NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee Republican congressman has won re-election, overcoming revelations that he had an affair with a patient and urged her to get an abortion.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a Jasper physician before going to Congress, beat Democratic challenger Eric Stewart on Tuesday. With 76 percent of precincts reporting, DesJarlais had 111,988 votes, or 57 percent, compared with Stewart's 83,835 votes, or 43 percent.
DesJarlais, who opposes abortion rights, largely withdrew from public sight a month ago after the first news accounts based on his 2001 divorce emerged. His campaign used a heavy rotation of TV ads to link Stewart to President Barack Obama, an unpopular figure in the conservative 4th District.
DesJarlais' win means that all nine members of the Tennessee congressional delegation were re-elected, as was Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker.
