U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.NASHVILLE – Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais’ sweeping rural district stands to see the state’s biggest redistricting changes as the freshman prepares his re-election bid.
Democratic state Sen. Eric Stewart of Winchester decided not to wait to find out the new shape of the district in announcing his candidacy for the 4th District seat last week. But several potential Republican challengers have said they want to see the new boundaries before deciding whether to challenge DesJarlais in the primary.
The 4th District encompasses all or part of 24 counties arching through two time zones from the Kentucky border over the Cumberland Plateau to the Alabama line. Population changes during the last decade have left the district 17,000 people short of the ideal set by the 2010 census.
An obvious place to find the extra population would be among the fast-growing suburban counties outside Nashville, but some in the state Legislature worry about changing the makeup of the district.
“It traditionally has been the fourth-most-rural district in the country,” said state House Speaker Pro Tem Judd Matheny, a Tullahoma Republican who lives in the district. “We’re proud to be a rural district, and we are a little bit concerned about a suburban or urban anchor becoming involved.”