MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
Another highly watched race is the race for U.S. Senate in Tennessee. Bill Hagerty and Marquita Bradshaw faced off to replace retired Senator Lamar Alexander.
Hagerty, President Trump’s pick, is a Republican and a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan. He is projected to win the seat.
Marquita Bradshaw didn’t concede to Republican Bill Hagerty Tuesday night, instead, she said, “we are going to go and find my votes in the basement” - basically hinting that she is going to fight the results. The South Memphis native ran a grassroots campaign and was hoping to turn Senator Lamar Alexander’s seat blue.
Bradshaw won the Democratic Primary with a campaign fund of just $22,000.
In an interview last week with Local 24 News Weekend Anchor Annette Peagler, she said she’s someone who understands the struggle and wanted to be a representative for hard working Tennessee families.
Bradshaw supports public education, environmental justice, and she's a strong advocate for labor rights. She grew up next to a toxic landfill in South Memphis and her great grandmother and many other people in the neighborhood died from cancer.
“We were expendable,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said she is not conceding until every vote is counted.
“I told you all I was from South Memphis right, and in true South Memphis style we have to fight for everything we have to get. So this is not a concession speech,” Bradshaw said. "It is on the principle of democracy and we will fight until every vote is counted.”
Bradshaw’s mother was in the hospital at one point of the campaign, but she kept her schedule and continued campaigning.