1986Final results
1986 election for Tennessee's 5th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
Bill Boner (D) won with 57.9% of the vote, defeating Terry Holcomb (R) by 18.0 points.
Bill BonerDemocrat · winner
57.9%85,126
Terry HolcombRepublican
39.9%58,701
Charlie DanielsIndependent
1.4%2,033
Russell HancockIndependent
0.4%658
Kenneth Wayne BloodworthIndependent
0.4%609
147,147 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 1986
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 BonerTerry Holcomb
$811.8K
Raised by the campaign
$197.7K
$909.5K
Spent by the campaign
$189.6K
$76.6K
Cash on hand
$8.1K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986
The candidates
Bill Boner (D)Terry Holcomb (R)
Also on the ballot: Charlie Daniels (Independent), 1.4%; Russell Hancock (Independent), 0.4%; Kenneth Wayne Bloodworth (Independent), 0.4%