Wayne County Votes Republican, Clifton City Commission Race Captures Attention

Democrats gained control of both the House and Senate in a historic midterm election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, marking a significant shift in the balance of power in the United States Congress.

Despite the democratic wins, Bill Hagerty (R) retained his seat in the U.S. Senate. In Wayne County, Hagerty received an overwhelming 83.3% of the vote. Of the nine others on the ballot, Marquita Bradshaw (D) was Hagerty’s closest competitor in Wayne County with 14.9% of the vote.

Republican Brent Taylor was victorious in the U.S. House of Representatives District 9 race. In Wayne County, Taylor captured 81.8% of the vote, with his closest competitor, Justin J. Pearson (D), receiving 16% of the vote.

Wayne County voted Republican once again as they have done historically, There was a moderate voter turnout; of the 10,435 registered voters in the county, only 4,018, or 39%, voted either in person or by absentee ballot.

Marsha Blackburn is Tennessee’s new governor and will take office with the other winners in January. Blackburn, a Republican, is finishing up her second term in the U.S. Senate before taking over the job of Governor of Tennessee. Jerri Green, a Democrat, was Blackburn’s closest competitor in the gubernatorial race in Wayne County and the rest of the state. Green garnered 17% of the Wayne County vote, while Blackburn handily carried Wayne County with 71% of the vote.

Incumbent Kip Capley (R) of Tennessee House District 71 will retain his seat for another term. Capley defeated his Democratic competitor, Matt Day, by an overwhelming 82% to 18% in Wayne County.

Two seats on the Collinwood City Commission were on the ballot, with the incumbents currently holding those seats being the only candidates who qualified to run. Kimberly McFall captured 51% of the vote, while Shaundale Hanback garnered 49%.

In an interesting turn of events, eight candidates qualified to be on the ballot in the race for Clifton City Commissioner. Three of the five seats on the commission were on the ballot, with Jeff Letson being the only incumbent commissioner who chose to run again. In a very close race, Letson lost his seat on the commission by only one vote.

Tom Mathis, a former Wayne County Commissioner, received the most votes in the Clifton race with 136. Coming in closely behind Mathis was Layton Packwood, who received 129 votes. The candidate who won the third seat on the commission was Tommy Boyd, also a former city commissioner, with 112 votes. Jeff Letson was defeated by only one vote, coming in with 111.

The remainder of the eight candidates finished in the following order: Johnniecia Cooke, 82 votes; Chris Kelley, 35 votes; Christopher Huntingford, 29 votes; and James Newcomb, 26 votes.

Tom Mathis, Layton Packwood, and Tommy Boyd will join Commissioners Mark Staggs and Dwight “Gator” Thompson on the Clifton Board of Commissioners.

The Wayne County News congratulates all winners in this Federal, State, and Municipal Election. No doubt there are changes ahead, not only for Wayne County, but for the State of Tennessee and the United States of America. If things didn’t go your way in this election, just remember: your vote counts, and make sure to cast your vote in the next election.