2002Final results
2002 election for Tennessee's 8th District
U.S. House · Tennessee
John Tanner (D) won with 70.1% of the vote, defeating Mat McClain (R) by 42.8 points.
John TannerDemocrat · winner
70.1%117,811
Mat McClainRepublican
27.3%45,853
James HartIndependent
2.6%4,288
167,970 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 2002
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 TannerNo Republican
$622.8K
Raised by the campaign
—
$553.9K
Spent by the campaign
—
$583.5K
Cash on hand
—
Other candidates' campaigns: James Hart $31.2K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002