The 2020 United States presidential election in Tennessee was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Tennessee voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris. Tennessee has 11 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

Prior to the election, all major news organizations once again considered Tennessee a safe or likely red state; the state has voted Republican in every presidential election since 2000, including by double-digit margins since 2004.

Trump won Tennessee with 60.66% of the vote, almost tied with his 60.72% vote share in 2016. Despite this, Biden got 37.45% of the vote, three points better than Hillary Clinton. Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations considered this a state Trump would win, or a safe red state. Tennessee has not supported a Democrat for president since 1996.

Per exit polls by the Associated Press, Trump's strength in Tennessee came from a 69% showing among Southern whites, who made up 84% of the electorate. Similarly, Trump carried white born-again/Evangelical Christians by 86%–12%. The state of Tennessee is entirely covered in the Bible Belt.

The only strength Biden showed was with 88% of African American voters. Biden won 64.4% of the vote in Shelby County, Tennessee, the highest vote share in the county for the Democratic Party since 1944. 65% of voters opposed removing Confederate statues from public places in Tennessee, and these voters backed Trump by 83%–15%.

Primary elections

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary was on March 3, 2020. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and former Vice President Joe Biden were among the major declared candidates. Former vice president Joe Biden easily decided the primary, winning almost 42% of the vote and 36 delegates and benefitting from overwhelming African-American support, as well as rural support among predominantly white working-class voters. Senator Bernie Sanders took 25% of the vote gaining 22 delegates, while former mayor Michael Bloomberg reached the threshold with slightly more than 15% but was not allocated any statewide delegates due to his withdrawal the next day. Otherwise Biden would have had 33 delegates, Sanders 20 delegates and Bloomberg 10 delegates. Senator Elizabeth Warren received a single district delegate.

2020 Tennessee Democratic presidential primary Candidate Votes % Delegates Joe Biden 215,390 41.72 36 Bernie Sanders 129,168 25.02 22 Michael Bloomberg 79,789 15.46 5 Elizabeth Warren 53,732 10.41 1 Pete Buttigieg (withdrawn) 17,102 3.31 rowspan=12 Amy Klobuchar (withdrawn) 10,671 2.07 Tulsi Gabbard 2,278 0.44 Tom Steyer (withdrawn) 1,932 0.37 Michael Bennet (withdrawn) 1,650 0.32Andrew Yang (withdrawn) 1,097 0.21Cory Booker (withdrawn) 953 0.18Marianne Williamson (withdrawn) 498 0.10John Delaney (withdrawn) 378 0.07Julian Castro (withdrawn) 239 0.05Deval Patrick (withdrawn) 182 0.04 Uncommitted 1,191 0.23 Total 516,250 100% 64

Republican primary

The Republican primary was on March 3, 2020. Incumbent President Donald Trump won the state in a landslide getting 96.5% of the vote and all 58 delegates

Former Tennessee senator Bob Corker was considered a potential primary opponent for Trump.

2020 Tennessee Republican primary Candidate Votes % Estimateddelegates (incumbent) 384,266 96.47 58 (withdrawn) 4,178 1.05 0 3,922 0.98 0 Uncommitted 5,948 1.49 0 Total 398,314 100% 58

General election

Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political ReportSeptember 10, 2020Inside ElectionsSeptember 4, 2020Sabato's Crystal BallJuly 14, 2020PoliticoSeptember 8, 2020RCPAugust 3, 2020Niskanen2020 Bitecofer Model Electoral College Predictions , Niskanen Center, March 24, 2020, retrieved: April 19, 2020.July 26, 2020CNNAugust 3, 2020The EconomistSeptember 2, 2020CBS NewsAugust 16, 2020270towinAugust 2, 2020ABC NewsJuly 31, 2020NPRAugust 3, 2020NBC NewsAugust 6, 2020538September 9, 2020

Polling

Aggregate polls +Source of pollaggregationDates administeredDates updatedJoeBiden DonaldTrumpOther/UndecidedMarginRealClearPoliticsJan 28, 2020 – May 22, 2020September 15, 202039.0%53.0%8.0%Trump +14.0FiveThirtyEightuntil November 2, 2020November 3, 202041.4%55.1%3.5%Trump +13.7Average40.2%54.1%5.7%Trump +13.9

Polls Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin DonaldTrumpJoeBidenJoJorgensenHowieHawkinsOtherUndecidedSurveyMonkey/AxiosOct 20 – Nov 2, 20203,342 (LV)± 2.5%54%45% – – – –SwayableOct 23 – Nov 1, 2020485 (LV)± 5.9%58%41%1%0% – –SurveyMonkey/AxiosOct 1–28, 20205,099 (LV) –56%42% – – – –SurveyMonkey/AxiosSep 1–30, 20202,329 (LV) –58%41% – – –2%SurveyMonkey/AxiosAug 1–31, 20201,796 (LV) –59%40% – – –1%SurveyMonkey/AxiosJul 1–31, 20202,481 (LV) –61%38% – – –2%SurveyMonkey/AxiosJun 8–30, 20201,092 (LV) –61%37% – – –2%SSRS/Vanderbilt UniversityMay 5–22, 20201,000 (RV)± 3.8%51%42% – –5%2%East Tennessee State UniversityApr 22 – May 1, 2020536 (LV) –53%36% – –6%5%Mason-DixonJan 28–30, 2020625 (RV)± 4.0%55%39% – – –6%Donald Trump vs. Michael Bloomberg Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin DonaldTrump (R) MichaelBloomberg (D) UndecidedMason-DixonJan 28–30, 2020625 (RV)± 4.0%54%39%7%

Donald Trump vs. Pete Buttigieg Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin DonaldTrump (R) PeteButtigieg (D) UndecidedMason-DixonJan 28–30, 2020625 (RV)± 4.0%55%38%7%

Donald Trump vs. Bernie Sanders Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin DonaldTrump (R) BernieSanders (D) UndecidedMason-DixonJan 28–30, 2020625 (RV)± 4.0%57%37%6%

Donald Trump vs. Elizabeth Warren Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin DonaldTrump (R) ElizabethWarren (D) UndecidedMason-DixonJan 28–30, 2020625 (RV)± 4.0%57%36%7%

Electoral slates These slates of electors were nominated by each party in order to vote in the Electoral College should their candidates win the state: Donald Trump and Mike PenceRepublican Party Joe Biden and Kamala HarrisDemocratic Party Jo Jorgensen and Spike CohenLibertarian Party Kanye West and Michelle TidballIndependent Don Blankenship and William MohrConstitution Party Howie Hawkins and Angela Nicole WalkerGreen Party Alyson Kennedy and Malcom JarrettSocialist Workers Party Gloria La Riva and Sunil FreemanParty for Socialism and Liberation Rocky De La Fuente and Darcy RichardsonAlliance Party Brian T. Carroll and Amar PatelAmerican Solidarity Party Jade Simmons and Claudeliah RozeIndependent Tom Hoefling and Andy PriorIndependent R19 Boddie and Eric StonehamIndependent Kasey Wells and Rachel WellsIndependent

Results

By county