Fighting For Campaign Dollars In District Of Scandalized DesJarlais

Rep. Scott DesJarlais and his wife, Amy, at the GOP Statesman’s Dinner Friday evening. DesJarlais is facing two Republican primary challengers who hope to unseat him next year. Credit WPLN / Daniel Potter

Two of the three candidates for the Congressional district spanning from Murfreesboro to the outskirts of Chattanooga are trying to tamp down expectations ahead of Monday’s required fundraising disclosure. 

That’s after last week State Senator Jim Tracy of Shelbyville reported his campaign raised some $303 thousand this spring.

Tracy is hoping to unseat embattled Congressman Scott DesJarlais, who limped through reelection last fall amid ugly revelations of a sex and abortion scandal.  DesJarlais insists he’ll run again next year, but last week he downplayed the race for campaign cash.

“We’re very busy legislatively right now, and it is getting closer to campaign season, so we’ll be getting busy.”

Another challenger hoping to knock DesJarlais off in next year’s Republican primary, Joe Carr, also preferred not to put too fine a point on the financial issue, saying “we’re getting ready to be ready.”