Democrat · Tennessee Senate · 2026
Marquita Bradshaw
Bradshaw grew up in South Memphis near the Defense Depot, which later became a Superfund cleanup site.
Biography
Marquita Bradshaw remembers her great grandmother, Susie Hall, cooking Sunday dinner for the family, church and neighborhood.1 She raised a son as a single mother.2 She says public homebuying assistance helped her purchase a home, and mortgage relief helped her keep it during eighteen months of unemployment.3
Bradshaw grew up in South Memphis near the contaminated Memphis Defense Depot, where her parents organized neighbors seeking environmental cleanup.1 As a teenager, she helped write press releases and organize public actions with their concerned citizens committee.4 Her background also includes study at the University of Memphis and work as a healthcare caregiver.2
She is executive director of Sowing Justice, a nonprofit addressing industrial pollution, energy infrastructure and data center development in affected communities.5 Her service has also included the Tennessee Valley Authority's Regional Energy Resource Council and environmental justice work with the Sierra Club.6 She was Tennessee's Democratic Senate nominee in 2020 and is returning for another campaign against Bill Hagerty.7
Her current agenda includes affordable healthcare and housing, stronger public schools, universal broadband and climate resilience.5 She advocates a higher federal minimum wage and support for rural hospitals as part of reducing household costs.3 She faces Republican Senator Hagerty on November 3, with voters deciding whether to return the incumbent or change Tennessee's representation in this Senate seat.3