By the numbers
Funds Funds CashCandidate received disbursed on hand DebtDesJarlais $332,611 $116,747 $240,803 $0Faparusi $267,485 $5,162 $262,354 $251,700Starrett $917.847 $189,974 $728,773 $226,561As of Dec. 31, 2015. Next reporting date is March 31.Source: Federal Election Commissions
It's now a three-man race in the Republican primary for the 4th Congressional District of Tennessee.
Dr. Oluyomi "Yomi" Faparusi is making his second bid for the seat now held by three-term incumbent Scott DesJarlais.
Faparusi first ran in 2014, pulling 284 votes out 0f 77,504 cast in the GOP primary. DesJarlais, a South Pittsburg physician, squeaked out a 38-vote win over state Sen. Jim Tracy, of Shelbyville.
This time around, Faparusi is taking on not only DesJarlais but challenger Grant Starrett, a California native who now lives in Murfreesboro and is a credentialed Christian conservative.
Faparusi said his campaign is "not rooted in a cheap and purposeless narrative of his [opponent's] personal past," referring to old scandals related to DesJarlais' 2000 divorce.
Instead, Faparusi said, he's running "because our district has not witnessed the same level of prosperity as neighboring districts in Tennessee."
"This is a decision grounded in the belief that Tennessee 4th is a beacon of hope for economic development, rather than a study of unmet expectations. We need an advocate who will fight for us in Washington DC and beyond," he wrote.
The Nigeria-born Faparusi holds a medical degree from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and a law degree from Widener University in Delaware, as well as a Ph.D. in public health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, his campaign announcement states.
He has a law practice, a consultancy partnership and a service-oriented company, he said. He and his wife, Yetunde Faparusi, have three sons.
Faparusi helped campaign for Rick Perry early in 2012 and later worked in the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, and has been a member of the Young Republicans in Maryland and Tennessee.
His campaign will focus on the need to reduce spending and the national debt, to restore the economy, and to enact viable immigration reform
"Both sides need to stop playing politics and come together to solve this crisis," he said. "The American democracy that we hold so dear from our country's forefathers cannot and should not be reduced to talking points and pandering."
The filing deadline for the GOP primary is April 7, and Election Day is Aug. 4.