On Tuesday I wrote a piece urging Tennessee voters to reject Scott DesJarlais — a Republican with a sordid past:
He had a whopping six affairs on his ex-wife and supported her decision to get two abortions before their marriage. A doctor, he had affairs with two patients and prescribed one of them drugs. The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners fined and admonished DesJarlais for this misconduct. He actually taped himself pressuring one of his mistresses to get an abortion, and then — when word of the tape leaked — lied to his constituents, claiming that the conversation “was recorded without [his] knowledge.”
In office, he’s been a weather vane politician — turning conservative when the wind blew right, then embracing Trumpulism when the sky turned orange. But he just keeps winning. Tonight he turned back a primary challenge from Grant Starrett, winning by a relatively comfortable margin. Grant has strong conservative credentials and considerable political experience for his age, but apparently voters held it against him that he’s young, wealthy, and grew up in California. The “carpetbagger” charge stuck. Too bad. He would have been a good congressman.
Grant can hold his head high. He was right to give the voters a choice, and he campaigned extraordinarily hard. If there is one heartening thing in a disheartening election season it’s that there are still good people who run for office. Republican voters rejected multiple good men (and one good woman) this presidential cycle. Tennessee voters made the same mistake tonight. But so long as good people continue to try, the tide has a chance to turn. May it turn soon.
In Tennessee, Republican Voters Send a Disaster Back to Washington