the Republican candidate in the general election.
Democratic Primary Results
For the Democratic Party, Phil Bredesen also won his primary election with many votes. He became the Democratic candidate for the general election.
The Main Event: General Election Results
The general election happened on November 6, 2018. This is when all voters, no matter their party, could choose between the Republican and Democratic candidates, as well as any independent candidates.
| General election results | ||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Marsha Blackburn | 1,227,483 | 54.71 | |
| Democratic | Phil Bredesen | 985,450 | 43.92 | |
| Independents | 30,807 | 1.38 | ||
| Total | 2,243,740 | 100.0% | ||
As you can see from the table, Marsha Blackburn received more than 1.2 million votes, which was about 54.7% of all votes. Phil Bredesen received about 985,000 votes, or 43.9%. Marsha Blackburn's victory meant she would go on to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.
Images for kids
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This map shows how different counties in Tennessee voted in the 2018 Senate election.
