New details released Thursday about the divorce of Representative Scott DesJarlais, have not changed his support in Marion County.
The congressman was re-elected by a wide margin on November 6th.
The Tennessee Democratic party yesterday released more transcripts of Congressman Scott DesJarlais' 1998 divorce and stepped-up their demands that he go.
CHIP FORRESTER, TN DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR "Next step will be for Republicans in this state, Governor Haslam, Speaker Harwell to ask him to resign. Its time for him to go home."
The latest documents indicated that the congressman, 12 years before he was elected, encouraged his later wife to seek two abortions. His detractors say that is contrary to the platform he ran on.
But DesJarlais was easily reelected in November, and still enjoys a strong following in the 4th district.
CAROL DESAUTES, JASPER "Show me someone who doesn't have a skeleton in their closet. You know, are we going to run our life on skeletons? We're human..here ..This is reality."
ANDREA HILL, MARION COUNTY "Everyone makes mistakes. I mean there are people divorcing everyday..he happens to be in the spotlight."
BUSTER SMITH, SOUTH PITTSBURG "What happened in the past is in the past, you know..that's how I look at it. You know. We all make mistakes."
RONNIE SANDERS, MARION COUNTY "iF you are doing one thing and turning around and saying people shouldn't do the other, that's just makes you a hypocrite ..And nobody cares for a hypocrite."
One Marion county GOP leader told me privately that he hopes Desjarlais will resign for the good of the party.
But the party treasurer disagrees.
RUSS HOOD, TREASURER, MARION COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY "I'm looking for what he's doing for the district. You Know. The 4th Congressal district..he's voting the conservative values that I believe in."
State Democratic party leaders may feel otherwise, but the controversial congressman obviously maintains a strong base in his hometown.
Some Marion county leaders expressed strong feelings about Congressman DesJarlais by phone, but were not available later for on-camera interviews.
