1988Final results
1988 election for U.S. Senate in Tennessee
U.S. Senate · Tennessee
James Sasser (D) won with 65.1% of the vote, defeating Bill Andersen (R) by 30.6 points.
James SasserDemocrat · winner
65.1%1,020,061
Bill AndersenRepublican
34.5%541,033
Khalil-Ullah Al-MuhayminIndependent
0.4%6,042
1,567,181 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.
James SasserBill Andersen
$3.2M
Raised by the campaign
$613.7K
$3.1M
Spent by the campaign
$612.4K
$329K
Cash on hand
$1.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988