1986Final results
1986 election for Tennessee's 6th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
Barton Gordon (D) won with 76.8% of the vote, defeating Fred Vail (R) by 53.7 points.
Barton GordonDemocrat · winner
76.8%102,180
Fred VailRepublican
23.2%30,823
133,004 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.
Barton GordonFred Vail
$399K
Raised by the campaign
$3.2K
$253.7K
Spent by the campaign
$2K
$151.9K
Cash on hand
$1.2K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986; FEC, through Oct 15, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986