Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican, is seeking a second term representing Tennessee in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 3, 2026.

Hagerty has held the seat since Jan. 3, 2021, according to U.S. Senate records. The seat covers all of Tennessee. The other candidates certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data, are Marquita Bradshaw (Democratic); Andrew Gerena (Independent); Catherine Barcel Whitson (Independent); David Sutman Jr. (Independent); James William Macon III (Independent); Jeremy Dean Hearn (Independent); Robert Jones (Independent); Tharon Chandler (Independent); and Yoshi D. Matthews (Independent).

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Residence: Davidson County. Lives with his wife, Chrissy, and their four children, according to his campaign website.
  • Hometown: Born in Gallatin, Tennessee, Hagerty said he was raised in a working-class family. His mother was a schoolteacher, and his father, a veteran, worked road construction, according to his campaign website.
  • Education: Bachelor of arts in economics from Vanderbilt University (1981) and a juris doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School (1984), according to Vanderbilt Law School. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and attended law school as a Patrick Wilson Scholar.

Experience and public service

Hagerty said on his campaign website that he serves on four Senate committees: the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; the Senate Committee on Appropriations; and the Senate Committee on 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 Tennessee's commissioner of economic and community development from 2011 to 2014, a period in which he said Tennessee became the top state for jobs created through direct foreign investment and earned back-to-back "State of the Year for Economic Development" awards.

Hagerty served as a White House fellow in the Office of the Vice President during 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. He founded the private equity firm Hagerty Peterson & Co. and worked as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, according to his campaign website and Vanderbilt Law School.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Hagerty's campaign website and BallotReady candidate responses. They reflect the candidate's own stated views.

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. He said the legislation has become a centerpiece of the national debate on economic competitiveness.

Taxes and budget: Hagerty said he supports making the tax code "simple, fair, low, and permanent" and backs a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He said he is committed to cutting federal spending and opposing tax increases.

Energy and environment: Hagerty said he opposes the Green New Deal and supports the exploration and development of fossil fuels. He said he would work to repeal renewable fuels standards and scale back what he called excessive environmental regulations on the development of new resources.

Infrastructure: Hagerty said he would work across party lines to close the digital divide and ensure all Tennesseans have access to reliable internet.

Drug policy: Hagerty said three Tennesseans lose their lives each day to the opioid epidemic. He said he believes all levels of government must work together on prevention, enforcement, treatment and recovery programs.

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 were drawn from campaign materials and BallotReady questionnaire responses. The Duck River Sentinel did not interview the candidate for this profile. This content is AI-curated and human-edited.