Second-term Rep Scott DesJarlais, a House Agriculture Committee member, had a 33-vote lead with all precincts reporting in his Tennessee congressional district, a razor-thin margin in a race that may not be decided until the month, said the Associated Press. Election officials have to look at provisional ballots and rule on potential challenges. The scandal-marred DesJarlais was considered one of the most vulnerable lawmakers.
He received 34,779 votes, or 44.9 percent of the total, and his chief challenger, state Sen Jim Tracy, got 34,746 votes, or 44.8 percent. Five other candidates drew a combined 10.3 percent.
So far, only two House incumbents, both Republicans, have been defeated in primary elections, says Roll Call. They are Ralph Hall of Texas and Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan.
Florida Rep Steve Southerland, who sought as part of the 2014 farm law to restrict food stamp eligibility, is in a tight race for re-election from the Florida panhandle. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates the contest as a toss-up; it had been “leans Republican.” The Crystal Ball describes Southerland as “a somewhat weak incumbent.” The Democratic nominee is Gwen Graham, “an impressive challenger” and daughter of former Florida governor and senator Bob Graham. The district includes the Tallahassee, the state capital.
In a blog at The Hill newspaper, political consultant Matt Barron says Democratic outreach to rural areas has dwindled since 2010. “With Senate control hinging on the outcome of races in four of the nation’s 10 most rural states (West Virginia, Arkansas, South Dakota and Montana), Democrats have allowed what little rural electoral and policy infrastructure they once had to wither away and atrophy,” Barron writes.