Both Republican congressman Chuck Fleischmann and Scott DesJarlais secured fifth terms in the U.S. House with wins in Tennessee's District 3 and 4 races Tuesday.
Just two days after he spoke in Chattanooga as President Donald Trump came to town to stump for Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, Fleischmann called the race "noncompetitive" Tuesday afternoon, despite some local push from his Democratic opponent Danielle Mitchell.
"It's been a great night for Republicans in Tennessee," Fleischmann said Tuesday after clinching the race.
Mitchell, a physician from Hixson, did put up a fight locally, with the third contender, Rick Tyler, running as an independent and grabbing 4,441 votes districtwide as of press time.
U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais sits on a panel during a tax policy event hosted by America First policies at Lee University's Pangle Hall on Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Cleveland, Tenn. Vice President Mike Pence was the keynote speaker at the event, which featured a panel of guests discussing the effects of President Donald Trump's tax bill."While the result tonight wasn't what we had hoped for, I'm not discouraged. I'm inspired. I hope you are, too," Mitchell said in a statement. "We have fundamentally changed the political landscape in East Tennessee. This campaign changed expectations about what's possible."
Tyler is best known for his campaign slogan "Make America White Again" and the controversy over some of his signs in Bradley and Polk counties during the 2016 election.
Though Fleischmann easily took the majority in his district, in Hamilton County the race was tighter with the incumbent snagging 72,997 votes, just 15,394 more than Mitchell's 57,603. Fleischmann attributed that to former Gov. Phil Bredesen's name on the Democratic ticket for the U.S. Senate seat.
"With Phil Bredesen on the ticket it drove a larger Democratic vote in Hamilton County," he said.
The congressman also acknowledged he was worried about losing a Republican majority in the House.
"Clearly, it will make it much more difficult in the House to promote President Trump's agenda," he said.
The District 3 seat, which represents all or part of 11 counties - Anderson, Bradley, Campbell, Hamilton, McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Roane, Scott and Union - has been held by a Republican since 1963.
DesJarlais also secured another two years in office with a win over Democratic candidate Mariah Phillips and independent Michael Shupe in the District 4 race.
The South Pittsburg physician was considered the favorite to win the race in District 4, which includes the Nashville suburb of Smyrna, the city of Murfreesboro and several Southeast Tennessee counties. DesJarlais was one of six incumbents seeking a return to the U.S. House in Tennessee.
His opponent, Phillips, who has called for bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., was a teacher in Rutherford County for seven years before resigning to run for Congress.
"From the start, this was a family campaign. Despite coming up short, I'm very proud of the effort put forth from all the people who volunteered, invested and became part of our family along the way," Phillips said in a statement.
DesJarlais could not be reached for comment.
OTHER HOUSE RACES
-Republican incumbent Phil Roe has won a sixth term with a victory over Democrat Marty Olsen in District 1.
-Republican Tim Burchett defeated Democrat Renee Hoyos in District 2.
-Republican farmer John Rose defeated Democrat doctor Dawn Barlow for District 6.
-Republican Mark Green replaces Marsha Blackburn to represent the 19 counties in District 7. She vacated the House seat when she made the move to run for U.S. Senate.
-Republican incumbent David Kustoff won a second term representing West Tennessee in District 8.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.