Democrats flipped 5 Tennessee counties in the 2026 midterms. See how your county voted

What This Story Is About

• Democrats flipped five counties in the Tennessee governor’s race compared to the 2024 presidential race, according to unofficial election results from the state.

Why It Matters

• Election results show that Democrats made gains in Tennessee in the 2026 election, despite losing the governor’s race.

What Happens Next

• Marsha Blackburn will be the first woman to hold the governor’s office. She will be sworn in this January.

For Context

• The majority of Tennessee counties remained red and voted to elect Republican Marsha Blackburn. However, Republicans did not flip any counties in the governor’s race.

Catch Up

• Two U.S. House seats flipped in the Tennessee midterms as well.
•  ‘I’m not going anywhere’: Jerri Green falls to Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee governor’s race. Here’s what it means for Democrats
• AP data shows shift toward Democrats in all Tennessee counties despite Republican midterm wins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Tennessee Democrats lost the governor’s race in 2026, but data shows they still made gains across the state.

Five Tennessee counties flipped blue in the 2026 midterms, according to unofficial election results from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office. That’s compared to the results of the 2024 presidential election.

Which counties did Democrats flip in Tennessee?

These are the five counties that turned blue in the 2026 governor’s race:

• Madison County
• Montgomery County
• Hamilton County
• Knox County
• Rutherford County

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that seven out of the 10 largest cities in Tennessee were in counties that voted to elect Democrat Jerri Green in the midterms.

The majority of Tennessee counties remained red and voted to elect Republican Marsha Blackburn. However, Republicans did not flip any counties in the governor’s race.

All TN counties shifted toward Democrats, despite Republican midterm wins

Associated Press statistics from this midterm cycle show a change in voter margins compared to 2024, with all Tennessee counties seeing a shift toward Democrats.

Davidson County saw a 25.6-point rise in Democratic voters compared to 2024, the AP data shows. The county historically votes Democratic. The AP data also shows a 17.6-point rise in Democratic voters in Williamson County, a Republican stronghold.

In 2024, nearly 72% of Maury County residents voted Republican, compared to 27% who voted Democrat, according to AP data.

This year, there was a 21-point shift in votes for Democrats in the county, with 54% voting Republican and 33% Democrat, according to AP data.

Two U.S. House seats flipped in the Tennessee midterms

Tennessee’s newly-redrawn congressional map saw two major changes on Tuesday night.

Each major political party flipped a district. Republicans flipped Tennessee’s U.S. House District 9, while Democrats flipped District 4.

This interactive map shows the newly elected or re-elected U.S. representatives for each Tennessee congressional district. Hover over or click on each district for details.

Republicans entered the Midterms with a strong grasp on most areas of Tennessee

Republicans had a strong grasp on both the Tennessee House and Senate ahead of the November 3 election.

On the federal level, the GOP held all but one congressional district ahead of the midterms.

Governor’s race threatened Republican stronghold

The tight governor’s race Tuesday night — with the lead trading between Democrat Jerri Green and Republican Marsha Blackburn for hours — contradicted polls that forecasted a much wider margin for Blackburn, and it also threatened the GOP’s stronghold in Tennessee.

While data shows that the Democratic voter base is expanding in Tennessee, the Volunteer State remains firmly red. Meanwhile, many historically red states across the nation, including Texas, Iowa and Kansas, flipped to Democrats.

The GOP has held the Tennessee governor’s office for 15 years. The last Democrat to be elected to the state’s highest office was Phil Bredesen, who was governor from 2003 to 2011.

Midterm elections often swing in the favor of the president’s opposing party, as voters look for a change. Democrats were looking to capitalize on President Donald Trump’s plummeting approval ratings as the war in Iran drove up prices at the pump and in supermarkets for voters.

The war has become a polarizing topic even among Trump’s allies. Vice President JD Vance blamed the war for the GOP’s widespread losses Tuesday night.