Marquita Bradshaw

Current office and 2026 campaign

Marquita Bradshaw is a Democratic candidate running for election to the United States Senate from Tennessee in 2026 ¹. She is seeking the Class 2 seat and appears on the ballot for the Democratic primary scheduled for August 6, 2026 ¹. The general election for this race is set for November 3, 2026 ¹.

Bradshaw has established a principal campaign committee titled "MARQUITA BRADSHAW FOR US SENATE" to manage her bid ³. As of the available financial reports, the committee lists Jerry Johnson as treasurer and maintains a mailing address in Memphis, Tennessee ³. The committee's reported total receipts and contributions are listed at $0.00 ³.

Bradshaw, who previously secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2020 ⁴, is running again in this cycle ¹². She describes her platform as focusing on environmental justice, voters' rights, healthcare access, and economic solutions for working families ¹⁰. Bradshaw has stated that her campaign is not a "fringe" effort and intends to engage with voters across the state ⁸.

Background and education

Marquita Bradshaw was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 19, 1974 ⁴. She grew up in South Memphis, where she notes that her great-grandmother died of cancer in the early 1990s after being exposed to toxic waste at the nearby Memphis Defense Depot, which was later classified as a National Priority List Superfund Site ¹¹.

Bradshaw attended the University of Memphis, where she earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Journalism in 2019 ⁵.

Career

Marquita Bradshaw is a graduate of the University of Memphis, where she earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Journalism in 2019 ⁵. Prior to her recent political campaigns, she has worked as an insurance producer for American Income Life Insurance Company and served as a recruiter for Williams-Sonoma ⁵.

Bradshaw has been deeply involved in environmental justice advocacy, serving as the executive director of the nonprofit Sowing Justice since 2020 ⁵¹¹. She also held the position of environmental justice chair for the Sierra Club’s Tennessee chapter ¹². Additionally, she worked as an administrative aide for the Public Partnership from 2016 to 2023 ⁵. Her advocacy work has focused on issues such as pollution cleanup at former military sites and broader social justice causes ¹². Bradshaw grew up in South Memphis near the Memphis Defense Depot, which was later classified as a National Priority List Superfund Site, an experience that influenced her community organizing efforts ¹¹.

Office history

Marquita Bradshaw has not held any elected or appointed public office prior to her current political campaigns ⁴. She is a candidate for the United States Senate in Tennessee, representing the Democratic Party ¹. In the 2020 United States Senate election, Bradshaw won the Democratic primary on August 6, 2020, becoming the first African American woman to win a major party nomination in any statewide race in Tennessee history ⁴⁶¹³. She subsequently lost the general election to Republican Bill Hagerty ⁴⁷⁹.

Bradshaw ran again for the United States Senate seat in Tennessee during the 2024 election cycle but was unsuccessful in her bid ¹². As of May 2026, she is on the ballot for the Democratic primary for the same U.S. Senate Class 2 seat, with the primary scheduled for August 6, 2026, and the general election set for November 3, 2026 ¹².

Legislative record and accomplishments

Marquita Bradshaw has not held elected legislative office and therefore has no legislative record of sponsored bills, votes, or committee assignments ¹⁴¹². Her political career consists of unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Senate in 2020, 2024, and 2026 ¹². In the 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee, Bradshaw won the Democratic primary before losing the general election to Republican Bill Hagerty ⁴⁹¹³. She subsequently ran for the same seat in 2024 and 2026 without securing victory in the general election ¹².

As a candidate, Bradshaw has articulated specific policy positions through her campaign platform. She supports strengthening voters’ rights, improving physical and mental health services, legalizing marijuana, establishing a $15 minimum wage, advancing environmental equity policies, fully funding the educational system, and implementing Medicare for all ¹⁰. Her advocacy work prior to her Senate runs focused on environmental justice, including pollution cleanup at former military sites in South Memphis, where she served as executive director of the nonprofit Sowing Justice and as environmental justice chair for the Sierra Club’s Tennessee chapter ¹¹¹².

Documented disputes and controversies

In the 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee, Marquita Bradshaw defeated Nashville attorney and former Army helicopter pilot James Mackler in the Democratic primary ¹³. Following her victory, Bradshaw characterized the contest as a "Marquita versus Goliath" race against the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate, Bill Hagerty, who ultimately won the general election ⁹. Bradshaw stated that her campaign was not a "fringe campaign," noting that she had raised $270,000 compared to $24,000 spent during the primary phase ⁸.

Bradshaw ran for the U.S. Senate again in 2024, though sources indicate this bid was unsuccessful ¹². She returned as a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2026 United States Senate election in Tennessee, with the primary scheduled for August 6, 2026 ¹. Her campaign committee, MARQUITA BRADSHAW FOR US SENATE, reported $0.00 in total receipts and contributions as of the available financial data ³.

Business interests and wealth source

Marquita Bradshaw’s professional background includes roles in insurance sales and retail recruitment. She worked as an insurance producer for American Income Life Insurance Company in 2019 and served as a recruiter for Williams-Sonoma from 2018 to 2019 ⁵. Her career also encompasses community organizing, including service as the executive director of the nonprofit Sowing Justice starting in 2020 and as an administrative aide for Public Partnership from 2016 to 2023 ⁵.

Bradshaw describes herself as having raised her son on a working-class salary ¹⁴. Financial disclosure data from her principal campaign committee, MARQUITA BRADSHAW FOR US SENATE, lists total receipts and contributions at $0.00 in the provided overview ³. In previous campaigns, she reported raising significantly more than she spent; during the 2020 Democratic primary, she raised $270,000 compared to $24,000 in expenditures ⁸.

Family

Marquita Bradshaw is a single mother who has self-described as raising her son on a working-class salary ⁵¹³¹⁴. She has one child ⁴⁵. Her uncle is John DeBerry ⁴.

Sources