Tennessee's 4th Congressional District elections, 2014

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Tennessee's 4th Congressional District
General Election Date
November 4, 2014
Primary Date
August 7, 2014
November 4 Election Winner:
Scott DesJarlais Republican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
Scott DesJarlais Republican Party
Scott DesJarlais.jpg
Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican[1]

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2]

Tennessee U.S. House Elections
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2014 U.S. Senate Elections
2014 U.S. House Elections
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The 4th Congressional District of Tennessee held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. In August 2013, Politico labeled Republican Scott DesJarlais the incumbent most likely to lose his primary election. The prediction was wrong. DesJarlais defeated state Sen. Jim Tracy by 38 votes in the August 7 Republican primary.[3][4]

In a written statement, Tracy announced on August 25 that he would not ask for a recount. He said, “I am not willing to put the State Republican Primary Board, the Secretary of State’s Office and Division of Elections, the County Election Commissions, the campaign staff, my volunteers, my family and the public through additional weeks of litigation, with uncertainty as to who the nominee will be. . . A contest would not be the right thing for the Republican Party and the conservative cause in Tennessee."[5] DesJarlais defeated Lenda Sherrell (D) and Robert Doggart (I) in the general election. After a contentious primary, the race was rated a "Safe Republican" contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.[6]

Candidate Filing Deadline Primary Election General Election
April 3, 2014
August 7, 2014
November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes a closed primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.[7]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by July 8, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[8]

See also: Tennessee elections, 2014

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Scott DesJarlais (R), who was first elected in 2010.

As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Tennessee's 4th Congressional District was located in the central and southcentral portion of the state. The district included all of Bedford, Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Meigs, Moore, Rhea, Rutherford, Sequatchie, and Warren counties and sections of Bradley, Maury, and Van Buren counties.[9]

Candidates

General election candidates

August 7, 2014, Republican Primary

Election results

General election

U.S. House, Tennessee District 4 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngScott DesJarlais Incumbent 58.3% 84,781
     Democratic Lenda Sherrell 35.3% 51,338
     Independent Robert Doggart 6.4% 9,238
Total Votes 145,357
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State

Republican primary

U.S. House, Tennessee District 4 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngScott DesJarlais Incumbent 44.9% 34,793
Jim Tracy 44.8% 34,755
John Anderson 5.9% 4,592
Steve Lane 1.9% 1,483
David Tate 1.2% 938
Michael Warden 0.9% 659
Oluyomi Faparusi 0.4% 284
Total Votes 77,504
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State

Race background

Primary to watch

In August 2013, Politico published a list of the five primaries to watch in 2014. Tennessee's 4th Congressional District was included on the list.[12] According to Politico, there was no incumbent more likely to lose a primary than Scott DesJarlais.[12] During the final weeks before the 2012 general election, sworn testimony from his 2001 divorce trial was uncovered in which DesJarlais, a former physician and hospital chief of staff, acknowledged having sexual relationships with patients and even prescribing drugs to one of them.[12]

DesJarlais' cancer

On July 11, 2014, DesJarlais announced that he had early stage cancer in his neck. DesJarlais had radiation and chemotherapy treatments in August during the congressional recess. DesJarlais released the following statement: “I am extremely fortunate to have caught this disease in its early stage. My doctors and I expect a full recovery and that treatment will not interfere with my work in Congress. My wife, Amy, and our entire family are thankful for prayers and support during this period of treatment. I look forward to continuing to serve Tennessee’s Fourth District as we fight to return our nation back to the constitutional principles it was founded on.”[13]

Key votes

Below are important votes that DesJarlais cast during the 113th Congress.

National security

NDAA

Yea3.png DesJarlais voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[14]

DHS Appropriations

Yea3.png DesJarlais voted in support of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[14]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Nay3.png DesJarlais voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[14]

CISPA (2013)

Yea3.png DesJarlais voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[15] The bill was largely supported by Republicans but divided the Democratic Party.[14]

Economy

2014 Farm bill

Nay3.png On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[16] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[17][18] It also cut the food stamp program an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[18] DesJarlais voted with 62 other Republican representatives against the bill.

2014 Budget

Nay3.png On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[19][3] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[3] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[20] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. DesJarlais joined with the 63 other Republicans and 3 Democrats who voted against the bill.[19][3]

2013 Farm bill

See also: United States Farm Bill 2013

Yea3.png DesJarlais voted for July 11, 2013 Farm Bill. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.[21] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.[22]

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Yea3.png On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[23] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[24] DesJarlais voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[25]

Nay3.pngThe shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[26] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. DesJarlais voted against HR 2775.[27]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Yea3.png DesJarlais supported House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.[28] The vote largely followed party lines.[29]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Yea3.png DesJarlais supported all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[30]

Government affairs

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

Neutral/Abstain On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans--Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas-- voted with Democrats against the lawsuit, and 225 Republicans voted in favor of the lawsuit.[31] All Democrats voted against the resolution. Scott DesJarlais did not vote.[32][33]

Polls

DesJarlais v. Tracy
Poll Scott DesJarlais Jim TracyUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Right Way Marketing
June 5-6, 2014
 44.72%20.42%29.62%+/-N/A1,337
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Media

Scott DesJarlais

Scott DesJarlais' July 2014 ad, "The Choice."

Jim Tracy

Jim Tracy, "Signature."
Jim Tracy, "Bankrupt."
Jim Tracy, "Oath."
Jim Tracy, "DesJarlais Abortion Scandal."

Endorsements

Scott DesJarlais

DesJarlais was endorsed by the following organizations:

  • The National Rifle Association[34]

Jim Tracy

Tracy was endorsed by the following people and organizations:

Campaign contributions

Scott DesJarlais

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are DesJarlais' reports.[37]

Lenda Sherrell

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Sherrell's reports.[43]

Lenda Sherrell (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[44]April 15, 2014$0$276,569.91$(176,380.35)$100,189.56
Running totals
$276,569.91$(176,380.35)

Jim Tracy

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 election season. Below are Tracy's reports.[45]

Jim Tracy (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[46]April 18, 2013$0.00$436,485.00$(32,483.26)$404,001.74
July Quarterly[47]July 15, 2013$404,001.74$303,443.00$(51,243.21)$656,201.53
October Quarterly[48]October 11, 2013$656,201.53$181,721.79$(70,118.89)$767,804.43
Year-End[49]January 31, 2014$767,804$153,834$(76,951)$844,688
April Quarterly[50]April 16, 2014$844,688.26$172,061.00$(103,188.23)$913,561.03
Running totals
$1,247,544.79$(333,984.59)

Steve Lane

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Lane's reports.

Yomi Faparusi

Candidates for Congress were required to file reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Faparusi's reports.

District history

Candidate ballot access
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Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

2012

The 4th Congressional District of Tennessee held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Scott DesJarlais won re-election in the district.[56]

U.S. House, Tennessee District 4 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Eric Stewart 44.2% 102,022
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngScott DesJarlais Incumbent 55.8% 128,568
Total Votes 230,590
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Scott DesJarlais won election to the United States House. He defeated Lincoln Davis (D) in the general election.[57]

U.S. House, Tennessee District 4 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngScott DesJarlais 59.7% 103,969
     Democratic Lincoln Davis incumbent 40.3% 70,254
Total Votes 174,223

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR AUGUST 1, 2014," accessed August 4, 2014
  2. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 4, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Tennessean, "Scott DesJarlais, Jim Tracy in nail-biter," accessed August 8, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "vote" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 PBS.org, "Tenn. primary challenger concedes to Rep. DesJarlais, despite 38-vote margin," accessed August 25, 2014
  5. ↑ Tennessean.com, "Jim Tracy concedes GOP primary to Scott DesJarlais," accessed August 25, 2014
  6. ↑ Roll Call, "2014 Election Race Ratings," accessed June 24, 2014
  7. ↑ LexisNexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-7-115," accessed July 16, 2025
  8. ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State Website, "Voter Qualification," accessed January 3, 2014
  9. ↑ Tennessee Redistricting Map "Map" accessed July 30, 2012
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Tennessee.gov, "Governor, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives Petitions Filed by Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 3, 2014
  11. ↑ Associated Press, "Tennessee - Summary Vote Results," accessed August 7, 2014
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Politico, "5 House primaries to watch," accessed August 8, 2013
  13. ↑ Times Free Press, "Scott DesJarlais being treated for cancer," accessed July 31, 2014
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Project Vote Smart, "Representative DesJarlais' Voting Records on National Security," accessed October 16, 2013
  15. ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Summary & Status - 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) - H.R.624," accessed August 27, 2013
  16. ↑ Clerk of U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 31: H.R. 2642," accessed February 12, 2014
  17. ↑ Politico, "House clears farm bill," accessed February 12, 2014
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 New York Times, "Senate passes long-stalled Farm Bill, With clear winners and losers," accessed February 12, 2014
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 CNN.com, "House passes compromise $1.1 trillion budget for 2014," accessed January 20, 2014
  20. ↑ Roll Call, "House Passes $1.1 Trillion Omnibus," accessed January 20, 2014
  21. ↑ Vote Smart, "DesJarlais," accessed October 15, 2013
  22. ↑ New York Times, "House Republicans push through Farm Bill, without food stamps," accessed September 17, 2013
  23. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  24. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government shutdown: How we got here," accessed October 1, 2013
  25. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  26. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
  27. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
  28. ↑ The Library of Congress, "H.AMDT.136," accessed August 28, 2013
  29. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative DesJarlais' Voting Records on Immigration," accessed October 15, 2013
  30. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative DesJarlais' Voting Records on Issue: Health and Health Care," accessed October 16, 2013
  31. ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
  32. ↑ Yahoo News, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," accessed July 30, 2014
  33. ↑ Washington Post, "House clears way for lawsuit against Obama," accessed July 30, 2014
  34. ↑ ScottDesjarlais.com, "NRA Endorses Scott DesJarlais in Race for Tennessee's Fourth," accessed July 31, 2014
  35. ↑ Times Free Press, "Jim Tracy gets big endorsement over Scott DesJarlais," accessed December 18, 2013
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 The Hill, "Tenn. GOP leaders back DesJarlais challenger," accessed January 7, 2014
  37. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "DesJarlais Summary reports," accessed July 24, 2013
  38. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed July 24, 2013
  39. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 24, 2013
  40. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 29, 2013
  41. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "DesJarlais Year-End," accessed February 5, 2014
  42. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 17, 2014
  43. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Sherrell 2014 Summary reports," accessed April 24, 2014
  44. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
  45. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Tracy 2014 Summary reports," accessed November 26, 2013
  46. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed November 26, 2013
  47. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed November 26, 2013
  48. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed November 26, 2013
  49. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End," accessed February 12, 2014
  50. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
  51. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End," accessed February 12, 2014
  52. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
  53. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed February 12, 2014
  54. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End," accessed February 12, 2014
  55. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
  56. ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Tennessee"
  57. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
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