Charles Fleischmann

U.S. House District 3 is in southwest East Tennessee. It includes Anderson, Bradley, parts of Campbell, Hamilton, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea and Roane counties.

In the Aug. 6 primary election, voters will nominate one Democratic candidate and one Republican candidate. The winner will move onto the general election.

Democrat

Anna Golladay

Age: 52

Occupation: Small business owner, community organizer

ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS FROM THE CANDIDATE

The federal debt is above $30 trillion. Name one specific tax change you support and one specific spending cut or constraint you support to address long‑term debt.

In Congress, I would support many economic reforms that focus on tax changes and spending constraints because the current economic system is unsustainable and harms the vast majority of working families in Tennessee District 3.

The first tax change would be to lift the Social Security payroll tax cap. Right now, anyone who makes $184,500 or less pays tax on every dollar of that income into Social Security. However, anyone who earns more than that amount is taxed only on the initial $184,500. Lifting the cap so that high earners pay Social Security taxes on their full income will extend the fund's solvency for decades and will not impose an added cost on working families.

One spending cut I would address is allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of consumers. Congress currently allows pharmaceutical companies to set medication prices. Every time the country overpays, those dollars are added to the deficit. This change doesn't alter benefits, but does alter the profit of the pharmaceutical companies that are lobbying on their own behalf.

How should Congress balance energy affordability, reliability and environmental protection in East Tennessee?

In East Tennessee energy affordability, reliability, and environmental protection are intertwined. Knowing that, I would suggest the following:

The residents of East Tennessee are ratepayers of TVA, a federal entity. Congressional oversight supports the expectation that TVA is pursuing the lowest costs. This will likely require TVA to invest in grid modernization and transmission upgrades.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is doing some of the most important advanced nuclear and grid research in the country, and illustrates why conversations between energy and the environment must be combined. Because of the decades-long legacy contamination that has yet to be fully mitigated, it is important to balance support of next-gen energy research with the environmental cleanup commitments that the Department of Energy has already made.

Affordability has to be literal, not theoretical. I support an energy policy that lowers long-term costs by effectively balancing nuclear, upgrades, and transmission. While Congress can't control fuel markets, it can expect TVA's grid to be diversified enough that no single fuel spike ruins the budgets of working families.

What kind of energy investments should Tennessee pursue federally to address rising power demand?

I believe it is important for Tennessee to double down on the energy investments already underway here. ORNL is already a national leader in nuclear and grid research. With continued investment in advanced reactor development and demonstration, we build on existing work and create skilled jobs for the community. The rising demand for power will cause major issues if the grid can't supply it when needed. It is incumbent on Congress to support TVA transmission upgrades. But, perhaps most important, is looking at the energy we don't have to generate. When federal efficiency incentives are offered to existing entities (manufacturers, hospitals, residences), we reduce the strain on the power grid and lower bills directly.

People across the country and East Tennessee are noticing higher costs at the gas station and the grocery store. How should the federal government work to lower prices for shoppers?

Three areas of opportunity for Congress to lower prices for shoppers include eliminating price gouging, protecting programs, and correcting tariffs.

There are a handful of large food conglomerates that control most of the market. When Congress enforces antitrust in food and agriculture, prices will lower without adding to the deficit.

Congress must protect SNAP and WIC programs because they directly influence working families' bottom line. Nutrition assistance programs need to be protected, not cut.

And finally, Congress needs to shift the way it oversees tariffs. The Supreme Court already ruled that the president doesn't have unilateral authority to impose tariffs — that power belongs to Congress. But the executive branch simply shifted the power to other authorities, such as Section 232, under which tariffs can be imposed on everything from steel to pharmaceuticals without any vote from Congress at all. Closing that loophole is imperative.

Congress should require all tariffs above a certain size to require an affirmative vote before taking effect, not just the option to disapprove after the fact. And that vote requirement needs to apply across the authorities the president is currently using, not just the one the Court already struck down.

Congress should also make the costs of tariffs visible to consumers. Currently, tariff costs are hidden in the price of goods — consumers pay them without any way to see how much of what they're paying is the tariff. Moving that information into public reporting will help the working people of Tennessee understand how and where they are being affected.

These are just a handful of policies I support; my campaign is built on nuanced, detailed policy changes that focus on the affordability crisis in Tennessee District 3.

Did you use AI assistance to help write your answer? If not, please write "n/a." If so, please elaborate.

N/a

IN-PERSON INTERVIEW WITH THE CANDIDATE

What's the biggest issue facing Americans and East Tennesseans right now?

By far it’s the affordability crisis. We have residents that I talk to every day who are concerned about the price of groceries and housing and gas and child care. Those things are not coming with an increase in wages, and that in and of itself is a challenge. We have folks that aren’t able to make the numbers work because the numbers don’t actually work.

There are a couple things that we have to do in Washington specifically. The main thing for me is around tax code and the minimum wage. We need to raise the minimum wage across the board and I think that will alleviate the issue specifically for the working poor and those that are a part of minimum wage jobs. We need to look critically at the tax code and how we move more money into locales. Part of that comes with looking at tax shelters that are being given to those making a significant amount of money. I don’t want to just say billionaires are the problem, but there are tax code implications that are allowing them to skirt a significant amount of tax liability for their dividends and the ways they’re investing that are creating gaps in the way that every day people can survive.

We’ve got to find a way to mitigate those loopholes so there is more funding for the federal government to provide to folks in East Tennessee. The biggest fix to that is a Democratic House and hopefully a Democratic Senate.

If elected, how will you stay accessible to constituents?

This is one of the biggest complaints that voters have about my competition. Chuck Fleischmann has had 16 years to illustrate to people how he will be accessible, where they can find him and how they can give him feedback. That’s unacceptable to me.

I’m not only going to host town halls once I’m in office, but I’m going to prove to the voters that I know how important it is because I’m hosting town halls before my election. I’ve committed to two town halls in every county before November. My business card has my personal cell phone number on it. It’s the card I hand out to all my constituents. I will host yearly town halls in every county. If we are going to have a congressperson who will only respond to folks via letter or via email, then we aren’t being represented by somebody who actually cares about what we think. He’s got folks in his office who are just tallying up the list of things that are important to people and sending a form letter back to them. That does not a representative make. The pastor in me just can’t not answer people’s concerns.

Tell us about a time you changed your mind on an important issue – what caused the shift?

My opinion around the death penalty shifted in probably the mid-2000s. I had always been someone who felt like our laws were kind of build for a reason and that the punishment should fit the crime. As I became a pastor and as I started to understand the ways in which the justice system was constructed to find guilt versus innocence, and how many folks could possibly be on death row without having either been property represented or with convictions that are executing people whose crime did not fit the punishment that they received, I became really disenchanted with the way our justice system was killing people indiscriminately. I have become someone who believes much more in the right to fair trials and the right for those trials to be scrutinized. I don’t want folks to be executed, period, but I do not ever want to take the chance that we have executed someone who either wasn’t afforded a fair trial or was innocent of the crime that got them to death row.

For me, it was a matter of education. While I was in seminary I was also exposed to Black liberation theology and women’s liberation theology and a history that taught me things my public school education didn’t. I just wanted to understand better and differently.

Republican

Chuck Fleischmann (incumbent)

Age: 63

Occupation: U.S. congressman

ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS FROM THE CANDIDATE

The federal debt is above $30 trillion. Name one specific tax change you support and one specific spending cut or constraint you support to address long‑term debt.

The federal debt is out of control; there’s no question about that. If we want to pass down a nation we are proud of to the next generation, we must decrease the national debt. The government is not above the principles of good business, and it is time that we stop runaway spending.

The government should not be able to spend more money than it brings in each year. I support a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to pass a balanced budget, much like how Tennessee does every year.

When it comes to taxes, our system is far too complex. Trump’s 2017 tax reform took a meaningful step towards simplifying taxes and stopping government overreach, but there is still room to do more. We need to continue to overhaul our tax code so that Tennesseans keep more of their hard-earned money. I will always fight for lower taxes.

In Congress, I try to bring the good business principles that I learned as a former small business owner to all economic policies. It is time that we balance the budget and pull back on excessive government spending so that we can lower taxes, leaving more money with the people who know how to spend it best.

How should Congress balance energy affordability, reliability and environmental protection in East Tennessee?

To best provide energy that is affordable, reliable and environmentally conscious to East Tennessee, America needs to bring energy production home. Energy independence will allow us to provide a stable means of energy that is more resistant to price fluctuations and more environmentally conscious to all Americans. When our energy production happens here, we have more control over ensuring that it is done responsibly, so future generations can enjoy the beauty of our nation.

In East Tennessee, the future of nuclear power is happening now. Oak Ridge has always been a hub for nuclear innovation and is now the most comprehensive nuclear environment in the country. The research and technology that is coming out of Oak Ridge is a driving force in America’s energy dominance and will serve East Tennesseans’ energy needs for years to come.

As the chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I work each year to pass a budget that allows our energy sector to grow, bringing better energy options and increased economic gains to Americans. It is through responsible investment in diverse energy sources that we can balance affordability, reliability and environmental considerations when producing energy. In the last budget that we passed, Congress supported one of the biggest mineral extraction projects in decades, funded modular reactor projects, and invested in new baseload geothermal energy sources. As we look towards the next budget, my committee is working to quadruple America’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050, further develop domestic energy supply chains, and prioritize energy research and development.

Through investing in America’s energy independence, we can provide East Tennesseans with energy that is affordable, reliable and environmentally conscious.

What kind of energy investments should Tennessee pursue federally to address rising power demand?

We must take an all-of-the-above strategy when it comes to energy if we want to maximize consistency and affordability. President Trump has made us energy independent, a step that is critical to our economic well-being and national security.

Tennessee plays an important role in establishing our energy dominance. By investing in a wide variety of energy sources, we can choose to invest in more environmentally friendly options, while not sacrificing consistency or affordability. I am an advocate for investment in renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal energy, as well as increasing the use of our natural resources. However, one form of energy production stands out beyond the rest: nuclear power.

Nuclear energy is at the center of my vision for energy in the coming years. In Congress, I have worked to ensure that Tennessee is a leader in developing and deploying cutting-edge nuclear energy technology. TVA was selected to receive a $400 million grant to develop a small modular reactor as a result of a program developed by my appropriations bill, and because of that, our state will be at the forefront of producing more of the energy that we need.

Tennessee should invest in all types of energy, as we seek to make America energy independent, focusing specifically on nuclear energy.

People across the country and East Tennessee are noticing higher costs at the gas station and the grocery store. How should the federal government work to lower prices for shoppers?

Affordability is undoubtedly the big issue facing our country today. Going to the pump or having to make a trip to the grocery store should not be a source of economic anxiety. Unfortunately, the remnants of the Biden-era inflation are continuing to negatively affect everyday Americans.

The best thing that the federal government can do to lower prices is to get out of the way so that families and entrepreneurs can thrive. The irresponsible policies that have come out of D.C. for years, like excessive regulations and aggressive taxation, have stifled the economy, slowed the job market, and caused prices to skyrocket. It is time that the government stopped interfering in an economy that is perfectly capable of regulating itself.

In Congress, I have worked, and will continue to work, to make sure that pro-growth and pro-business policies are implemented. I will always stand in the way of policies that undermine the ability of families to thrive and will promote policies that help grow the middle class. Most of all, I will fight to get Congress to step back and allow the economy to thrive on its own.

Did you use AI assistance to help write your answer? If not, please write "n/a." If so, please elaborate.

N/a

IN-PERSON INTERVIEW WITH THE CANDIDATE

Chuck Fleischmann did not participate in Knox News voter's guide interviews.