Two years after losing to Republican Rep. Scott DesJarlais by 43 points, Democrat Victoria Broderick is leading in his deep-red Tennessee district by just 280 votes in the state’s unofficial final results — despite spending under $100,000 and airing no paid TV ads.
If her lead holds, the result would end DesJarlais’ 16-year congressional career. First elected in 2010, the Republican was seeking his ninth term in a district President Donald Trump carried by 24 points in 2024.
The latest FEC figures available before Election Day show DesJarlais’ campaign spent $508,166 through Oct. 14, compared with just $90,062 for Broderick. His campaign also raised more than seven times as much as hers — $667,181 to $94,217 — yet the longtime incumbent is trailing in the deep-red seat.
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Axios reported, citing AdImpact, that Broderick’s campaign had no record of airing paid television ads. Instead, she credited a grassroots operation that had been building for more than two years.
Broderick was not the only Democrat threatening to pull off a low-dollar House upset. Axios also highlighted a similar race in North Carolina, where High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson currently leads Republican Rep. Addison McDowell 51.1% to 48.9%.
Axios reported, citing AdImpact, that Jefferson had no tracked advertising spending, although a separate tracker lists $2,000 in Google ads, including YouTube placements.
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McDowell had won the district by 38.3 points in 2024, according to election results.
Broderick told Axios that her apparent upset was not a surprise to her team.
“I know it was a shock for the rest of the country, but it wasn’t a shock for our team,” she said.
Jefferson similarly credited volunteers, saying, “You have to go engage them.”
Wake Forest University political science professor John Dinan told local news outlet WFDD that challengers in such a Republican-leaning district would normally need “a lot of TV ads and a lot of money,” but “there wasn’t a whole lot of money spent.”
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The two races showed how grassroots organizing and strong local candidates can make traditionally Republican districts competitive despite major financial disadvantages.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the Associated Press has not yet called either race.