Blackburn elected Tennessee's first female governor; Hagerty, Van Epps, Roberts, Barrett and Keenan win as all three constitutional amendments pass
DICKSON — November 4, 2026
Republicans emerged victorious in every major federal and state legislative race on Dickson County's ballot Tuesday night, November 3, 2026 as Tennessee voters elected the state's first female governor, returned a U.S. senator and congressman to Washington, and approved three amendments to the Tennessee Constitution.
Republican Marsha Blackburn defeated Democrat Jerri Green in the race for governor, while Republican U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty secured another six year term. Congressman Matt Van Epps survived a much closer districtwide challenge from Democrat Darden Copeland, and Republican candidates Kerry Roberts, Jody Barrett and Perry Keenan won their elections to the Tennessee General Assembly.
Locally, elections in White Bluff, Burns, Vanleer and Slayden also produced results, including a competitive four candidate race for three White Bluff Town Council seats.
According to the Dickson County Election Commission's unofficial report generated at 9:02 p.m., 16,063 ballots had been recorded, with all of the Election Day precincts reporting.
Blackburn Makes History as Tennessee's First Female Governor
Republican Marsha Blackburn made Tennessee political history Tuesday, becoming the first woman elected governor of the Volunteer State.
Blackburn defeated Democratic nominee Jerri Green and several independent candidates, including David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston.
Unofficial statewide figures released late Tuesday showed Blackburn with 957,136 votes, or approximately 45.5%, compared with Green's 902,953 votes, or approximately 43%. Hatley finished third with 195,564 votes, or approximately 9.3%.
The statewide contest was considerably closer than the results in Dickson County.
Locally, Blackburn received 8,597 votes, representing 53.89% of votes counted, while Green received 5,093 votes, or 31.93%.
Hatley collected 1,878 votes in Dickson County, representing 11.77%, while Pinkston received 229 votes, or 1.44%.
Blackburn's local advantage over Green stood at 3,504 votes.
Her victory marks another chapter in a political career that has included service in the Tennessee legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Blackburn will succeed Governor Bill Lee when the next gubernatorial term begins in January 2027.
Hagerty Wins Second Term in U.S. Senate
Republican Bill Hagerty defeated Democrat Marquita Bradshaw to win a second term representing Tennessee in the United States Senate.
With approximately 99% of statewide results reported early Wednesday, Hagerty had received 1,138,407 votes, or 55.08%, compared with Bradshaw's 886,911 votes, or 42.91%.
Hagerty, first elected to the Senate in 2020, will serve another six-year term.
His margin of victory was considerably larger in Dickson County, where he received 10,410 votes, representing 66.06%.
Bradshaw received 4,960 votes, or 31.47%.
Hagerty carried a 5,450-vote advantage over Bradshaw in the county.
Van Epps Wins Close Congressional Race
One of Tennessee's most closely watched congressional contests unfolded in the 7th Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic challenger Darden Copeland.
The districtwide results were substantially closer than those recorded in Dickson County.
Van Epps received 121,100 votes, or 50.27%, compared with Copeland's 115,867 votes, or 48.10%.
The difference was approximately 5,233 votes across the district.
Van Epps' victory came in a congressional district that includes Dickson County and portions of the Nashville metropolitan area.
In Dickson County, Van Epps received 10,217 votes, representing 65.40%, while Copeland received 5,102 votes, or 32.66%.
Independent Andrew J. Koontz received 186 local votes, while Lowell Reynolds received 92.
The results demonstrated a striking difference between the districtwide contest, decided by a relatively narrow margin, and the much larger Republican advantage in Dickson County.
Van Epps will return to Congress for another term.
Kerry Roberts Wins Reelection to Tennessee Senate
Republican State Senator Kerry Roberts won reelection in Tennessee Senate District 23, defeating independent challenger David Lee Marcum.
Districtwide results published by the Tennessee Municipal League showed Roberts receiving 43,196 votes compared with Marcum's 18,947.
Roberts also performed strongly in Dickson County, collecting 10,233 votes, or 68.76%, compared with 4,590 votes, or 30.84%, for Marcum.
The incumbent senator's victory extends his service in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Barrett Wins Another Term in House District 69
Republican State Representative Jody Barrett defeated Democrat Rachael Murray in Tennessee House District 69.
Districtwide returns showed Barrett receiving 13,094 votes compared with Murray's 5,053.
In Dickson County, Barrett received 5,619 votes, or 69.05%, compared with 2,495 votes, or 30.66%, for Murray.
Barrett, who represents a district including portions of Dickson, Hickman and Lewis counties, will return to the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Perry Keenan Wins House District 78
Republican Perry Keenan defeated Democrat Hillary Capes-Gwinn in Tennessee House District 78, securing the seat representing portions of Dickson and Cheatham counties.
Districtwide results showed Keenan receiving 13,460 votes compared with Capes-Gwinn's 7,530 votes.
In Dickson County, Keenan received 4,707 votes, representing 64.83%, while Capes-Gwinn received 2,537 votes, or 34.94%.
Keenan's local margin was 2,170 votes.
The Republican nominee entered the general election after winning a competitive August primary against John Louallen. Capes-Gwinn had also won a closely contested Democratic primary.
Keenan's November victory will send him to Nashville to represent House District 78 in the Tennessee General Assembly.
White Bluff Elects Three Town Council Members
In White Bluff, four candidates competed for three seats on the Town Council.
Connie Reed finished with the highest number of votes, receiving 639.
Scott G. Glover followed with 619 votes, while Carl Kincaid received 616.
Margaret "Peg" Dutcher finished fourth with 544 votes.
With three seats available, Reed, Glover and Kincaid were elected according to the unofficial local returns.
Only 23 votes separated Reed and Kincaid, while Glover finished just three votes ahead of Kincaid.
The contest was among the more closely watched local elections in Dickson County, with several candidates finishing within a relatively narrow range.
Burns Elects Two Commissioners
In the Town of Burns, Scott Street and Kevin Bland secured the two available City Commission seats.
Street received 379 votes, while Bland received 373.
The candidates were separated by just six votes, although both won election because two positions were available.
Vanleer Municipal Elections
Vanleer voters elected Derrick Eugene Lynch as mayor, with Lynch receiving 100 votes compared with one write-in vote.
Five candidates also won positions as aldermen.
Jason P. Weaver received 87 votes, Eric Weaver received 86, Chris Farmer received 85, Jacob McEwen received 78 and Dwight D. McIllwain received 77.
All five candidates secured the available alderman positions.
In Slayden, no candidates qualified to appear on the municipal ballot. Write-in candidate Michael L. Davenport received 13 votes for mayor, the highest number recorded.
For the three Town Council positions, Maranda Green received six write-in votes, Christine Hankes received five and Sheena Martin received four. The final disposition of those write-in contests remains subject to election officials' determination and certification.
Tennessee Voters Approve All Three Constitutional Amendments
Tennessee voters approved all three proposed amendments to the state constitution Tuesday night, with each receiving strong support in Dickson County.
Amendment 1 changes constitutional provisions governing pretrial bail for defendants accused of certain serious crimes.
In Dickson County, Amendment 1 received 10,826 YES votes, or 74.45%, compared with 3,715 NO votes, or 25.55%.
Statewide, the amendment received approximately 67% support.
Amendment 2 prohibits the Tennessee General Assembly from imposing a state property tax.
Locally, the proposal received 11,754 YES votes, or 76.06%, compared with 3,700 NO votes, or 23.94%.
Statewide support was also approximately 67%.
Amendment 3 expands constitutional protections relating to the rights of crime victims.
The measure received the strongest support of the three proposals in Dickson County, with 12,741 YES votes, or 82.89%, compared with 2,630 NO votes, or 17.11%.
Statewide, approximately 76% voted in favor.
The passage of the amendments marks changes to Tennessee's constitutional framework concerning criminal justice, taxation and victims' rights.
Early Voting Accounts for Majority of Local Ballots
The county's unofficial election report also demonstrated the growing importance of voting before Election Day.
Of the 16,063 ballots recorded, 8,937 were cast during early voting, approximately 55.6% of the total.
Another 6,758 ballots, approximately 42.1%, were cast on Election Day, while 368 were absentee ballots.
That means more than half of the ballots recorded in the county's report were submitted before Election Day.
The available report did not include a valid number of registered voters, preventing an accurate calculation of countywide voter turnout.
Election Night Brings Republican Victories Across Dickson County
Tuesday's election confirmed a significant Republican advantage in Dickson County, even as several statewide and districtwide races proved much more competitive.
Blackburn won the governor's race by a considerably narrower statewide margin than she received locally.
Van Epps' congressional contest was particularly competitive, with Copeland coming within several thousand votes of capturing the district, despite losing Dickson County by more than 5,000 votes.
Meanwhile, Hagerty, Roberts, Barrett and Keenan all secured victories by wider margins.
Municipal voters also made their selections in White Bluff, Burns and Vanleer, while all three constitutional amendments passed statewide.
For Dickson County, the November 3 election produced a clear set of outcomes: Republican victories in every major partisan race on the local ballot, new and returning representatives in Nashville and Washington, and decisions affecting municipal leadership and Tennessee's constitution.
Although the major race outcomes have been established, the county's supplied 9:02 p.m. results remain unofficial, and the final certified totals may differ.
Reporting based on the Dickson County Election Commission's November 3, 2026, unofficial election results, statewide reporting and districtwide returns available November 4, 2026.