Richard Baker
Candidate for Tennessee 1st Congressional District · Independent
On the 2026 ballotChallenger · Tennessee 1st Congressional District · Nov 3 General
Ballot status source: Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Elections — November 3, 2026 General Election candidate lists: United States House of Representatives District 1 — 'Richard G. Baker', Independent · read Sep 24, 2026
The District
What Tennessee 1st Congressional District covers
Covers all of Greene County, Sevier County, Hawkins County, Cocke County, Sullivan County, Carter County, Washington County, Johnson County, Hancock County, Unicoi County and Hamblen County; part of Jefferson County.
201 precincts · District lines: Congressional lines: enacted plan "U.S. Congress Districts Adopted May 7, 2026" (114th General Assembly, Second Extraordinary Session (House Bill 1 / 2026 congressional elections); signed by Gov. Lee May 7, 2026); 2026 status: In effect for the Aug 6 primary and Nov 3 general: preliminary injunction denied July 23, 2026, Sherman v. Hargett (M.D. Tenn.); NAACP Tennessee State Conference v. Tennessee and Hale v. Lee pending. Official file https://comptroller.tn.gov/content/dam/cot/pa/documents/district-maps/congress-districts/NewCongressional26.zip
Results
Certified results for Tennessee 1st Congressional District
United States House of Representatives District 1 — Democratic primary
Tennessee State and Federal Primary 2026-08-06 · Aug 6, 2026| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristi BurkeDemocratic | Democratic | 12,395 | 76.6% |
| David S. Kerr, Jr.Democratic | Democratic | 1,925 | 11.9% |
| Hernan H. GarciaDemocratic | Democratic | 1,856 | 11.5% |
Certified (Tennessee Secretary of State official results) · Tennessee Secretary of State — certified results by precinct
United States House of Representatives District 1 — Republican primary
Tennessee State and Federal Primary 2026-08-06 · Aug 6, 2026| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diana HarshbargerRepublican | Republican | 75,036 | 100.0% |
Certified (Tennessee Secretary of State official results) · Tennessee Secretary of State — certified results by precinct
United States House of Representatives District 1
2024 State and Federal General Election · Nov 5, 2024| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diana HarshbargerRepublican | Republican | 257,825 | 78.1% |
| Kevin JenkinsDemocratic | Democratic | 64,021 | 19.4% |
| Richard G. BakerIndependent | Independent | 5,714 | 1.7% |
| Levi BrakeIndependent | Independent | 2,639 | 0.8% |
Certified — Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Elections (official precinct results) · Tennessee Secretary of State — certified results by precinct
Key Votes
The record
No current public office
Holds no current public office per the candidate's own published biography; no official voting record. Checked 2026-09-24.
Sep 24, 2026 · Ballotpedia · Desk note
Newest first. A close vote was decided by 5% of the votes cast or less (or 10 votes or fewer, under a fifth of the votes). Broke with party: voted against most of their party, where the record gives the party split.
Their Money
Campaign finance
- Last Change
- Profile updated · Sep 24
- Raised
- Not on file
- Cash on Hand
- Not on file
- Next Report Due
- Q3 Report · Oct 15
No totals on file from the reports listed below.
Finance Reports
No FEC campaign committee or reports on file for 2026
Checked 2026-09-24: the Federal Election Commission lists candidate ID H0TN01191 for this race, but no principal campaign committee is designated for the 2025–26 cycle, so there are no committee reports of receipts or spending. A candidate who raises or spends under $5,000 is not required to register a committee.
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · Federal Election Commission
Money shows as the filings named here report it. Payees are who the campaign paid; individual contributors are not shown.
In the News
Press coverage
- Tennessee's redrawn congressional districts: A full guide to every candidate running in 2026May 19, 2026 · Press · WTVF NewsChannel5
Headlines link to the original reporting, captured on the date shown.
The 2026 Field
Who else is running for Tennessee 1st Congressional District
- Diana HarshbargerRepublican · Incumbent · On the 2026 ballot
- Joshua Ray AshburnIndependent · On the 2026 ballot
- Kristi BurkeDemocrat · On the 2026 ballot
- Chris CampbellIndependent · On the 2026 ballot
- Billy CodyIndependent · On the 2026 ballot
- Tyler Brice Mitchell McClainIndependent · On the 2026 ballot
The Paper Trail
Filings, results and exhibits
On the ballot: U.S. House, Tennessee 1st District — November 3, 2026 general election
Listed as "Richard G. Baker" (Independent) on the TN official election authority certified candidate list for the 2026 General Election (as of read 2026-09-24). Checked 2026-09-24.
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · TN official election authority · sourceU.S. Representative · TN-01
Independent · Candidate · On the 2026 ballot
Sep 19, 2026 · Official · fec-cn26
Not on file for Richard yet: Advertising, In Their Words, Reach Them, Polls. Coverage varies by state and office.
File read Sep 25, 2026. Each item names its source. Record ID p_7tsnzmh66.
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