Lawrenceburg farmer Tharon Chandler is running as an Independent in Tennessee's 10-candidate U.S. Senate race on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. Chandler filed his petition on Feb. 10, 2026, and the Tennessee Secretary of State approved his signatures, according to state records.
He is one of 10 candidates in the race and is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.
The other candidates are Andrew Gerena (Independent), Bill Hagerty (Republican), Catherine Barcel Whitson (Independent), David Sutman Jr. (Independent), James William Macon III (Independent), Jeremy Dean Hearn (Independent), Marquita Bradshaw (Democratic), Robert Jones (Independent) and Yoshi D. Matthews (Independent).
Candidate information
- Full name: William Tharon Chandler
- Party: Independent
- Residence: Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
- Education: Bachelor's degree in German and economics, Memphis State University
- Current occupations: Farmer (since 1998) and independent journalist (since 2009), according to BallotReady profile data
Experience and public service
Chandler is a repeat candidate for federal office with a candidacy history stretching back more than two decades. He has run for U.S. House four times in Tennessee since 2002 and once in Missouri in 2008, according to a prior Nashville Banner profile published before this race cycle. He was the Democratic nominee for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 in 2016 and ran as an Independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee in 2020, according to the same profile.
His 2026 Senate bid marks his second run for the seat.
Outside of politics, Chandler has worked as a farmer since 1998 and as an independent journalist since 2009, according to BallotReady profile data. His earlier work history includes a position as a grounds maintenance worker at Davy Crockett State Park from 1986 to 1987 and a stint as a taxi driver at Allied Cab in 2003, according to the same source.
The Mt. Juliet Journal did not interview the candidate for this profile. Information was drawn from the Tennessee Secretary of State's office, BallotReady election data and the Nashville Banner. Voters can contact the candidate's campaign directly for additional details on policy positions.
