2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election

The 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Lee was elected to a second term with 64.9% of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger Jason Martin. Lee improved on his performance from 2018.

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2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election

← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →
Turnout	38.61% [1] 15.85 pp
Nominee Bill Lee Jason Martin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,129,390 572,818 Percentage 64.91% 32.92%
County results Congressional district results Precinct results Lee:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Martin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      No data
Governor before election Bill Lee Republican Elected Governor Bill Lee Republican

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The primary elections took place on August 4, 2022, with Lee and Martin winning their respective parties' nominations.^[2][3]

During the general election, Lee flipped reliably Democratic Haywood County, home to Brownsville. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee, along with Shelby County, with a majority African-American population. Haywood County had not voted Republican on a presidential level since 1972. Martin won only Shelby and Davidson counties. This was the first time in state history that Davidson County did not vote for the winner in a gubernatorial re-election since Tennessee began allowing governors to serve for two consecutive terms.

Voter turnout for the 2022 midterm elections in Tennessee was the lowest it had been in nearly a decade, with only 38.6% of Tennessee's registered voters turning out. This was far below the 2020 presidential election in Tennessee, which saw a turnout of 69.3%.^[4][5] The last time turnout was this low in Tennessee was in the 2014 midterm elections. Tennessee's neighboring state Alabama saw a significant drop in voter turnout as well.

Bill Lee was sworn in for his second term on January 21, 2023, at War Memorial Plaza in downtown Nashville. In his inaugural address, he outlined priorities including transportation and energy planning related to the state’s growth, environmental issues, and reforms within the Department of Children’s Services, such as staffing and foster care and adoption systems. He also referenced workforce development through vocational and technical education and called for civility in political discourse.^[6][7]