The 1916 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Democratic Senator Luke Lea ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated for the Democratic nomination by U.S. Representative Kenneth McKellar. McKellar won the general election against RepublicanGovernor of TennesseeBen W. Hooper.
In the initial primary, held in November 1915, McKellar finished first, carrying both East and West Tennessee. His support in East Tennessee came on the back of Senator John Knight Shields, who controlled federal patronage in the state and assigned federal employees to campaign on McKellar's behalf. Patterson finished second, carrying Central Tennessee. Senator Lea was eliminated.[1]
In a runoff, McKellar increased his margin over Patterson.[1]