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Our verdict

LiberalMind endorses Scott DesJarlais

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and voting is already underway in Tennessee. This is the whole race — the records, the claims against each candidate, and what the sources actually show.

The setup

Tennessee's 4th District — southern Middle Tennessee, Murfreesboro to Lynchburg — is held by Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R), who won his Republican primary with 65.9% over three challengers (Wikipedia, "2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee"). The old-lines Cook PVI was R+21; no new-lines PVI was published in the sources retrieved, and we print the old figure labeled as old. Cook rates the race Solid R. Four names are on the ballot (Tennessean voter guide, Oct. 22, 2026; WVLT certified-list compilation).

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (Republican)

The record: DesJarlais is a physician (M.D., University of South Dakota, 1991) elected in 2010 and in office since January 3, 2011 (Bioguide summary, via TrackBill). A 119th Congress committee compilation lists him chairing or leading the Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee roster — compilation strength, labeled as such. He was re-elected with 70.0% in 2024 on the old lines.

Pros: A physician-legislator of fifteen years' standing in a district that has returned him seven times. Cons: His 65.9% primary is the softest incumbent number in Tennessee's Republican set this cycle — a documented fact his own voters own, in a four-way field that included a county commissioner. The flaw, plainly: nothing in the sourced record of this cycle's research rises to a proven in-service failure; the primary softness is arithmetic, not misconduct.

Victoria Broderick (Democratic)

The record: Broderick is a telemarketer (Wikipedia nominee line). She won a five-way Democratic primary with 37.9% (12,432 votes), ahead of Nashville Metro Councilmember Mike Cortese at 28.1%, and carries endorsements from the Tennessee AFL-CIO and the National Women's Political Caucus (Wikipedia). No prior elected office was located.

Pros: She beat a sitting Metro Councilmember for the nomination — the primary field's voters chose the outsider. Cons: An insufficient record: an occupation, a plurality primary, and union endorsements, with no governing service and no documented break toward our values. The flaw, plainly: nothing in the file could earn the exception.

Jacob Kristopher Anders and Clay Faircloth (Independents)

Anders (Tullahoma) is an author and historian (Wikipedia). Our research notes he was disqualified from the Democratic primary ballot and ran as an independent, with endorsement listings from the Green, Transhumanist, Unity, and Forward parties — endorsement-strength sourcing, and the disqualification detail itself awaits the certified-list check before it should be treated as settled. Faircloth (Nashville) is a pastor (Wikipedia declared list); no further record was located.

OUR CALL

LiberalMind endorses Scott DesJarlais.

A proven incumbent against an insufficient-record Democrat and two thin independent files. The soft primary number is the district's internal business; the general-election geometry is standard.

This race is one of hundreds in LiberalMind's Election 2026 coverage. For the complete breakdown — every race, claim by claim — go to liberalmindhq.com.

Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Sources

Election result — November 4, 2026

Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.

AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.

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