Diana Harshbarger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diana Harshbarger
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 1st district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Phil Roe |
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| Born | January 1, 1960 Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Robert Harshbarger |
| Children | Bobby Harshbarger |
| Education | East Tennessee State University (BS) Mercer University (PharmD) |
Diana Lynn Harshbarger (born January 1, 1960) is an American pharmacist, businesswoman, and politician. She is a member of the Republican Party. Since January 3, 2021, she has served as the U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 1st congressional district. Her district covers the Tri-Cities area in northeastern Tennessee.
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Early Life and Career
Diana Harshbarger was born in Kingsport, Tennessee. She grew up in nearby Bloomingdale. She was the first person in her family to graduate from high school.
She earned her bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University. Later, she received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Mercer University.
Harshbarger has been a licensed pharmacist since 1987. She and her husband, Bob, own a special pharmacy called Premier Pharmacy. It is a compounding pharmacy.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Becoming a Representative
The 2020 Election
In 2020, the current representative, Phil Roe, decided to retire. Diana Harshbarger then announced she would run for his seat. She won the Republican primary election on August 5. Many people ran in this primary, with 17 candidates in total.
After winning the primary, she defeated Blair Walsingham, the Democratic candidate, in the November general election. Winning the primary was a big step. This is because the 1st District of Tennessee has mostly voted Republican for a long time. It has been Republican for almost all years since 1861.
When Harshbarger took office in 2021, she became the fifth woman from Tennessee to be elected to Congress. She is also only the ninth person to hold this specific seat in 100 years. This shows that people who win this seat often stay in office for a long time.
Her Time in Office
On January 6, 2021, the U.S. Capitol building was entered by supporters of President Donald Trump. Lawmakers had to move to a safe place for their safety. Later that evening, Harshbarger joined 139 other Republican House members. They voted to question the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
In August 2021, a report said that Harshbarger did not fully report some of her stock trades. This was required by a law called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. This law helps make sure politicians are open about their money.
Harshbarger supports efforts to question President Joe Biden's actions. In September 2021, she helped propose a resolution to question President Biden. This was about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. In May 2023, she also helped propose a resolution to question Biden about security at the United States–Mexico border. In the same month, she supported resolutions to question other government leaders. These included the Attorney General, the FBI director, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Harshbarger was one of 71 Republicans who voted against a bill called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill was about how the government spends money.
In 2024, Harshbarger voted against a large military aid package for Ukraine. Even though some of the money would have helped her district, she voted no.
Also in 2024, Harshbarger spoke against expanding health coverage for anti-obesity drugs. She said that obesity is not a disease. She believes it is a result of things like unhealthy eating. She stated that covering these drugs would cost too much money.
Committee Assignments
Diana Harshbarger works on several important committees in the House of Representatives:
- Committee on Education and Labor
- Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment
- Committee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation
- Subcommittee on Oversight, Management and Accountability
Caucus Memberships
She is also part of several groups, called caucuses, in Congress:
- GOP Doctors Caucus
- Rural Broadband Caucus
- Tennessee Valley Corridor Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
- Freedom Caucus
Personal Life
Diana Harshbarger is a Baptist. She is married to Robert Harshbarger. They have a son named Bobby Harshbarger. Bobby is also involved in politics. He is currently the Republican state Senator-elect for Tennessee's 4th Senate district.
See also
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
