2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee

For related races, see 2012 United States House of Representatives elections.

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee

←  2010 November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06) 2014  →
All 9 Tennessee seats to the United States House of Representatives
Turnout	61.86% [1] 20.54 pp
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 7 2 Seats won 7 2 Seat change Popular vote 1,369,562 796,513 Percentage 60.55% 35.21% Swing 0.75% 0.51%
Republican   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Democratic   60–70%   70–80%

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state of Tennessee, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on August 2, 2012. ^[2]

Tennessee's congressional districts from 2012

These elections were the first under Tennessee's new congressional map after redistricting was completed by the state government. Following the 2012 elections, no seats changed hands, leaving the Tennessee delegation at a 7-2 Republican majority.

Overview

Popular vote Republican   60.55% Democratic   35.21% Other   4.24%

House seats Republican   77.78% Democratic   22.22%

By district

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Tennessee 1	Phil Roe	Republican	2008	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Phil Roe (Republican) 76.1% Alan Woodruff (Democratic) 19.9% Karen Brackett (Independent) 2.0%
Tennessee 2	Jimmy Duncan	Republican	1988 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jimmy Duncan (Republican) 74.5% Troy Goodale (Democratic) 20.5% Greg Samples (Independent) 1.7% Paul Coker (Independent) Brandon Stewart (Independent)
Tennessee 3	Chuck Fleischmann	Republican	2010	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Chuck Fleischmann (Republican) 61.5% Mary Headrick (Democratic) 35.5% Matthew Deniston (Independent) 3.1%
Tennessee 4	Scott DesJarlais	Republican	2010	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Scott DesJarlais (Republican) 55.8% Eric Stewart (Democratic) 44.2%
Tennessee 5	Jim Cooper	Democratic	1982 1994 (retired) 2002	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jim Cooper (Democratic) 65.2% Brad Staats (Republican) 32.8% John Miglietta (Green) 2.0%
Tennessee 6	Diane Black	Republican	2010	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Diane Black (Republican) 76.6% Robert Beasley (Independent) 14.4% Pat Riley (Green) 9.0%
Tennessee 7	Marsha Blackburn	Republican	2002	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Marsha Blackburn (Republican) 71.0% Credo Amouzouvik (Democratic) 24.0% Howard Switzer (Green) 1.8% Jack Arnold (Independent) 1.7% William Akin (Independent) 1.1% Lenny Ladner (Independent) 0.5%
Tennessee 8	Stephen Fincher	Republican	2010	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Stephen Fincher (Republican) 68.3% Timothy Dixon (Democratic) 28.4% James Hart (Independent) 2.2% Mark Rawles (Independent) 1.0%
Tennessee 9	Steve Cohen	Democratic	2006	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Steve Cohen (Democratic) 75.1% George Flinn (Republican) 23.8% Brian Saulsberry (Independent) 0.6% Gregory Joiner (Independent) 0.5%

District 1

See also: Tennessee's 1st congressional district

The redrawn 1st district will represent Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties, and parts of Jefferson County. The most populous city in the district is Johnson City, and the district will continue to be anchored by the Tri-Cities area. ^[3] Republican Phil Roe, who has represented the 1st district since 2009, ran for re-election. ^[4]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Phil Roe, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Roe (incumbent)	53,490	100.0
Total votes			53,490	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Alan Woodruff, attorney ^[4]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Woodruff	5,687	100.0
Total votes			5,687	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Phil Roe (R)

Labor unions

• National Association of Letter Carriers ^[5]

Results

Tennessee's 1st congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Roe (Incumbent)	182,252	76.0
	Democratic	Alan Woodruff	47,663	19.9
	Independent	Karen Brackett	4,837	2.0
	Green	Robert N. Smith	2,872	1.2
	Independent	Michael Salyer	2,048	0.9
Total votes			239,672	100.0
	Republican hold

District 2

See also: Tennessee's 2nd congressional district

The redrawn 2nd district will represent Blount, Claiborne, Grainger, Knox, and Loudon counties, and parts of Campbell and Jefferson counties. The most populous city in the district is Knoxville; as before, the district is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. ^[3] Republican Jimmy Duncan who has represented the 2nd district since 1988 ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jimmy Duncan, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Nick Ciparro, musician and full-time student
• Joseph Leinweber, Jr., U.S. Air Force

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John J. Duncan, Jr. (incumbent)	36,335	83.4
	Republican	Joseph Leinweber, Jr.	3,919	9.0
	Republican	Nick Ciparro	3,317	7.6
Total votes			43,571	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Troy Goodale, professor of Political Science at Tusculum College

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Troy Goodale	5,617	100.0
Total votes			5,617	100.0

General election

Results

Tennessee's 2nd congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jimmy Duncan (Incumbent)	196,894	74.4
	Democratic	Troy Goodale	54,522	20.6
	Green	Norris Dryer	5,733	2.2
	Libertarian	Greg Samples	4,382	1.7
	Independent	Brandon Stewart	2,974	1.1
Total votes			264,505	100
	Republican hold

District 3

See also: Tennessee's 3rd congressional district

The redrawn 3rd district will represent Anderson, Hamilton, McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Roane, Scott, and Union counties, and parts of Bradley and Campbell counties. The most populous city in the district is Chattanooga. ^[3] Republican Chuck Fleischmann, who has represented the 3rd district since January 2011, ran for re-election. ^[6]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Chuck Fleischmann, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Ron Bhalla, businessman; ^[7]
• Scottie Mayfield, president of Mayfield Dairy; ^[8]
• Weston Wamp, founder of a public relations firm and son of former U.S. Representative Zach Wamp ^[6]

Withdrawn

• Jean Howard-Hill, former professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and candidate for this seat in 2008 and 2010 ^[9]

Declined

• J.B. Bennett, attorney ^[7]
• Savas Kyriakidis, businessman, Command Judge in the U.S. Army and independent candidate for this seat in 2010 ^[10]
• Robin Smith, health care consultant and former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party and candidate for this seat in 2010 ^[11]
• Tres Wittum, a policy and research analyst for state senator Bo Watson ^[12]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chuck Fleischmann (incumbent)	29,947	39.1
	Republican	Scottie Mayfield	23,779	31.0
	Republican	Weston Wamp	21,997	28.7
	Republican	Ron Bhalla	926	1.2
Total votes			76,649	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mary Headrick, emergency room and acute care physician ^[13]

Eliminated in primary

• Bill Taylor, businessman, ^[14]

Declined

• Brenda Freeman Short, candidate for this seat in 2010 ^[14]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mary Headrick	14,915	67.0
	Democratic	Bill Taylor	7,343	33.0
Total votes			22,258	100.0

Independents

Candidates

• Matthew Deniston, Army Veteran and former Ranger

Withdrawn

• Topher Kersting, web designer ^[15]

Declined

• Savas Kyriakidis, businessman, Command Judge in the U.S. Army and independent candidate for this seat in 2010

General election

Endorsements

Chuck Fleischmann (R)

Organizations

• American Conservative Union ^[16]

Results

Tennessee's 3rd congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chuck Fleischmann (Incumbent)	157,830	61.5
	Democratic	Mary Headrick	91,094	35.4
	Independent	Matthew Deniston	7,905	3.1
Total votes			256,829	100
	Republican hold

District 4

See also: Tennessee's 4th congressional district

The redrawn 4th district represented Bedford, Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Meigs, Moore, Rhea, Rutherford, Sequatchie, and Warren counties, and parts of Bradley, Maury, and Van Buren counties. The most populous city in the district was Murfreesboro, which had previously anchored the 6th District. ^[3] Republican Scott DesJarlais who had represented the 4th district since January 2011 ran for re-election.

Republican primary

State senator Bill Ketron, a Murfreesboro resident, had been rumored to be considering a run for the 4th; he was chairman of the redistricting committee and reportedly drew Murfreesboro into the district to facilitate a run. However, on January 22, 2012 he announced he would not run. ^[17]

Candidates

Nominee

• Scott DesJarlais, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Shannon Kelley, pilot

Declined

• Bill Ketron, state senator
• Jim Tracy, state senator ^[18]

Primary results

DesJarlais won the Republican Party primary on August 2, 2012, ^[19] with about 76% of the vote, besting his opponent, Shannon Kelley, by 35,057 votes to 10,779 in a preliminary count. ^[20]

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott DesJarlais (Incumbent)	36,088	76.8
	Republican	Shannon Kelley	10,927	23.2
Total votes			47,015	100.0

Democratic primary

State senator Eric Stewart announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination to challenge DesJarlais in late 2011. ^[21] The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee made his candidacy their top priority in the South in early 2012. ^[22] Stewart won the Democratic party endorsement. ^[23]

Candidates

Nominee

• Eric Stewart, state senator

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Eric Stewart	17,378	100.0
Total votes			17,378	100.0

General election

Campaign

The general election was characterized by a series of controversies involving the incumbent. Stewart agreed to three debates, but DesJarlais told the media that he would not participate. ^{[23] [24]} The incumbent was "open to revisiting the question later in the campaign", accusing Stewart of "lack of clarity on the issues" as a reason to avoid debating him. ^{[23] [25]} Stewart responded that DesJarlais was avoiding the voters. ^{[23] [25]} The local media were critical of the congressman's stance on the debate issue: the Chattanoogan asked, "Why Won't Desjarlais Debate?" ^[26] and the Times Free Press called it "No good reason to avoid debates". ^[27]

In October 2012, DesJarlais silenced two Democratic representatives on the floor of Congress. ^[28] DesJarlais was Speaker of the House pro tempore, in a pro forma session to prevent "President Barack Obama from making recess appointments without congressional consent". ^[29] Stewart accused DesJarlais of neglecting the district's farmers by not passing the Farm Bill. ^[29]

The media reported in mid-October 2012 on DesJarlais divorce of his first wife, Susan, from 2001. ^[30] During their divorce proceedings, Susan DesJarlais alleged that her ex-husband engaged in "violent and threatening behavior". ^[31] Court filings revealed that he had an affair with a female patient, and pressured her to have an abortion after she became pregnant. ^{[32] [33] [34]} In response to the news, Stewart called him a "pro-life hypocrite", contending that "DesJarlais can't be trusted". ^{[33] [35]} The DesJarlais campaign did not challenge the truth of the allegations, but replied that "This is old news...." ^{[33] [35]} Stewart parried in a news conference that:

Congressman DesJarlais has ... continued to hold himself out to the public as someone who is pro-life and pro-family, and today doesn't deny that as a medical doctor he had an affair with a patient, got that patient pregnant and then begged and pleaded with her to terminate the pregnancy.

— Eric Stewart ^[35]

After all that, DesJarlais "lashed out at Stewart", ^[36] stating "there was no pregnancy, and no abortion", blaming his opponents and ex-wife for "dredging up details from his past". ^{[37] [38] [39] [40]}

After the primary elections, the race had been rated "Likely GOP" by RealClearPolitics. ^[41] By July 13 FEC filings, DesJarlais had raised twice as much as Stewart, and had "$591,976 in the bank to Stewart's $152,712". ^[42] Stewart's aim was to "blanket" the local airways with ads attacking his opponent's vote in favor of Paul Ryan's budget, while the incumbent would tie him to President Barack Obama, who is unpopular in the district. ^[42] As of October 7, The Tennessean noted that comparing "money and recent history, DesJarlais has the advantage", due to incumbency, raising twice the funds as Stewart, ^[42] and the GOP tilt of the district; however, "DesJarlais' edge is not as large as the ones held by his Republican peers in Tennessee, ... DesJarlais entered the election with low name recognition, and he cannot count on the wave of conservative voters that swept Republican candidates into Congress two years ago." ^[43] Both candidates were running as "outsiders". ^[43]

As of October 12, the Romney/Ryan campaign had removed DesJarlais's endorsement from their website as reported by the Associated Press. ^{[36] [38]} Local political analyst Pat Nolan said that, as of October 10, this probably would be in the news for only a few days, "but it may take longer than that for it to really sink in and for people to understand it". When it breaks and how much money they have to get their messages across are "key" for them. ^[44] By October 14, it had become the "State's most contentious U.S. House battle [that] has everyone talking". ^[45] As of October 13, analysts stated that Stewart still had an uphill battle finding enough voters to back him. ^[46]

On the eve of the election, November 5, the Associated Press called for Tennessee's 11 electoral votes to go to "Romney with ease." It also predicted an easy re-election for Senator Bob Corker. However, it noted "Tougher times for GOP Rep. Scott DesJarlais after revelations he once discussed abortion with mistress." ^[47]

Endorsements

Eric Stewart (D)

Statewide officials

• Phil Bredesen, former Governor of Tennessee ^[48]

Labor unions

• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers ^[49]

Organizations

• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee "Red to Blue" Program ^[50]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Scott DesJarlais (R)	Eric Stewart (D)	Undecided
Public Opinion Strategies (R-DesJarlais)	October 22–23, 2012	400	± 4.9%	49%	36%	15%
Myers Research/Strategic Services (D-Stewart)	October 14–15, 2012	400	± 4.9%	49%	44%	7%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [51]	Tossup	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg [52]	Tilts R	November 2, 2012
Roll Call [53]	Lean R	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball [54]	Likely R	November 5, 2012
NY Times [55]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
RCP [56]	Lean R	November 4, 2012
The Hill [57]	Lean R	November 4, 2012

Results

DesJarlais won the election 126,751 to Stewart's 99,823, with 95% of the precincts in. ^[58]

Tennessee's 4th congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Scott DesJarlais (Incumbent)	128,568	55.8
	Democratic	Eric Stewart	102,022	44.2
Total votes			230,590	100.0
	Republican hold

Aftermath

DailyKos noted that the race was one of the "few outliers" in 2012: "No Democratic challenger did quite so well in quite so red a district." Using regression analysis, Stewart's 44.24% tally was the second best of all Democratic candidates, compared to the 30.92% predicted share he would have gotten, all things being equal. ^[59]

External links

• Map of new District 4 on Govtrack.com

District 5

See also: Tennessee's 5th congressional district

The redrawn 5th district will represent Davidson and Dickson counties, and most of Cheatham County. It is based around Nashville, all of which was restored to the district. Previously, a sliver of southwestern Nashville had been in the 7th District. ^[3] Democrat Jim Cooper has represented the 5th district since 2003, and previously represented the 4th district from 1983 until 1995.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Cooper, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Cooper (Incumbent)	28,110	100.0
Total votes			28,110	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Brad Staats, businessman and performing artist

Eliminated in primary

• Justin Jones
• Bob Ries, business owner
• John Smith, deputy sheriff
• Tracey Tarum, avionics technician

Declined

• Beth Harwell, speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives ^[60]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Staats	5,462	26.4
	Republican	Bob Ries	5,422	26.2
	Republican	John Smith	4,200	20.3
	Republican	Justin Jones	3,381	16.4
	Republican	Tracey Tarum	2,212	10.7
Total votes			20,677	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Jim Cooper (D)

Labor unions

• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers ^[49]
• National Association of Letter Carriers ^[5]

Organizations

• Blue Dog Coalition ^[61]

Results

Tennessee's 5th congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Cooper (Incumbent)	171,621	65.2
	Republican	Brad Staats	86,240	32.8
	Green	John Miglietta	5,222	2.0
Total votes			263,083	100
	Democratic hold

District 6

See also: Tennessee's 6th congressional district

The redrawn 6th district will represent Cannon, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, White, and Wilson counties, and small northern parts of Cheatham and Van Buren counties. The most populous city in the district is Cookeville. ^[3] Republican Diane Black who has represented the 6th district since January 2011 ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Diane Black, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Lou Ann Zelenik, business owner and candidate for this seat in 2010

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Black (Incumbent)	44,949	69.4
	Republican	Lou Ann Zelenik	19,836	30.6
Total votes			64,785	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Diane Black (R)

Organizations

• Maggie's List ^[62]
• Susan B. Anthony List ^[63]

Results

Tennessee's 6th congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Diane Black (Incumbent)	184,383	76.4
	Independent	Scott Beasley	34,766	14.4
	Green	Pat Riley	22,092	9.2
Total votes			241,241	100
	Republican hold

District 7

See also: Tennessee's 7th congressional district

The redrawn 7th district will represent Chester, Decatur, Giles, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, McNairy, Montgomery, Perry, Stewart, Wayne, and Williamson counties, and parts of Benton and Maury counties. The most populous city in the district is Clarksville. ^[3] It is significantly more compact than its predecessor, which stretched for 200 miles from east to west but was only two miles wide in some areas of the eastern portion. Republican Marsha Blackburn who has represented the 7th district since 2003 ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Marsha Blackburn, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Marsha Blackburn (Incumbent)	41,524	100.0
Total votes			41,524	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Credo Amouzouvik, founder and CEO of the Homeffa Foundation(a humanitarian organization for Togo) ^[64]

Withdrawn

• Chris Martin

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Credo Amouzouvik	10,436	100.0
Total votes			10,436	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Organizations

• Susan B. Anthony List ^[63]

Results

Tennessee's 7th congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Marsha Blackburn (Incumbent)	182,730	71.0
	Democratic	Credo Amouzouvik	61,679	24.0
	Green	Howard Switzer	4,640	1.8
	Independent	Jack Arnold	4,256	1.7
	Independent	William Akin	2,740	1.1
	Independent	Lenny Ladner	1,261	0.5
Total votes			257,306	100
	Republican hold

District 8

See also: Tennessee's 8th congressional district

The redrawn 8th district will represent Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Haywood, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, Obion, Tipton, and Weakley counties, and parts of Benton and Shelby counties. The most populous city in the district is Jackson. ^[3] The new district is significantly more Republican than its predecessor; the legislature pushed it further into the heavily Republican Memphis suburbs. Republican Stephen Fincher, who has represented the 8th district since January 2011, ran for re-election. ^[65]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Stephen Fincher, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Annette Justice

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stephen Fincher (Incumbent)	60,355	86.7
	Republican	Annette Justice	9,288	13.3
Total votes			69,643	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Timothy Dixon, auto industry manager

Eliminated in primary

• John Bradley
• Christa Stoscheck

Declined

• Roy Herron, state senator and nominee for this seat in 2010 ^[66]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Timothy Dixon	6,951	37.9
	Democratic	John Bradley	6,771	36.9
	Democratic	Christa Stoscheck	4,621	25.2
Total votes			18,343	100.0

General election

Results

Tennessee's 8th congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stephen Fincher (Incumbent)	190,923	68.3
	Democratic	Timothy Dixon	79,490	28.4
	Independent	James L. Hart	6,139	2.2
	Independent	Mark Rawles	2,870	1.1
Total votes			279,422	100
	Republican hold

District 9

See also: Tennessee's 9th congressional district

The redrawn 9th district will represent most of Shelby County, and is based around Memphis. ^[3] Democrat Steve Cohen, who has represented the 9th district since 2007, ran for re-election. ^[67]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Cohen, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Tomeka Hart, Memphis City Schools board member ^{[67] [68]}

Withdrawn

• Thomas Long, Memphis City Court Clerk ^[68]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	49,585	89.3
	Democratic	Tomeka Hart	5,944	10.7
Total votes			55,529	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• George Flinn, radiologist, radio magnate and candidate for the 8th district in 2010 ^[69]

Eliminated in primary

• Charlotte Bergmann, business manager and nominee for this seat in 2010
• Ernest Lunati
• Rollin Stooksberry

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Flinn	11,748	63.9
	Republican	Charlotte Bergmann	4,398	23.9
	Republican	Rollin Stooksberry	1,858	10.1
	Republican	Ernest Lunati	368	2.0
Total votes			18,372	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Steve Cohen (D)

Labor unions

• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers ^[49]
• National Association of Letter Carriers ^[5]

Results

Tennessee's 9th congressional district, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Cohen (Incumbent)	188,422	75.1
	Republican	George Flinn Jr.	59,742	23.8
	Independent	Gregory Joiner	1,372	0.5
	Independent	Brian Saulsberry	1,448	0.6
Total votes			250,984	100
	Democratic hold

See also

• 2012 Tennessee elections
• 2012 United States elections

References

1. "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2012". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 6, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
2. "All Key Dates". Tennessee Department of State. 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
3. "Congressional Redistricting Maps in Detail: Congressional Statewide Map". Tennessee General Assembly . Retrieved March 31, 2012.
4. Buckles, Kristen (February 7, 2012). "GOP Hears Candidates, Roe Staffer Bill Darden". The Greeneville Sun . Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
5. "NALC-ENDORSED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES" (PDF). NALC. pp. 3–4. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
6. Carroll, Chris (October 1, 2011). "Wamp's son to challenge Fleischmann". Chattanooga Times Free Press . Retrieved October 2, 2011.
7. Harrison, James (December 13, 2011). "Two new candidates in 3rd District race, Bennett bows out". Nooga.com. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
8. Harrison, James (February 3, 2012). "Mayfield enters 3rd District race". Nooga.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
9. Harrison, James (September 7, 2011). "Howard-Hill plans to challenge Fleischmann in GOP primary". Nooga.com. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
10. Harrison, James (October 8, 2011). "Savas Kyriakidis "strongly considering" 2nd run for congress". Nooga.com. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
11. Harrison, James (December 2, 2011). "Robin Smith announces she will not run for Fleischmann's seat in 2012". Nooga.com. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
12. Carroll, Chris (November 26, 2011). "Tres Wittum could join Republican race for 3rd District seat". Chattanooga Times Free Press . Retrieved February 10, 2012.
13. Harrison, James (January 23, 2012). "Headrick latest Democrat to join 3rd District race". Nooga.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
14. Harrison, James (December 15, 2011). "Taylor first Democrat to announce bid to unseat Fleischmann". Nooga.com. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
15. Harrison, James (February 7, 2012). "First Independent files papers for 3rd District race". Nooga.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
16. "Endorsed Candidates". conservative.org. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
17. Stockard, Sam (January 23, 2012). "Ketron won't run for Congress". The Daily News Journal . Retrieved January 29, 2012.
18. "Tennessee Sen. Jim Tracy says he won't run in 4th District congressional race". Chattanooga Times Free Press . January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
19. Project Vote Smart
20. Staff report (August 2, 2012). "U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais shown winning GOP primary". Times Free Press. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
21. Sher, Andy (November 17, 2011). "State Sen. Eric Stewart announces run for Congress". Chattanooga Times Free Press . Retrieved November 17, 2011.
22. "Eric Stewart Named One of Nation's Top Congressional Candidates: Gaining Momentum, DCCC Names Tenn. Fourth Congressional 'Emerging Race'". Tennessee Democratic Party. January 20, 2012. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
23. Humphrey, Tom (August 16, 2012). "Political Notebook". m.knoxnews.com. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
24. Quimby, Kelly (September 27, 2012). "Stewart planning to participate in three debates, sans opponent". Columbia Daily Herald. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
25. Carroll, Chris (August 14, 2012). "Rep. Scott DeJarlais rejects three debates with challenger". Times Free Press. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
26. Durham, Steve (September 29, 2012). "Opinion: Why Won't Desjarlais Debate?". Chattanoogan . Retrieved October 10, 2012.
27. Editorial Board (August 10, 2012). "Opinion: No good reason to avoid debates". Times Free Press. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
28. Harrison, James (October 8, 2012). "Rep. Scott DesJarlais stifles opponents during pro forma session" . Retrieved October 10, 2012.
29. Sher, Andy (October 6, 2012). "Stewart: DesJarlais neglects district's farmers". Times Free Press. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
30. "Old Divorce File Riles Tennessee". Roll Call. September 16, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
31. Woods, Jeff (September 16, 2010). "Papers from DesJarlais' Bitter Divorce Pop Up in Media". National Scene.
32. McAuliff, Michael (October 10, 2012). "Scott DesJarlais, Pro-Life Republican Congressman And Doctor, Pressured Mistress Patient To Get Abortion". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
33. Shelzig, Erik (October 10, 2012). "Transcript: Rep. DesJarlais urged abortion". Associated Press, via Yahoo News. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
34. Woods, Jeff (October 10, 2012). "Transcript: DesJarlais Pressured Patient/Mistress to Get Abortion". Nashville Scene . Retrieved October 13, 2012.
35. Broden, Scott (October 10, 2012). "Updated: Stewart contends DesJarlais can't be trusted". djn.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
36. Flessner, Dave (October 12, 2012). "Scott DesJarlais lashes out at Eric Stewart". Times Free Press. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
37. Press services (October 12, 2012). "Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais: Mistress wasn't pregnant, no abortion". The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved October 13, 2012.
38. Schelzig, Erik (October 12, 2012). "DesJarlais endorsement vanishes from Romney site". KnoxNews.com website. Associated Press . Retrieved October 13, 2012.
39. Hale, Steven (October 13, 2012). "DesJarlais Plays the Victim in Radio Appearance, Claims 'No Pregnancy and No Abortion'". Nashville Scene . Retrieved October 13, 2012.
40. Hale, Steven (October 12, 2012). "TFP: DesJarlais Says He Knew Woman Wasn't Pregnant". Nashville Scene . Retrieved October 13, 2012.
41. "Tennessee 4th District - DesJarlais vs. Stewart". RealClearPolitics . Retrieved October 11, 2012.
42. Carroll, Chris (September 11, 2012). "Scott DesJarlais donations outpace Eric Stewart's". Orlando Sentinel website. Chattanooga Times Free Press . Retrieved October 11, 2012.
43. Sisk, Chaz (October 7, 2012). "Rep. Scott DesJarlais, Sen. Eric Stewart both run as outsiders in 4th District contest: Anti-Washington strategies are key". The Tennessean . Retrieved October 11, 2012.
44. TV News staff (October 10, 2012). "Political Analysts Weigh In On DesJarlais Scandal". News Channel 5. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
45. "RACE FOR THE 4TH: State's most contentious U.S. House battle has everyone talking". Shreveport Times. October 14, 2012. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
46. Broden, Scott (October 13, 2012). "Backers believe Stewart can mend fences: But in GOP county, finding enough believers is challenge". dnj.com. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
47. "A state-by-state look at Tuesday's election". Yahoo News. Associated Press. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
48. Sher, Andy (September 28, 2012). "Phil Bredesen backs Eric Stewart in 4th District". Times Free Press. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
49. "Election 2012: Boilermakers recommend candidates". boilermakers.org. International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
50. "RED TO BLUE 2012". DCCC. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
51. "The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races". Cookpolitical.com. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
52. "House Ratings". Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com. November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
53. , as of November 4,2012 [update]
54. Crystal Ball, as of November 5,2012 ^[update]
55. House Race Ratings, The New York Times, as of November 4,2012 ^[update]
56. , as of November 4,2012 [update]
57. "House Ratings". The Hill. November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
58. Schelzig, Erik (November 7, 2012). "DesJarlais re-elected despite abortion revelations". WSMV-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
59. Xenocrypt (November 12, 2012). "A Surprisingly Predictable and Nationalized House Election? A preliminary look at 2012 candidates". DailyKos. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
60. Sher, Andy (November 10, 2011). "Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell will consider bid for Congress". Chattanooga Times Free Press . Retrieved November 13, 2011.
61. "Blue Dog Membership". bluedogdems.ngpvanhost.com. Blue Dog Coalition. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
62. "Maggie's List is pleased to endorse these conservative women candidates:". maggieslist.org. Maggie's List. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
63. "2012 Candidate List" (PDF). sba-list.org. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 14, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
64. Erwin, Lee (March 20, 2012). "Amouzouvik Announces Candidacy for U.S. Congress". ClarksvilleNow.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
65. Sullivan, Bartholomew (November 22, 2012). "Rep.-elect Stephen Fincher already files for re-election in 2012". The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved January 27, 2012.
66. Cass, Michael (January 27, 2012). "State Sen. Roy Herron won't run for office this year". The Tennessean . Retrieved January 27, 2012.
67. McMillin, Zack (May 31, 2011). "Memphis school board member Tomeka Hart to run for Congress in 2012". The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved June 29, 2011.
68. Sanford, Otis L. (November 13, 2011). "Otis L. Sanford: Challenging Cohen is task with long odds". The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved November 15, 2011.
69. Baker, Jackson (February 24, 2012). "George Flinn Mulling Over 9th District Race (that's right, 9th!)". Memphis Flyer . Retrieved February 29, 2012.

External links

• Elections at the Tennessee Secretary of State
• United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2012 at Ballotpedia
• Tennessee U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Tennessee from OpenSecrets
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

Official campaign websites District 1 Phil Roe campaign website Alan Woodruff campaign website District 3 Ron Bhalla campaign website Chuck Fleischmann campaign website Mary Headrick campaign website Jean Howard-Hill campaign website Scottie Mayfield campaign website Bill Taylor campaign website Weston Wamp campaign website District 4 Scott DesJarlais campaign website Eric Stewart campaign website District 7 Credo Amouzouvik campaign website Howard Switzer campaign website District 8 Stephen Fincher campaign website District 9 Charlotte Bergmann campaign website Steve Cohen campaign website George Flinn campaign website