Republicans may lose a U.S. House seat in Tennessee that wasn’t on anyone’s radar. The potential win of a relatively unknown Democratic candidate would thwart Republicans’ goal of sending an all-GOP delegation to Washington.
Victoria Broderick could oust the Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, after Tennessee lawmakers redrew the congressional maps to eliminate Memphis’ Democratic seat. Tennessee’s new 4th Congressional District includes parts of Democratic-leaning Nashville.
Final unofficial results show Broderick leading by some 280 votes. The Associated Press has not called the race, and as of Wednesday night, DesJarlais had not conceded.
Updates: Election results from WPLN News
A native Tennessean working in the tech sector, Broderick said she first became involved in politics because of her own pregnancy complications and is against the federal abortion ban. She ran on a platform of housing affordability, protecting rural hospitals, responsible gun laws, limiting government surveillance and voluntary pre-K available to all kids regardless of family income.
It was Broderick’s second time facing DesJarlais. In 2024, DesJarlais won by more than 100,000 votes, capturing nearly 70 percent of the results.
DesJarlais had held the seat since 2011, when he and other tea party Republicans swept into office. That’s when the state’s U.S. House delegation flipped from 5-4 in favor of Democrats to 7-2 for the GOP. In more recent years, Republicans have reworked districts around the state in hopes of flipping those last two Democratic seats.
This story was updated at 9:12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4.
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