1996Final results
1996 election for Tennessee's 8th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
John Tanner (D) won with 67.3% of the vote, defeating Tom Watson (R) by 37.3 points.
John TannerDemocrat · winner
67.3%123,681
Tom WatsonRepublican
29.9%55,024
Donna MaloneIndependent
2.6%4,816
183,898 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.
John TannerTom Watson
$434.2K
Raised by the campaign
$14.5K
$395.7K
Spent by the campaign
$14.5K
$435.9K
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996; FEC, through Dec 5, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996