Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican, is seeking reelection to the U.S. Senate representing Tennessee in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Hagerty has been certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.
Other candidates in the race include Marquita Bradshaw (Democratic); and independents Andrew Gerena, Catherine Barcel Whitson, David Sutman Jr., James William Macon III, Jeremy Dean Hearn, Robert Jones, Tharon Chandler and Yoshi D. Matthews.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Residence: Davidson County, Tennessee
- Family: Wife, Chrissy; four children
- Education: Bachelor of arts in economics, Vanderbilt University (1981); law degree, Vanderbilt University Law School (1984). Hagerty graduated Phi Beta Kappa and attended law school as a Patrick Wilson Scholar, according to Vanderbilt Law School.
- Hometown: Born in Gallatin, Tennessee, according to his campaign website. Hagerty said he was raised in a working-class family; his mother was a schoolteacher, and his father, a veteran, worked road construction.
Experience and public service
Hagerty has served as U.S. senator for Tennessee since Jan. 3, 2021, according to the U.S. Senate's records. He lives in Davidson County.
He said on his campaign website that he serves on four Senate committees: Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Foreign Relations; Appropriations; and Rules and Administration.
Before the Senate, Hagerty served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019, according to Vanderbilt Law School. He served as commissioner of economic and community development for Tennessee from 2011 to 2014, according to his campaign website. Hagerty said Tennessee became the top state for jobs created through direct foreign investment during his tenure and earned back-to-back "State of the Year for Economic Development" awards.
Hagerty worked as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, according to his campaign website. He founded Hagerty Peterson & Co. and served as a White House fellow in the George H.W. Bush administration, according to Vanderbilt Law School. He was a senior leader on the 2016 Trump transition team, according to BallotReady.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Hagerty's campaign website and his BallotReady profile. They reflect the candidate's own statements.
Economy and technology: Hagerty said he wrote the GENIUS Act, which he described as a conservative initiative to restore American leadership in next-generation technologies, strengthen domestic capital formation and counter threats from China.
Taxes and budget: Hagerty said he supports making the tax code "simple, fair, low, and permanent." He said he backs a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and is committed to cutting spending.
Infrastructure: Hagerty said he will work across party lines to close the digital divide and ensure all Tennesseans have access to reliable internet.
Energy and environment: Hagerty said he opposes the Green New Deal and supports the exploration and development of fossil fuels. He said he will work to repeal renewable fuels standards and scale back environmental regulations.
Drug policy: Hagerty said all levels of government must work together on prevention, enforcement, treatment and recovery programs to address the opioid epidemic.
Endorsements
The following endorsements are attributed to the sources indicated:
- Donald J. Trump (claimed by the endorser, per Hagerty's campaign website)
- Senate Conservatives Fund (claimed by the endorser, per BallotReady)
Candidate positions and biographical claims attributed to the campaign are based on Hagerty's responses on his campaign website and through BallotReady. The Brentwood-Nolensville Record did not interview the candidate for this profile.
