Congressman Scott DesJarlais overwhelmed Democratic state Senator Eric Stewart in House District 4 in voting Tuesday after a bitter election.

It was DesJarlais 126,751 and Stewart 99,823.

The campaign featured a focus on a past DesJarlais divorce. Democrats, sensing a turnaround, had poured resources into the effort in the final days of the campaign.

The Tennessee Democratic Party went to court in Chattanooga on the final day of the campaign to try to draw out more sordid details of the divorce 14 years ago.

Stewart won only Sequatchie, Van Buren and Warren counties.

DesJarlais piled up almost a 7,000-vote advantage in Bradley County.

Rep. DesJarlais said, “For the second election in a row, my opponents and the liberal media have tried to ignore the problems facing our nation and instead concentrate solely on a 14-year-old divorce.

“Last night's election results clearly show that Tennesseans want leaders in Washington who are focused on providing solutions that will ensure a brighter future for our country.

“When I first ran for Congress I promised that I would go to Washington and fight to reduce the size of government, end the deficit spending and repeal ObamaCare. I believe that I have kept these promises and I look forward to using this term to build upon the many successes already achieved by House Republicans.

“I want to thank the voters of Tennessee’s Fourth District for once again giving me the honor of representing them in Congress. I also want to thank my family for their steadfast love and support.”

Eric Stewart said, “The voters have spoken. I'm proud of the campaign we ran. We talked about fighting for working families, keeping promises we made to our seniors about Medicare and Social Security, and giving our men and women in uniform the support they need and deserve. The fight for those things hasn't ended, even though my campaign for Congress has. Congress needs to stop fighting and start fixing. Working families depend on it.”

United States House District 4