Josh Gapp

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Josh Gapp

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 6, 2020

Education

Graduate

Vanderbilt University, 2013

Medical

University of North Dakota, 2004

Personal

Birthplace

Jamestown, N.D.

Religion

Non-denominational Christian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign YouTube

Josh Gapp (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 6, 2020.

Gapp also ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Tennessee. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on August 6, 2020.

Gapp completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Josh Gapp was born in Jamestown, North Dakota. He obtained an M.D. from the University of North Dakota in 2004 and a master's degree from Vanderbilt University in 2013.

Elections

2020

See also: Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2020

Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Republican primary)

Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Diana Harshbarger defeated Blair Walsingham, Steve Holder, and Josh Berger in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger (R)	74.7	228,181
		Blair Walsingham (D)	22.5	68,617
		Steve Holder (Independent)	2.8	8,621
	Submit photo	Josh Berger (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 305,423
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Blair Walsingham defeated Chris Rowe (Unofficially withdrew) and Larry Smith (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Blair Walsingham	52.7	6,076
		Chris Rowe (Unofficially withdrew)	33.6	3,869
	Submit photo	Larry Smith (Unofficially withdrew)	13.6	1,572
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	3

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,520
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger	19.2	18,074
		Timothy Hill	16.7	15,731
		Rusty Crowe	16.1	15,179
		Josh Gapp	14.2	13,379
	Submit photo	Steve Darden	12.4	11,647
		John Clark	9.4	8,826
		David Hawk	5.0	4,717
		Nichole Williams	3.0	2,803
		Jay Adkins	1.7	1,635
	Submit photo	Carter Quillen	0.9	853
	Submit photo	Richard Baker	0.3	298
		Chad Fleenor (Unofficially withdrew)	0.3	282
		Phil Arlinghaus	0.3	274
	Submit photo	Robert Franklin	0.2	229
	Submit photo	Chuck Miller	0.2	189
		Chance Cansler	0.2	147

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,263
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Cody Williams (R)
• Dan Street (R)
• J. S. Moore (R)
• Todd McKinley (R)
• Dustin Decal (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released July 28, 2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Josh Gapp completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gapp's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dr. Josh Gapp is an East TN pathologist with medical practices in Johnson City and Knoxville.

Dr. Gapp comes from humble beginnings, living in a trailer park, but he was rich with the belief in the American Dream.

Josh Gapp has pursued that dream his entire life as an entrepreneur, business owner, employer and doctor.

As a pathologist, trained to spot cancer, Josh Gapp knows that political correctness has become a cancer on our system, that threatens our God-given rights, the fabric of American society and the very idea that the American Dream will be there for future generations.

Political correctness threatens our: - Border Security - 2nd Amendment rights - The lives of our unborn - Religious liberty - Our proud history as a nation - Our very way of life

Josh Gapp is running for Congress to take a stand with President Trump and fight back against the cancer of political correctness.

Like President Trump, Josh Gapp can't be bought. He is the only major candidate in this race who hasn't taken a dime from special interest groups, PACs, politicians or lobbyists.

So you'll know that, as your next Congressman, Josh Gapp is beholden only to God and you, the East Tennessee voter.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Political correctness has become a cancer that threatens our God-given rights.

• Radical, liberal activists are using political correctness to silence free speech, threaten our gun rights, and so much more.

• As the only major candidate who hasn't taken one penny - not one penny - from special interest groups or politicians, Josh Gapp is only beholden to God and the voters.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As the only physician in the race, health care is personally important to me. I have a four point plan that would create the greatest health care system within 5 years without costing a dime.

As someone who started his first business as a teenager and who has been an employer since he was 21 while still going to school, Josh Gapp is also passionate about ensuring we have an environment where entrepreneurship can thrive, without being bogged down by burdensome regulations.

Dr. Gapp and his wife Angie are also passionate about education and early childhood development, having invested in starting a successful pre-school and day care operation

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ronald Reagan is my hero. He has been since a boy, and he remains my hero to this day. He took a strong stand and stood up to Communism and won. We need strong leaders like Ronald Reagan to stand up and fight the cancer of political correctness.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The formative event in my youth was when my hero, Ronald Reagan, defeated Communism with the fall of the Berlin Wall. At the age of 12, I swelled with pride in my president, my country and the power of free market capitalism over the failed ideas of Karl Marx.

Reagan inspired me as a youth, and I have been a strong conservative ever since.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Ronald Reagan inspired me to pursue the American Dream. As a teenager, I took out my first business loan to have a gum-ball machine operation. It wasn't glamorous, and I had no idea just how difficult it would be. But it taught me so much, and it was the first of many businesses that I would go on to start on top of going to medical school and starting medical practices.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The best part of the U.S. House is accountability. Career politicians who go along to get along are a part of the problem in The Swamp in D.C.

House members, since their terms are limited to two years at a time, are held accountable for their votes. Break the trust with your district's voters, and they will throw you out.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe those who are best suited for the job are the ones with the right values and who aren't beholden to special interest groups.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The greatest threat we face is an enemy within. The radical, liberal activists are using political correctness to attempt to undermine America's institutions, values, our Constitutional rights and create a radically new country in their image.

If we don't stand up to this threat, we will lose our flag, our national anthem, our God-given rights are all at risk.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes. Two years holds our representatives accountable.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I signed the term limits pledge. I believe three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate would go a long way to draining The Swamp and holding Washington accountable to the will of the people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)