Van Hilleary

Current office and 2026 campaign

Van Hilleary is a Republican candidate seeking to represent Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives ⁵. He launched his campaign on July 11, 2025, with an event in Gallatin, aiming to succeed outgoing Representative John Rose, who vacated the seat to run for governor ⁵¹⁰. Hilleary previously served as a Republican member of the U.S. House from Tennessee’s 4th District from 1995 to 2003 ²⁸.

In his campaign materials, Hilleary self-describes as a "fighter for Trump" and emphasizes his background as a veteran who flew combat missions during the Gulf War ³⁴. He states that he is running to ensure President Trump has supporters in Congress who will "back him up" rather than obstruct his agenda ⁴. Hilleary also served as chief of staff to John Rose from 2019 to 2025 before leaving that role to run for office ¹³.

Campaign finance data indicates that Hilleary’s committee raised $52,876.63 in total receipts during the reporting period ending September 30, 2026 ¹⁶. The funds included $24,757.63 in individual contributions and $3,000.00 from other committees ¹. As of May 2026, Hilleary remains on the ballot for the upcoming general election ⁶.

Background and education

William Vanderpool Hilleary was born on June 20, 1959, in Dayton, Tennessee ². He grew up in Rhea County, Tennessee ³.

Hilleary attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree while receiving an Air Force ROTC scholarship ²³. He subsequently earned his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law ⁷. Note that Wikipedia lists his law school as Samford University ², but campaign materials and other sources identify it as Cumberland ⁷.

Career

William Vanderpool Hilleary was born in Dayton, Tennessee ². He attended the University of Tennessee on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from that institution ³. He subsequently received his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University ⁷.

Hilleary served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1982 to 1984 on active duty, followed by service in the Air Force Reserve from 1984 to 1995 ². During his active service, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and flew 24 combat and combat support missions as a C-130 navigator during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm ³. He self-describes as a veteran who has been on the "front lines of the fight for freedom" ⁴.

Following his military service, Hilleary served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 4th district from 1995 to 2003 ². After leaving Congress, he worked as a lobbyist and legal professional. He served as a lobbyist for Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal from 2004 to 2008 ¹¹. He later held the position of Of Counsel at SNR Denton in 2004 ¹¹ and worked as a lobbyist for Dentons US between 2012 and 2015 ¹¹.

In 2019, Hilleary returned to Capitol Hill as the chief of staff to Representative John W. Rose ¹³. He left this role in 2025 to launch his campaign for Tennessee's 6th Congressional District ⁵.

Office history

Van Hilleary served as a U.S. Representative for Tennessee’s 4th District from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2003 ². During his tenure, he was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Budget Committee ¹¹. He left office after losing the 2002 Republican primary for Governor of Tennessee to Democrat Phil Bredesen ¹³.

Following his congressional service, Hilleary worked as a lobbyist for Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal from 1999 to 2008 and later for Dentons US from 2012 to 2015 ¹¹. He also served as Of Counsel at SNR Denton in 2004 ¹¹. In 2006, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate ¹³.

In December 2018, Hilleary returned to Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff to Rep.-elect John W. Rose ¹³. He subsequently launched a campaign for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District in July 2025, seeking to succeed Rose, who was vacating the seat to run for governor ⁵. As of May 2026, Hilleary remains a candidate in the Republican primary for this upcoming election ⁶.

Legislative record and accomplishments

During his tenure as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Tennessee’s 4th District from 1995 to 2003, Hilleary served on the House Budget Committee and the House Armed Services Committee ²¹¹. GovTrack.us characterizes his legislative ideology during this period as conservative, noting his position in the rightmost tier of its ideology-leadership chart based on bills sponsored and cosponsored between 1997 and 2002 ⁸.

Hilleary’s voting record includes repeated opposition to congressional pay raises; he and Representative Ed Bryant were cited by Senate candidate Bob Corker for consistently voting against such increases, contradicting accusations that they voted to raise their own pay ¹². In the context of his current campaign for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, Hilleary self-describes as a "fighter" who will cast "hard votes" and support President Trump without compromising or making backroom deals ³⁴. He states that he is prepared to protect shared Tennessee values in Washington D.C. ¹⁰.

Following his departure from Congress, Hilleary worked as a lobbyist for Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal (later SNR Denton and Dentons US) from 2004 to 2015 ¹¹. He later returned to Capitol Hill in 2019 as the Chief of Staff for Rep.-elect John W. Rose, bringing prior legislative experience to the role ¹³¹⁴.

Documented disputes and controversies

In 2006, Van Hilleary ran for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee but lost to incumbent Bob Corker ¹³. During that campaign, Corker accused Hilleary and fellow representative Ed Bryant of voting to raise their own pay while in the House ¹². Fact-checking organizations noted that Hilleary and Bryant had repeatedly voted against such raises ¹².

Hilleary previously ran for Governor of Tennessee but lost to Democrat Phil Bredesen ¹³. He later returned to Capitol Hill as chief of staff to Rep.-elect John W. Rose, who was his former boss during Hilleary's tenure in the House ¹³. In July 2025, Hilleary announced his candidacy for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, seeking to succeed Rose, who was vacating the seat to run for governor ⁵.

Business interests and wealth source

Van Hilleary’s professional background includes service as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Tennessee’s 4th District from 1995 to 2003 ². Following his congressional tenure, he worked in the private sector and on Capitol Hill, serving as Of Counsel at SNR Denton starting in 2004 and later as a lobbyist for Dentons US between 2012 and 2015 ¹¹. He also returned to Washington as Chief of Staff for Rep.-elect John W. Rose, a position he assumed in 2019 ¹³.

Hilleary’s campaign finances for the 2026 election cycle show total receipts of $52,876.63, with $24,757.63 coming from individual contributions and $3,000.00 from other committees ¹. The FEC data indicates that $2,007.63 of these individual contributions were unitemized ¹. As of the September 30, 2026 campaign committee report, OpenSecrets lists total raised, spent, and cash on hand figures as zeroed out or obscured in its summary view for this cycle ⁶.

Hilleary self-describes his career as that of a "fighter" and notes his background as a veteran who flew 24 combat missions during the Gulf War ³. He is a member of the Portland Chamber of Commerce in Tennessee, listed under the category of individual membership for his campaign committee ⁹.

Family

Van Hilleary is married to Meredith Hilleary². The couple has four children².

Sources