Since Tennessee's sprawling 4th Congressional District was carved into much of rural Middle and East Tennessee in the 1980s, no incumbent has lost the seat, whether a Democrat or a Republican.
But in a year of voter frustration at many incumbents, five Republicans, three independents and a Democrat are trying to deny the bid of U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., for his fifth term in Congress.
Rep. Davis, a conservative Pall Mall, Tenn., Democrat who succeeded Republican Van Hilleary in 2002, maintains a strong financial advantage. According to the latest report to the Federal Election Commission, he has $472,136 in cash still on hand out of $788,607 raised during the current election cycle through July 17. That's more than all the Republican challengers have raised.
According to the latest FEC reports, Republican Scott DesJarlais, a doctor from Jasper, Tenn., has raised $321,864 and still had $23,899 cash on hand in mid-July. Jack Bailey, a Franklin, Tenn., businessman and former congressional staff member, raised $279,844 and still has $91,673 cash on hand, records show.
The GOP challengers both say they oppose President Barack Obama's health care reform plan and stimulus package and want to cut the size of government.
"In the past few years, we have witnessed our country being swallowed by big government, runaway spending and increasing deficits that will plague generations to come," DesJarlais said.
Bailey criticizes Davis for siding with Democrats to elect liberal leaders in Washington, D.C.
"While Lincoln Davis likes to hide behind being a Blue Dog Democrat, he has followed Nancy Pelosi's lead and agreed to billions of dollars in new spending," Bailey said.
Ed Cromer, publisher of the political newsletter The Tennessee Journal, said Davis is among the most conservative Democrats in Congress. Davis is anti-abortion, pro-gun and voted against the 2008 bailout bill and the health care reform plan this year, Cromer noted.
"The 4th District is one of the most rural districts east of the Mississippi and tends to be conservative and a potential swing district among the parties," Cromer said. "But Lincoln Davis is far from a typical Democratic congressman, and defeating an incumbent in the 4th District is vary hard because it stretches over so big an area and so many media markets."
The District
The 24-county 4th District, which represents about 640,000 Tennesseans, stretches over some or all of 24 counties from Alabama to Kentucky. The winners of Thursday's primary election will face off in the Nov. 2 general election and the ultimate winner will be sworn into the $174,000-a-year job in January for a two-year term.
4th District candidates
Republicans
Jack Bailey
Scott DesJarlais
Kent Greenough
Ronald L. Harwell
Donald "Don" Strong
Democrats
Lincoln Davis
Gerald York
Independents
Paul H. Curtis
James Gray
Richard S. Johnson
Source: Tennessee Department of State, Division of Elections
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