Tennessean endorsements for 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th districts

Whatever else you may think of U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, he is not a quitter. Even after leaders of his own party threw him over for Jim Tracy, he fought back and won the Republication nomination for his 4th Congressional District seat, despite Tracy outspending him.

As DesJarlais wrapped up the nomination, he was fighting another battle, against cancer. He received treatment and returned to campaigning less than two weeks ago. In terms of finances, he is again trailing, this time against Democratic nominee Lenda Sherrell.

Tenacity is a desirable quality in a member of Congress, but others are needed, as well, such as honesty, integrity and concern for others. We see all of those traits in Sherrell, a retired accountant from Monteagle, and none of them in DesJarlais, a physician from South Pittsburg.

Public opinion took a turn against DesJarlais a few years ago when he sought re-election for the first time and it was learned through a divorce filing that he had had affairs with patients. It also emerged that DesJarlais, who, as a lawmaker, was a vocal opponent of abortion rights, had urged at least one of those patients and his former wife to have abortions.

These issues undoubtedly led GOP leaders to try to replace him in 2014, and they were correct to do so, even if voters didn’t agree. We hope that having a clearly better alternative to DesJarlais in Sherrell will change 4th District voters’ minds.

Sherrell has worked as an auditor and controller managing multimillion-dollar budgets for educational and health-care institutions. Her financial acumen serves her well compared with DesJarlais, who voted for the government shutdown last fall that was so damaging to Tennessee and the U.S. economy.

Sherrell has avoided personal attacks on her opponent, but has rightly pointed out that his vote against reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act was wrong for the people of Tennessee, which is one of the worst states for domestic violence.

Tennessee’s members of Congress should be leading the charge for fiscal responsibility and for laws that protect women and families. Sadly, the incumbent’s tenure instead has been driven by political self-interest.

Fourth District voters should vote for a positive change and send Lenda Sherrell to Washington.

5th District

Rep. Jim Cooper, who has represented the 5th since 2003, often takes the path less traveled through Congress — that’s the path down the middle.

While the Nashville Democrat may not always get the results he wants, he can be proud of the fact that he has done more than most to bring fiscal accountability to Congress. His “No Budget, No Pay” bill was temporarily in effect last year, prohibiting lawmakers from getting paid if they fail to pass a budget on time.

His Republican opponent in the general election, Bob Ries, a businessman and Army veteran, is trying to bring Cooper down over his vote for the Affordable Care Act, which Ries says is unconstitutional. The mostly conservative U.S. Supreme Court would disagree, and the number of people living in the 5th Congressional District who stand to benefit from Obamacare makes Ries’ argument a losing one.

Add to that Cooper’s open-door policy to his constituents’ opinions and concerns, and we give a strong thumbs-up to voters’ giving Cooper another term.

6th District

Diane Black seeks her third term as representative to the 6th. Before her, the seat was held for a quarter-century by a middle-left Democrat, Bart Gordon, but her rise to that post as a conservative Republican mirrors the changes in the constituency in that district.

Black too often seems to align herself with the “party of no” wing in the House of Representatives — against the Affordable Care Act, against immigration reform — we would like to see more constructive proposals from her desk.

However, in this election, her opposition seems ill-prepared. Democrat Amos Powers, a 26-year-old student at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville and former AmeriCorps volunteer, and independent Mike Winton, a businessman in Manchester, lack the funding or the political chops to be serious congressional contenders at this time.

Black is the best suited for the job.

7th District

Rep. Marsha Blackburn brings a higher profile to Tennessee’s House delegation than her colleagues, whether it’s debating Bill Nye on C-SPAN or being a frequent visitor to Fox News or the Sunday morning talk shows. That should be a good thing, except when she is reinforcing climate-change denial.

The other side of Blackburn’s work is much more appealing, as she is a strong advocate for Fort Campbell and its military families, a co-sponsor of the National Women’s History Museum and a champion of intellectual property rights. Like her colleague Jim Cooper, she is responsive to her constituents’ concerns, and that is more than most Americans can expect these days from their U.S. representative.

Blackburn has a vigorous Democratic opponent in retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot Dan Cramer, and we expect to see more from him if he continues to pursue public office. But this year, 7th District voters should stick with Blackburn.