The Winner
Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) won a sixth term in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Democrat Heidi Kuhn 51.6% to 46.4%. With more than 99% of votes counted, Kustoff led 114,045 to 102,406, a margin of 11,639 votes, according to Associated Press election results. The AP called the race at 11:16 p.m. Central Time on election night.
Six independent candidates split the rest of the vote, none taking more than 0.5%. Kustoff returns to a House where Republicans are now in the minority after Democrats won control of the chamber.
The Race
This was the first election under the map Tennessee’s Republican-led Legislature passed in May, which split Memphis among three congressional districts. Kustoff’s Memphis-area district now stretches as far north as Gibson County and as far east as Perry County, according to WMC’s election night report. Under the old lines in 2024, Kustoff beat Democrat Sarah Freeman 72.3% to 25.6%.
Kuhn, the former Shelby County Criminal Court clerk, won the Aug. 6 Democratic primary with 51.8% of the vote over three opponents, while Kustoff ran unopposed, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview. Before the election, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican.
The district is home to about 767,900 people, with a median household income of about $69,200. About 29.8% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and about 13.6% of residents live below the poverty line. The population is about 73.5% white, 17.1% Black, 4.0% Hispanic and 2.1% Asian.
What’s Next
Kustoff’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3. He serves on the Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax, trade and health policy, and sits on its health and tax subcommittees. With Democrats in control of the House, Democrats will chair the committee and set its agenda in the new Congress.
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