Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) announced Tuesday he will seek reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2026.
“I am pleased to announce my candidacy for re-election to the United States Senate. It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the men and women of Tennessee, and I am committed to the fight for our shared values, our freedoms, and the future of our great state and nation,” Hagerty said in a statement.
“Tennessee needs a strong, conservative voice in the Senate—one that fights for lower taxes, energy independence, secure borders, and the rule of law. I am running for re-election to continue delivering on these priorities and to ensure that President Trump’s America First agenda succeeds in his second term and beyond,” Hagerty added.
To kickstart his reelection bid, Hagerty will be traveling throughout the Volunteer State in the coming weeks to hold campaign and finance events.
Hagerty’s campaign said the incumbent senator has since raised nearly $9 million for his reelection campaign during this cycle – $2.5 million in contributions of which were less than $200.
Hagerty was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020 after defeating Democratic nominee Marquita Bradshaw in the general election by 27 percentage points.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Hagerty served in the first Trump administration as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Hagerty also served at the state level as a member of former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s Cabinet and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
During his first term representing Tennessee in the U.S. Senate, Hagerty has earned a 87 percent lifetime score on the Heritage Foundation’s Heritage Action Scorecard, ranking 25 points above the average score among all Senate Republicans.
Ward Baker, political consultant Ward Baker of Baker Strategies, was among the first to applaud Hagerty’s reelection announcement on Tuesday, writing in a post published to X, “Impossible to overstate the critical role [Bill Hagerty] has had for our state and our country. He’ll continue to be a leader for Senate Republicans and our state.”
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs also voiced his support for Hagerty, saying, “[Bill Hagerty] has been a thoughtful, conservative leader in the Senate who has made us all #TennesseeProud. Grateful he’s running for re-election and will continue to serve.”
Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), too, said Hagerty has his “full support” in his reelection bid, adding, “[A]ll of Tennessee is fortunate to have such a strong conservative voice as our US Senator.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Sen. Bill Hagerty” by Senator Bill Hagerty.
He hasn’t exactly set the world on fire… why again should we re-elect him?