Republican Bill Hagerty wins Tennessee Senate race

Bill Hagerty on Tuesday easily won the Tennessee Senate race, beating out Democratic candidate Marquita Bradshaw.

Hagerty served as U.S. ambassador to Japan under President Trump and won the state’s primary election after a tough campaign against Manny Sethi, who was endorsed by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Hagerty was also an adviser on Trump’s first presidential campaign.

Bradshaw became the Democratic nominee after beating out attorney and veteran James Mackler. Her odds of winning were low in the traditionally red state.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced in December 2018 that he would not be seeking reelection. Though supportive of Trump’s reelection, he has expressed some disagreement with the president’s actions in the past. Most notable was when he said Trump’s call to the Ukrainian president was “inappropriate” and stated he believed that aid had purposely been withheld to pressure Ukraine’s government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.