1982Final results
1982 election for U.S. Senate in Tennessee
U.S. Senate · Tennessee
James Sasser (D) won with 61.9% of the vote, defeating Robin Beard (R) by 23.9 points.
James SasserDemocrat · winner
61.9%780,113
Robin BeardRepublican
38.1%479,642
1,259,785 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 1982
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.
James SasserRobin Beard
$1.3M
Raised by the campaign
$1.7M
$1.6M
Spent by the campaign
$1.6M
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1982.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1982