U.S. House · Tennessee's 1st District
Kristi Burke
CandidateD
- Race
- U.S. House · Tennessee's 1st District
- Result
- Diana Harshbarger, projected winner
- Opponents
- Diana Harshbarger (R); Joshua Ray Ashburn (IND); Chris Campbell (IND); Richard Baker (IND); Billy Cody (IND); Tyler McClain (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did5 statements · 0 votes
I support a universal, single-payer system.
Expand public health coverage
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 1
2026-11-03
| Diana Harshbarger R | incumbent |
| Kristi Burke D | challenger |
| Joshua Ray Ashburn IND | challenger |
| Chris Campbell IND | challenger |
| Richard Baker IND | challenger |
| Billy Cody IND | challenger |
| Tyler McClain IND | challenger |
Won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
I support a universal, single-payer system.
Her campaign site says she supports a universal, single-payer system and Medicare for All.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
No mass deportations, no family separation, and no inhumane treatment.
Her campaign site calls for no mass deportations, no family separation and no inhumane treatment in immigration policy.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Access to abortion, birth control, and reproductive healthcare must be protected.
Her campaign site says access to abortion, birth control and reproductive healthcare must be protected.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
The tax burden must shift off working people and onto corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
Her campaign site says the tax burden should shift off working people and onto corporations and the ultra-wealthy.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Public dollars must go to public schools, and education must be accessible from early childhood through higher education.
Her campaign site says public dollars must go to public schools and criticizes Tennessee's private school voucher programs for diverting taxpayer dollars from them.[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Kristi Burke, a Democrat and independent muralist, digital content creator and local organizer, lost the November 3, 2026 election for the U.S. House in Tennessee's 1st District to Diana Harshbarger. She won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary.[1][2][3]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Burke says she was raised with a foundation in the church and taught to care for the vulnerable.[1] Ballotpedia lists her career experience as an independent muralist, digital content creator, and local organizer; in her Candidate Connection survey she says she has worked in the beauty industry, painted large-scale murals, and built a YouTube platform focused on critical thinking.[1][2] She describes herself as a renter without health insurance who has spent years working to climb out of debt.[1]
Burke won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary with 76.6% of the vote, ahead of David Kerr Jr. and Herman Garcia.[5] During the campaign, she described her campaign as a challenge to policies that she says put corporate profits ahead of residents' needs such as healthcare and housing.[1][2] She received 29.5% of the vote to Diana Harshbarger's 67.4%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]
In their own words
Priorities
- Says essential needs like healthcare, housing, and a clean environment should not be gatekept by wealth, and frames her campaign as a challenge to policies that prioritize corporate interests over working residents.[6]
Campaign money$102K raised · 100% from individuals · FEC through 2026-07-17
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $102K
- PACs & committees $250
- Own money & loans $10
Largest committee contributions
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/kristi-burke
Compare all 7 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Kristi Burke's Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
- 2.Kristi Burke · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 3.U.S. House · Tennessee's 1st District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 4.Non-Negotiables · Kristi for Congress campaign website Candidate's own words
- 5.Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 6.Kristi Burke's Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words