1980Final results
1980 election for Tennessee's 1st District
U.S. House · Tennessee
James Quillen (R) won with 86.2% of the vote, defeating John Curtis (Ind) by 72.4 points.
James QuillenRepublican · winner
86.2%130,296
John CurtisIndependent
13.8%20,816
151,129 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 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
No independentJames Quillen
—
Raised by the campaign
$143.2K
—
Spent by the campaign
$146.8K
—
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980