The Full Record

U.S. House · Tennessee's 6th District

Middle and Upper Middle Tennessee, under the congressional map Tennessee redrew in May 2026. Incumbent Rep. John Rose did not seek re-election to this seat.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 24 claims re-checked against their sources · 4 corrected · 0 removed

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • Three claims called Van Hilleary a 'former U.S. Rep.'; Ballotpedia's 2026 bio for this Van Hilleary instead identifies him as former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. John Rose, with no mention of prior House service. Removed the 'former U.S. Rep.' title in the context item and Johnny Garrett's ballotNote/summary, and added the chief-of-staff detail to the context item.
  • Softened a record item that said Garrett 'sponsored and supported' legislation restricting transgender participation in women's school sports — the only source is his own campaign ad claiming he 'banned' it, not a bill record — to 'says he helped pass'.

On the ballot · 4 candidates

Mike CroleyD

Raised $35K · spent $33K · $2,431 cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Johnny GarrettRTennessee House of Representatives, District 45 (since 2018)

Raised $2.4M · spent $2.1M · $288K cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Christopher MondayINDAngus PurdyIND

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEMike Croley
D
Johnny Garrett
R
Christopher Monday
IND
Angus Purdy
IND
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations—Supports[3]——

The candidates, in full

Mike Croley

D

Won the August 6 Democratic primary with 29.0% of the vote in a five-candidate field

Mike Croley is a Navy veteran and former federal employee who worked as a Presidential Management Fellow at NOAA on climate resilience efforts before that program was ended. He is the Democratic nominee for the open 6th District seat.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

In their words — priorities

  • Says he is running because he watched the federal government "get gutted by billionaires and cowards" and wants to fight for working families, teachers, and veterans.[2]
  • Campaign platform: protect the environment, legalize marijuana, raise teacher pay, and invest in rural infrastructure.[2]
  • Says he will fight for fair wages and access to healthcare.[2]

Background

  • Served as a Navy officer and later as a Tennessee State Park Ranger.[2]
  • Worked as a federal environmental engineer and Presidential Management Fellow at NOAA, and across the Department of State, National Ocean Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $35K · spent $33K · $2,431 cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Shareable profile page

Johnny Garrett

RTennessee House of Representatives, District 45 (since 2018)

Won the August 6 Republican primary, defeating Van Hilleary, 43.4% to 29.9%

Johnny Garrett is a Tennessee state representative for District 45 since 2018 and an attorney. He is the Republican nominee for the open 6th District seat after defeating Van Hilleary in the primary.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • billAs a Tennessee state representative, says he helped pass legislation restricting transgender participation in women's school sports.[3]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand immigration enforcement and deportations

    Campaign ad states he supports finishing the border wall and deporting undocumented immigrants.[3]

    “I'll stand with President Trump to finish the wall, deport all illegal immigrants, cut our taxes, and stop China from buying up our land.”

In their words — priorities

  • Said he supports President Trump's agenda: "I'll stand with President Trump to finish the wall, deport all illegal immigrants, cut our taxes, and stop China from buying up our land."[3]
  • Ran on his state legislative record, saying he "banned biological men from women's sports, combatted illegal immigration, and defended the unborn and led the charge to back law enforcement."[3]

Background

  • Holds a bachelor's degree in general studies from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a law degree from the Nashville School of Law.[3]
  • Worked as an attorney representing individuals and small- and medium-sized businesses.[3]
  • Elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, District 45, in 2018.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $2.4M · spent $2.1M · $288K cash on hand (through 2026-07-17) FEC filing ↗

Campaign website ↗Shareable profile page

Christopher Monday

IND

Christopher Monday is an independent candidate on the November 3 general-election ballot for Tennessee's 6th District. He was born on a Naval base in Charleston, South Carolina and has cerebral palsy.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

In their words — priorities

  • Says his campaign focuses on defending individual liberties and taking the oath of office seriously.[1]

Background

  • Has cerebral palsy; graduated high school with honors.[1]
Shareable profile page

Angus Purdy

IND

Angus Purdy is an independent candidate on the November 3 general-election ballot for Tennessee's 6th District. Ballotpedia lists no biography or Candidate Connection survey response for him.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Research notes & limits

No campaign websites were confirmed reachable for Mike Croley or Johnny Garrett; their positions and priorities are drawn from Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey and staff-compiled profile. No public records were found for independent candidates Christopher Monday or Angus Purdy.

Sources · 4

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.Tennessee's 6th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Mike Croley Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  3. 3.Johnny Garrett candidate profile · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  4. 4.HILLEARY, William Van (Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress) · U.S. Congress Official record