1988Final results
1988 election for Tennessee's 8th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
John Tanner (D) won with 62.4% of the vote, defeating Ed Bryant (R) by 24.9 points.
John TannerDemocrat · winner
62.4%94,571
Ed BryantRepublican
37.6%56,893
151,465 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 1988
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.
John TannerEd Bryant
$931.5K
Raised by the campaign
$106.3K
$863.4K
Spent by the campaign
$106K
$68.1K
Cash on hand
$289
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988