Live dataTennessee · 2026 U.S. Senate

Know the problem. Know the candidates. Then vote.

Non-partisan data for Tennessee, drawn from public records and hundreds of news stories.

Public databases
12
Behind 20 measured problems
News stories on problems
951
Read and scored one by one
News stories on candidates
421
Checked against their public record

The 5 biggest problems in Tennessee

Measured from public government data. Not from opinions or headlines.

  1. 1Political Polarization

    The worst in the country.

    Critical73/100
  2. 2Grid Reliability

    Among the 4 worst states.

    Critical72/100
  3. 3Crime & Safety

    Among the 4 worst states.

    Critical71/100
  4. 4Mental Health & Addiction Crisis

    Worse here than in 43 other states.

    Critical68/100
  5. 5Healthcare Access

    Worse here than in 38 other states.

    Moderate60/100
See all 20 problems →

Where the news gets Tennessee wrong

We compare what the data says with what the news covers.

  • Water ScarcityUnder-covered

    The data says water scarcity is a bigger problem in Tennessee than the news coverage suggests.

  • Education QualityUnder-covered

    The data says education quality is a bigger problem in Tennessee than the news coverage suggests.

  • Grid ReliabilityUnder-covered

    The data says grid reliability is a bigger problem in Tennessee than the news coverage suggests.

See every problem compared →

Who is running in Tennessee

Ranked by Leadership Score — how news coverage describes their leadership. 100 is the best score any leader in U.S. history would earn.

  1. Bill Hagerty
    RepublicanParty nominee

    30

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  2. Marquita Bradshaw
    DemocratParty nominee

    16

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  3. David Sutman
    Independent

    Not enough news coverage to score yet

Detail breakdown
MeasureBill HagertyMarquita BradshawDavid Sutman
Leadership Score30.1 / 10016.0 / 100—
Credit for strengths in the news+48.9+16.0—
Deduction for criticism in the news−18.8−0.0—
News stories analysed367363
Record Score4.6 / 10No voting record — has not served in CongressNo voting record — has not served in Congress

Look at the details

Everything above, with the numbers behind it.

Longer bar means bigger problem

Ranked by government data alone, ignoring headlines and politics. 0 means the problem does not exist. 100 means it is as bad as it gets. The dotted line is the average across all 50 states.

1. Political Polarization
73 (Critical)Worse than average
2. Grid Reliability
72 (Critical)Worse than average
3. Crime & Safety
71 (Critical)Worse than average
4. Mental Health & Addiction Crisis
68 (Critical)Worse than average
5. Healthcare Access
60 (Moderate)Worse than average
6. Education Quality
60 (Moderate)Worse than average
7. Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality
59 (Moderate)Worse than average
8. Food Insecurity
54 (Moderate)Worse than average
9. Water Scarcity
54 (Moderate)Worse than average
10. Transportation & Traffic
54 (Moderate)Worse than average