White County stays red as Democrats take control of Congress

White County voters overwhelmingly supported Republican candidates in Tuesday's federal elections, helping return U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty to Washington and elect Johnny Garrett to the U.S. House of Representatives. Across the country, however, voters delivered a much different result, giving Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

Hagerty defeated Democrat Marquita Bradshaw to win another six-year term in the Senate. With approximately 99 percent of Tennessee's votes counted Wednesday morning, Hagerty had received 55.1 percent of the vote compared with Bradshaw's 42.9 percent.

White County gave Hagerty a considerably larger margin. The Republican received 6,084 votes locally, compared with 1,734 for Bradshaw, taking approximately 76 percent of the vote between the two major-party candidates.

Hagerty, who was first elected to the Senate in 2020, will return for a second term, although Republicans will no longer hold the majority in the chamber.

White County voters also helped send a new representative to Washington.

Republican Johnny Garrett defeated Democrat Mike Croley in Tennessee's 6th Congressional District, which includes White County under the state's new congressional map.

Garrett received 5,766 votes in White County, compared with 1,773 for Croley. Two independent candidates, Christopher Monday and Angus Purdy, also appeared on the district ballot.

Garrett currently serves in the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he has held a leadership position as majority whip. He will replace Republican John Rose, who did not seek reelection to Congress after entering the governor's race.

During his campaign, Garrett emphasized border security, lower taxes, economic growth and support for President Donald Trump's agenda.

His election keeps the 6th District in Republican hands, even as the national political landscape shifts toward Democrats.

Tuesday's midterm elections saw Democrats win control of both the U.S. House and Senate, ending Republican majorities in Washington and setting up a divided federal government for the remaining two years of Trump's term.

The Senate results were particularly striking. Democrats flipped seven Republican-held seats, winning races in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Among the biggest upsets was Texas, where Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton. In Maine, five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins lost to Democrat Troy Jackson.

Democrats also won enough races to secure a majority in the House, with several contests still awaiting final results Wednesday morning.

The changes will have significant implications for Washington. Democrats will gain control of congressional committees, the legislative agenda and oversight investigations, while Trump will face a Congress less willing to advance his administration's priorities.