Van Hilleary - U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

Following his return from the Middle East, he entered a race for the Tennessee State Senate in 1992. His opponent was Anna Belle Clement O'Brien, younger sister and political confidante of the late former governor of Tennessee Frank G. Clement. While Hilleary was defeated, he ran such a competitive race that he was recruited to enter the Republican primary in 1994 for the Fourth Congressional District. This seat was coming open as the incumbent, six-term Democrat Jim Cooper, was running for the United States Senate. Hilleary easily won the Republican primary and faced Democratic nominee Jeff Whorley, a former aide to Cooper, in the general election. It was the first serious effort the Republicans had made in the district since its creation after the 1980 census. Hilleary won by a shocking 14-point margin. Even allowing for the massive Republican tide that swept through the state that year, Hilleary's convincing win came as something of a surprise. On paper, the 4th District was and still is one of the few districts in the country that is not safe for either party. It stretched from the Virginia border in East Tennessee to the Mississippi border in Middle Tennessee. Prior to Cooper's election in 1982, much of the district's eastern portion hadn't been represented by a Democrat since before the Civil War.

Hilleary had a very conservative voting record and was very popular in conservative circles within his party. For instance, Hilleary was strongly opposed to any form of a state income tax, which was a major issue in the state legislature at the time. In each of his three subsequent Congressional races, Hilleary won with an increasing margin. Although the 4th is a marginal district on paper, its configuration makes it very difficult to unseat an incumbent in a normal election year. The district spills across five television markets (the Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville and Huntsville, Alabama) and two time zones. Frequently, advertising budgets in the 4th rival those for statewide races. Hilleary also became known over a large portion of the state, making important associations with leading Republican activists. Hilleary was unusual for a politician of this period in his steadfast refusal to accept campaign contributions from political action committees (PAC's).