Diana Harshbarger

Diana Lynn Harshbarger (/ˈhɑːrʃˌbɑːrɡər/ HARSH-barg-ər; born January 1, 1960)[1][2] is an American politician and pharmacist from the state of Tennessee. A Republican, she is a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Tennessee's 1st congressional district. The district is based in the Tri-Cities area in the northeastern portion of the state.

Diana Harshbarger
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Phil Roe
Personal details
Born	January 1, 1960 Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Robert Harshbarger
Children	1
Education	East Tennessee State University (BS) Mercer University (PharmD)

Early life and career

Harshbarger was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, and raised in Bloomingdale. She is the first person in her family to graduate from high school.[3] She earned her bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University and her Doctor of Pharmacy from Mercer University.[4]

Harshbarger has been a licensed pharmacist since 1987.[5] She and her husband, Bob, operate Premier Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy.[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020

After six-term incumbent and fellow Republican Phil Roe opted to retire from the United States House of Representatives, Harshbarger announced her candidacy to succeed him in the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 1st congressional district in the 2020 elections.[7] Harshbarger won the August 5, 2020 Republican primary and went on to defeat Democrat Blair Walsingham in the November general election.[8][9][10] However, she had effectively clinched a seat in Congress with her victory in the primary. The 1st is one of the few ancestrally Republican districts in the South; it has been in Republican hands for all but four years since 1861, and Democrats have only garnered as much as 40 percent twice since 1898. When Harshbarger took office on January 3, 2021, she became the fifth woman elected to Congress from Tennessee, but only the third who was not a stand-in for her husband after Diane Black and Marsha Blackburn. The 1st historically gives its incumbents very long tenures in Washington; Harshbarger is only the ninth person to hold the seat in 100 years.

Harshbarger focused her campaign on fixing the opioid crisis, advocating anti-abortion legislation, and protecting religious freedom. She failed to debate any competitors throughout her primary or general race. [11]

Tenure

On the afternoon of January 6, supporters of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, incited by the president himself, broke into the U.S. Capitol during debate, vandalized the building, and threatened lawmakers. Lawmakers fled to an undisclosed location for safety. Later that evening, Representative Harshberger joined 139 other Republican House members in voting to sustain objections to the certification of the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, based on claims of vote fraud that were supported by no evidence.[12]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Education and Labor
• Committee on Homeland Security[13]

Caucus memberships

• GOP Doctors Caucus
• Rural Broadband Caucus
• Tennessee Valley Corridor Caucus[13]

References

1. Bowden, John (November 30, 2020). "Rep.-elect Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.-01)". The Hill. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
2. "Diana Harshbarger". Retrieved January 13, 2021.
3. Schultz, Marisa (November 24, 2020). "Rep.-elect Diana Harshbarger says Congress is no match 'for a woman who can multitask'". Foxnews. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
4. reports, From staff. "Harshbarger announces Congressional bid". Kingsport Times-News. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
5. Houk, Robert. "Harshbarger pledges to 'put America first' in Congress". Johnson City Press. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
6. Carter, Joe (July 13, 2015). "Premier Pharmacy goes To Washington!". Kingsport Times-News. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
7. "'Trump conservative': Kingsport pharmacist announces Congressional run". March 12, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
8. Whetstone, Tyler. "Diana Harshbarger wins GOP nomination in race to replace Rep. Phil Roe". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
9. "Harshbarger wins GOP primary in open Tennessee US House race". AP NEWS. August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
10. Teague, Slater (November 3, 2020). "Harshbarger wins race for Rep. Phil Roe's seat". WJHL-TV. WJHL-TV. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
11. Stabile, Angelica (November 9, 2020). "13 GOP women join the House, dominating congressional elections, making history". FOX News. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
12. Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via NYTimes.com.
13. "Committees and Caucuses | Representative Diana Harshbarger". harshbarger.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.

External links

• Representative Diana Harshbarger, official U.S. House website
• Diana Harshbarger for Congress
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress