The Tennessean Editorial Board invited each Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress successful Tennessee to capable retired its survey for the 2022 midterm elections. All the eventual nominees provided their biographical accusation and answered 10 questions. Below find the answers for this peculiar race. Early voting ends connected Nov. 3 and Election Day is Nov. 8.
More: Learn astir candidates moving successful the Nov. 8 Tennessee wide predetermination | Editorial
Republican nominee: Mark Green (incumbent)
Democratic nominee: Odessa Kelly
About Mark Green
- Age: 58
- Neighborhood, municipality and/or city: Clarksville
- Education: United States Military Academy astatine West Point, BS, Business - Quantitative Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, MD, Medicine University of Southern California, MC, Systems Management
- Job history: United State Representative, 2018 - Current Tennessee State Senator, 2012 - 2018 Founder, President and CEO, Align MD, 2010 - 2017 Chief of Staff - Elect, Gateway Medical Center, 2008 - 2009 President, Emergency Service Network, 2004 - 2008 Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Gateway Medical Center, 2004 - 2007 Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, 2004 - 2006 Special Operations Flight Surgeon, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), 2002 -2004 Resident and Chief Resident, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center Residency Program Emergency Medicine, 1999 - 2002 Medical Student, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, 1995 - 1999 US Army Recruiting Company Commander, Dayton, OH Army Recruiting Command, 1993 - 1995 Combat Arms Assignment Officer, 18th Airborne Corps, 1993 Airborne Rifle Company Commander, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army, 1991 - 1993 Battalion Supply, Budget and Logistics Officer, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army, 1991 Battalion Human Resource Director, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 194th Separate Armor Brigade, 1989 - 1990 Scout Platoon Leader, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 194th Separate Armor Brigade, 1988 - 1989 Mechanized Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 194th Separate Armor Brigade, 1987 - 1988
- Family: Wife: Camie of 34 years. Children: Alexa and Mitchell.
About Odessa Kelly
- Age: 40
- Neighborhood, municipality and/or city: Nashville
- Education: Master of Public Service - Cumberland University (2014) Bachelor of Business Administration - Tennessee State University (2004) Class of 2000 - Stratford High School (Nashville, TN)
- Job history: Executive Director - Stand Up Nashville (2019 - Present), Director - Napier Community Center, Metro Parks and Recreation (2006-2019) Warehouse employee/Courier - FedEx (2004 - 2012)
- Family: Lots of it!
Ten Questions astir your Candidacy
What bureau are you seeking? (Include district)
U.S. House of Representatives District 7 (both)
Why are you moving for this office?
Green:
I judge America is astatine an inflection point; we tin take to uphold the principles of our Founding Fathers and support the Constitutional Republic they created oregon we tin take the roadworthy to serfdom. The roadworthy to serfdom is paved by centralized government; 1 that does not spot the radical to govern themselves. This is the benignant of authorities our Founders rejected yet it is what the near is warring for today. In short, I americium moving for bureau to combat against the Far Left’s effort to socialize our state and portion Americans of their cardinal rights. I americium moving to support the radical of Tennessee’s close to support and carnivore arms, their close to speak, signifier their religion—or nary religion if they truthful choose—assemble freely, and their close to govern themselves without the interference of national bureaucrats. I americium besides moving to support the close of Tennessee to govern itself. Our Founders acceptable up a national strategy arsenic a preemptive absorption to centralized control. These national powerfulness grabs are egregious and indispensable beryllium resisted—it is my precedence to bash so.
Kelly:
We request much moving people radical successful Congress who recognize the urgencies that the bulk of Tennesseans are struggling with. Our ideology is hanging connected by a thread due to the fact that overmuch of the existent enactment lone cares astir making wealth and holding onto power, but I spot you...I cognize what it's similar to enactment 2 jobs, rise kids, wage rent and consciousness ignored, mistreated, and unappreciated by those successful positions of elected leadership. I privation to physique a authorities with the people, not against them. Tennessee deserves a typical who's not acrophobic to basal against achromatic nationalism, greedy corporations, and hatred disguised arsenic faith. Twenty years from present I privation to beryllium capable to look radical successful the oculus and accidental “I exhausted each spot of my capableness to physique thing better.”
What makes you qualified to clasp this bureau and amended qualified than your opponent(s)?
Green:
I volition ne'er halt listening to the voices of the radical successful my district. I americium their dependable successful Congress—I instrumentality each interest I perceive seriously. Every enactment I instrumentality successful Washington is informed by the radical backmost home. They are my boss. I was raised connected a ungraded roadworthy successful Mississippi, and by the grace of God, pursued my American imagination and became a doc and businessman. I was capable to beryllium palmy done the assistance of others—and I privation to assistance empower each Tennessean to execute their American dream, too. I service each constituent careless of who they ballot for; I’ll proceed doing that. I cognize not each constituent volition hold with me—and immoderate volition vehemently disagree. That’s ok. I person those colleagues successful Congress now. But I inactive enactment with them. I started with a Democrat workfellow the Reagan O’Neil Club. We disagree powerfully connected galore policies, but determination are areas wherever we person communal ground. President Reagan and Speaker O’Neil ne'er changed who they were—but due to the fact that they were consenting to scope crossed the aisle, they got things done for our country.
Kelly:
This state is falling isolated due to the fact that our existent enactment represents a tiny, affluent minority, and not the masses. I'm Black successful America, cheery successful America, and a pistillate successful America! I’m besides a mother, successful debt, moving class, underpaid, attended nationalist schools, got assemblage loans, emotion the world and privation to sphere it. I person a proven way grounds of utilizing civilian work to amended the lives of others whereas my hostile Mark Green has abused his existent presumption of enactment to portion constituents of their liberties, teardrop isolated our democracy, and marque himself richer. Congressman Mark Green jeopardizes the lives of Tennesseans and millions much crossed this state to garner the affection of Donald Trump by upholding racists, misogynistic, and oppressive ideologies. The lone happening that has improved during his tenure successful Congress is his nett worth. I person built my full vocation by serving the nationalist well, and I volition proceed to bash truthful successful Congress
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How tin you marque the biggest interaction connected your assemblage done this position?
Green:
The solutions I’ve fought for, are ones that assistance some our agrarian communities and the interior city. They’re solutions that tin assistance Franklin arsenic overmuch arsenic Clarksville—Nashville arsenic overmuch arsenic Lobelville. I judge that a bully acquisition is critical. That’s wherefore I’ve fought for a instrumentality to in-person learning and I’m arrogant Tennessee has prioritized that. Our kids successful Metro request to beryllium learning successful idiosyncratic with their teachers arsenic overmuch arsenic our kids successful Waynesboro. The extremist near successful Washington wants to support increasing the size and power of government, support bankrupting our children and grandchildren, and support our kids retired of school. I judge that each American should person the quality to usage the gifts God gave them to beryllium what their Creator designed them to be. That means the national authorities needs to get retired of the mode and fto our section communities pb the way. More than anything, the radical of Tennessee privation to beryllium capable to unrecorded their lives and rise their families without an overreaching national government. They privation to govern themselves. They privation to strive for the American imagination without having to archetypal get someone’s permission. They privation to physique a concern without fearfulness of getting sued by Washington bureaucrats. They privation to enactment without being forced into a national oregon forced into making aesculapian decisions they disagree with. And the radical of Tennessee privation to supply for their families without being taxed into oblivion oregon spending their savings conscionable to capable up their state tanks.
Kelly:
Overall, I privation Tennesseans to spot their champion interests being represented, not conscionable done words, but done actions. In Congress, I’ll ballot yes to expanding the Supreme Court, restoring voting rights, and creating much pathways for radical to alleviate debt. I'll besides ballot yes connected infrastructure bills to physique caller roads, bridges, agrarian hospitals and the backing needed for prime workforce grooming programs that volition enactment Tennesseans to enactment crossed this country. I’ll ballot yes to little wellness attraction costs, little childcare costs, legalize marijuana, and little medicine cause costs. Congressman Mark Green has not and volition ne'er combat to supply our communities with this benignant of representation.
If you are elected (or re-elected), what are your apical 2 to 3 priorities for your caller (or next) word successful office?
Green:
Stopping amerciable immigration, warring inflation, and preserving the Constitution. Border Crisis: Our state is facing a large situation astatine our Southern border. So acold successful 2022 implicit 10,000 pounds of fentanyl has been seized by Border Patrol. Of the 108,000 overdose deaths past year, much than 80,000 were linked with fentanyl. This twelvemonth alone, 3.5 cardinal radical are expected to transverse the Southern border. We indispensable unafraid our border–our nationalist information and the information of our communities beryllium upon it. Yet President Biden is insisting connected unfastened borders and ignoring national migration laws.
Inflation: Newly released information shows that ostentation changeable up to 8.2% successful September. This includes a 13% leap successful the outgo of groceries and a 19.8% leap successful vigor costs. This is harming hardworking American families. Washington spending has sent our system into a escaped fall. With the Holidays coming up, families are struggling to big Thanksgiving meal and bargain their kids Christmas presents. Every clip Democrats get their hands connected an industry, prices sprout up. Just look astatine wellness attraction premiums since the ACA was enacted. And The champion happening for our system would beryllium for the authorities to get retired of the way.
The Constitution: I volition proceed to defy the Left’s effort takeover of our institutions. I volition combat to sphere the separation of powers, the integrity of the Supreme Court, and astir importantly federalism. I volition proceed to combat to support the Constitution arsenic the instrumentality of the land.
Kelly:
Restoring and expanding voting rights, tackling the affordable lodging crisis, and alleviating debt.
What are you proceeding astir from voters astir what they privation you to accomplish, if elected?
Green:
The fig 1 happening I’m proceeding from my constituents is that they privation ostentation to spell down and to halt spending an limb and a limb astatine the pump. This means we request to halt Democrats’ socialist docket and that we request vigor independence. I americium moving hard successful Washington to halt President Biden’s extremist clime alteration docket and alternatively to absorption our nation’s resources connected the needs of the American people.
Kelly:
Tennessee’s caller 7th Congressional territory includes some tiny agrarian towns and densely populated municipality neighborhoods – but we each person the aforesaid needs and urgencies. No substance wherever they live, radical privation amended wellness care, affordable homes, jobs with higher wages, harmless workplaces, and a beardown vibrant democracy.
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What other bash you privation voters to cognize astir you that volition assistance them marque an informed determination connected Election Day?
Green:
I emotion state and I volition combat until my past enactment to guarantee Americans support their God-given rights, this includes the close to support themselves and the close to talk and worship freely.
Kelly:
I’m moving for Congress to present powerfulness to the moving radical and communities of Tennessee who’ve been near down by radical who maltreatment their power. I’m not successful this to summation a rubric oregon wealthiness oregon status. I’m present to situation the presumption quo, ne'er beryllium silent, and combat for your close to unrecorded the champion prime of beingness you perchance can.
Tell america about a mentor oregon usher who made a quality successful your beingness and what contented would you impart to the community?
Green:
My communicative is intertwined with my dad’s. When I was young my begetter mislaid his close limb owed to cancer. Part of my dad’s occupation erstwhile successful the Air Force was to scope into atomic warheads to activate them earlier combatant jets carried them into combat—he would bash this with his close arm. After losing his arm, my dad’s brag told him that helium was present fractional of a antheral truthful he’d get fractional a salary. Instead of taking authorities assistance, my dada had to prime up a 2nd occupation to marque ends meet. He started roofing houses. I became my dad’s close arm. I retrieve climbing onto roofs with my dada and holding the nail successful spot for him. Because my dada lone had 1 arm, helium had to commencement each nail by driving it successful with the thenar of his hand. When galore radical could person grown bitter from these circumstances, my dada didn’t. Instead, helium recovered God and became a minister. He has been my leader and my enactment strategy for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember. As acold arsenic contented goes, I’d accidental to support your priorities successful perspective: God, family, vocation. I learned aboriginal connected from my dada that if you enactment your work to God and household first, the remainder volition follow.
Kelly:
Anyone who knows me, knows the reverence I person for my parents and everything they’ve done for maine and my family. But I person to notation SEIU organizer Maura Lee Albert. She perpetually reminds maine that beingness is what we marque of it, and that sometimes you person to beryllium successful uncomfortable spaces to get what you need. I would archer everyone to retrieve that America belongs to you. Fight for the mentation of America that you privation to see. Don't beryllium fearful of the opposition, alternatively beryllium resolute astir unwavering. Yes, determination volition beryllium radical and institutions that volition basal against you but determination volition beryllium millions much who volition basal beside you (including me). Power to the People!
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Will you perpetrate to being civilian successful however you contiguous yourself and the mode you interact with opponents and others? (Our explanation of civility is being a good, active, honorable and respectable citizen)
Both candidates answered yes.
A amusive question: What are 1 oregon 2 attractions (restaurants, parks, venues, etc.) that visitors cannot miss if they travel to your community?
Green:
Strawberry Alley is an awesome spot to devour successful Clarksville! Of course, nary sojourn to the caller TN-7 would beryllium implicit without stopping by the Opry.
Kelly:
If you are visiting my assemblage you cannot miss Plane Jane cocktail barroom (it's a full vibe) and Bolton's Hot Chicken (get the food - spot me, it is amazing).
Call Opinion and Engagement Director David Plazas astatine (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
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