Civil Miller-Watkins is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee, representing Hancock County [1]. She is running in the Democratic primary on August 6, 2026, to fill the Class II seat held by incumbent Republican Bill Hagerty [3]. Miller-Watkins previously ran for the same office in 2024, where she received 3.1% of the vote (6,420 votes) in the Democratic primary before losing to Gloria Johnson [5].
Miller-Watkins was born in Bolivar, Tennessee, and resides in Rossville [8]. She is married to Charles Miller-Watkins, and they have eight children and ten grandchildren [8]. She graduated from Bolivar Central High School [1]. She earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1992, a Bachelor of Science in social work in 1994, and a Master of Education in 2023 from the same university [1].
Her professional background includes working as a middle school teacher [1]. From 2017 to 2019, she served as the Director of EIJ Solutions [8]. She is a founding board member of Leadership Fayette and serves on the Board of Education for Fayette County Public Schools, where she holds the position of vice-chair [1]. Additionally, she serves as Secretary of the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association and Chair of the Fayette County Democratic Party [8]. Miller-Watkins is also a member of the Somerville-Fayette NAACP and was part of the Emerge TN cohort in 2018 [8].
In her 2026 campaign, Miller-Watkins has not yet secured endorsements from Democratic or progressive organizations [7]. Her campaign contact information includes the website civil4tn.com, an email address available through vote-usa.org, and a phone number at (901) 213-6180 [9].
Sources
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