1994Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1994 election for U.S. Senate in Tennessee
U.S. Senate · Tennessee
William Frist (R) won with 56.4% of the vote, defeating James Sasser (D) by 14.3 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
William FristRepublican · winner
56.4%834,226
James SasserDemocrat
42.1%623,164
John Jay HookerIndependent
0.9%13,244
Charles F. JohnsonIndependent
0.4%6,631
Philip L. KienlenIndependent
0.2%3,087
1,480,391 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 1994
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 SasserWilliam Frist
$4.4M
Raised by the campaign
$9.9M
$4.7M
Spent by the campaign
$9.8M
$12.4K
Cash on hand
$8.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1994.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1994
The candidates
William Frist (R)James Sasser (D)
Also on the ballot: John Jay Hooker (Independent), 0.9%; Charles F. Johnson (Independent), 0.4%; Philip L. Kienlen (Independent), 0.2%