Rep. Scott DesJarlais wins primary by 38 votes

NASHVILLE, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee squeaked through the Republican primary when his opponent, trailing by 38 votes, conceded Monday.

State Sen. Jim Tracy issued a statement saying he was giving up his effort to contest the Aug. 7 primary results so the Republican Party could begin preparing for the November election. But he began by attacking the fairness of the primary vote.

"For example, there were votes by people who were not on the rolls and should have cast provisional ballots, but voted on machines so there was no way to determine whether those were legal votes," he said. "There were voters who were not given ballots for the primary election, but only for the General Election."

DesJarlais, a doctor making his first bid for office, defeated an incumbent Democrat in the wave of the tea party during 2010 election. Shortly before the 2012 election, details of his divorce from his first wife became public, including allegations of affairs, including at least one patient, and charges that he pressured his wife and two of the other women into having abortions, although he campaigned as a staunch foe of abortion.

DesJarlais won in 2012 by a far smaller majority than he had two years earlier.