1996Final results
1996 election for Tennessee's 6th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
Barton Gordon (D) won with 54.4% of the vote, defeating Steve Gill (R) by 12.9 points.
Barton GordonDemocrat · winner
54.4%123,846
Steve GillRepublican
41.6%94,599
Jim CofferIndependent
4.0%9,125
227,571 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 1996
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 GordonSteve Gill
$1.6M
Raised by the campaign
$1.1M
$1.6M
Spent by the campaign
$1.1M
$19.5K
Cash on hand
$2K
Other candidates' campaigns: Jim Coffer $1.1K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996