1978Final results
1978 election for Tennessee's 8th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
Harold Ford (D) won with 69.7% of the vote, defeating Duncan Ragsdale (R) by 40.6 points.
Harold FordDemocrat · winner
69.7%80,776
Duncan RagsdaleRepublican
29.1%33,679
Richard WhitmoreIndependent
1.3%1,460
115,917 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET