CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Early voting begins this week for the Nov. 8 election, which includes the race for U.S. Congress, District 7, covering Montgomery County.
Clarksville Now is checking in on the candidates to see where they stand on the issues.
U.S. House, Dist. 7
- Mark Green, R
- Odessa Kelly, D
- Steven Hooper, I
Here are the responses from Odessa Kelly, co-founder and executive director of Stand Up Nashville. She graduated from Tennessee State University and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Service at Cumberland University.
Question: What is your stand on economic recovery solutions?
Odessa Kelly: We’ve got to ensure that our approach to an economic recovery from the pandemic prioritizes working families. That means making sure massive corporations and the richest Americans pay their fair share in taxes to strengthen our communities and level the economic playing field. That means fighting for anti-trust legislation that will combat anti-competitive mergers and break up the corporate monopolies that are driving inflation and raking in billions at our expense. And that means raising the federal minimum wage, which has remained stagnant for over a decade. We can close the racial and gender wage gap, lift up working Tennesseans, and stimulate the economy by finally raising the minimum wage to $15.
Question: What is your stand on abortion access, particularly in cases of rape or incest?
Kelly: Tennessee has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, with no exceptions for rape or incest. It’s a disgrace and a total violation of our fundamental rights. As a mother of two, I will always fight for a woman’s right to choose – and that choice is up to her and her alone. When I’m in Congress, I will fight tooth and nail to abolish the filibuster and codify Roe v. Wade to stop the Republican attempt to enact a federal abortion ban.
Question: What is your stand on expanding access to health care for low-income families?
Kelly: We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet millions of Americans are still forced to skip doctor’s appointments and ration life-saving medication because of our for-profit healthcare system. It’s time for America to catch up with the rest of the developed world and adopt a universal healthcare system that eliminates the barriers preventing the people most in need from accessing care – that’s why I’m a staunch proponent of Medicare for All. We cannot continue to tie health insurance to employment status and allow big pharmaceutical and private health insurance companies to profit off our suffering.
Question: Is there another issue that you’d like to weigh in on?
Kelly: We must dramatically lower the cost of prescription drugs by allowing the government to manufacture drugs. Right now we have pharmaceutical monopolies that allow Big Pharma to charge patients and providers extreme prices for lifesaving drugs. Congress must step in and ensure that these corporations face real competition that will lower prescription drug prices for all.
MORE: Congressional candidate Rep. Mark Green on economy, abortion, inflation
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Early voting will be Oct. 19-Nov. 3 at the Election Commission Office, 350 Pageant Lane, and Oct. 24-Nov. 3 at the Clarksville Regional Airport, 200A Outlaw Field Road.
Voting on Election Day, Nov. 8, will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the neighborhood voting precincts.
You will have to show your driver’s license or other state or federal photo ID.
For more information, go to the Montgomery County Election Commission website.
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