1980Final results
1980 election for Tennessee's 5th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
Bill Boner (D) won with 65.4% of the vote, defeating Mike Adams (R) by 30.8 points.
Bill BonerDemocrat · winner
65.4%118,506
Mike AdamsRepublican
34.6%62,746
181,262 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.
Bill BonerMike Adams
$300.3K
Raised by the campaign
$162.2K
$256.5K
Spent by the campaign
$165.2K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Jan 31, 1981; FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Jan 31, 1981