SIGNAL MOUNTAIN — Rep. Michele Reneau of Hixson, the Republican incumbent for the Tennessee state House district that stretches from Lookout Valley to Flat Top Mountain, defeated her challenger, Tony Hullender, on Thursday night.
Reneau was elected to the statehouse in 2024 after winning a narrow primary victory over longstanding Rep. Patsy Hazlewood. Reneau has echoed the objectives of the Make America Healthy Again movement, often invoking the phrase coined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to describe his agenda for the country.
The one-term representative has said she considers herself a constitutional conservative and said she wants to continue to push for MAHA-aligned policies, stand on conservative principles and listen to her constituents.
(Hamilton County primary and general election results for Aug. 6, 2026)
“She’s very honored for everybody who not only cast their vote for her tonight, but even for those who voted for her opponent. She’s glad a lot of people got out to vote,” said Dalton Dismukes, a general consultant for Reneau’s campaign. “She’s going to continue to be a thoughtful legislator that reads every bill and ultimately votes in the best interest of the people of her district just as she has done for the past two years.”
Dismukes said the campaign started two years ago when Reneau first entered the General Assembly and when she promised to “answer to the people that elected her to serve, not to the insiders or the elites.”
Hullender, a former attorney for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, said he’d called to concede the race to Reneau.
“Serving the people of Tennessee has been an honor of my life. Thank you to my family, friends, my team and every neighbor who believed in me. I am deeply proud of the campaign we ran and the community we built,” a written statement attributed to Hullender said. “I look forward to finding new ways to serve my community and the Tennessee Republican Party.”
Reneau now heads to the general election, where she’ll face Democrat and political newcomer Paige Quirin on Nov. 3. Quirin did not face a primary opponent Thursday.
Reneau received nearly 60% of votes, with 6,030 to Hullender’s 4,313.
ABOUT RENEAU
Reneau, 49, lives in Hixson. She and her husband have lived in Hamilton County for 17 years and have five children.
The one-term representative grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s in political science from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of South Carolina.
In her first term, Reneau passed eight bills that targeted issues from data centers and farming to service dogs. She said she’ll continue to prioritize protecting taxpayers, supporting parents and defending constitutional rights.
Reneau was endorsed by local church Calvary Chapel in July despite a federal law that prohibits tax-exempt institutions, including religious institutions, from engaging in political activities.
ABOUT HULLENDER
Hullender, 65, was born and raised in Hamilton County. He lives on Signal Mountain with his wife. He served 12 years in the U.S. Army before joining the state attorney general’s Medicaid fraud division, working on cases that try to recoup money the federal program paid based on fraudulent claims.
The Hullender campaign prioritized affordability issues, particularly around healthcare, childcare and care for older adults.
During the campaign, Hullender defended himself against the label RINO, meaning “Republican in name only.”
He ran his campaign targetting voters at the center of the political spectrum, aligning himself with the fiscally conservative, limited taxes and strong security policies of former President Ronald Reagan.
Contact Report for America corps member Jules Feeney at jfeeney@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.
