Scott DesJarlais
| Scott DesJarlais | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 4th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Lincoln Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Scott Eugene DesJarlais February 21, 1964 Des Moines, Iowa |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 3 |
| Residence | South Pittsburg, Tennessee |
| Alma mater | University of South Dakota |
| Profession | Physician |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Website | Official website |
Scott Eugene DesJarlais (/ˈdeɪʒɑːrˌleɪ/; born February 21, 1964) is an American politician and physician currently serving as U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 4th congressional district. The district stretches across East and Middle Tennessee. He is a member of the Republican Party.
DesJarlais was born in 1964 in Des Moines, Iowa to Joe DesJarlais, a barber, and Sylvia, a registered nurse. He grew up in Sturgis, South Dakota. Over ten years he, his parents and his brother and sister built their own house in Sturgis; his parents still live there. DesJarlais earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of South Dakota in 1987 and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in 1991. He moved to East Tennessee in 1993 to practice medicine as a generalist.
DesJarlais is a member of the Tea Party movement. In 2009 he entered politics, filing papers to challenge Democratic incumbent Lincoln Davis, as well as Independents Paul H. Curtis, James Gray, Richard S. Johnson, and Gerald York. Late in the 2010 race the Washington newspaper Roll Call reported details of DesJarlais's 2001 divorce proceedings. The Davis campaign used the material in print and TV attack ads and told Roll Call that Fourth District voters "expect[ed] more than lip service about family values." DesJarlais defeated Davis 57%–39%, the third-largest defeat of a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 cycle, and the first time that an incumbent had been unseated in the district since its creation in 1983. While the 4th has historically not been considered safe for either party, its size and configuration (it stretches across two time zones and parts of four television markets) usually makes it very difficult to oust an incumbent.
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