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
Mark Green is a physician, businessman, combat veteran and former state senator. During his years of service, he was a flight surgeon assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Odessa Kelly is 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?
Mark Green: The booming economy – until the policies of the last few years – is proof that cutting taxes and rolling back the regulatory state lead to prosperity. Government first and foremost needs to get out of the way. Small businesses are the economic engine of America and should be unleashed from the burdensome regulations. Regulations weigh the economy down by as much as $2 trillion annually, hampering productivity across industries. As a state senator, I led the fight to repeal the Hall Income Tax, making our state one of only two states to have ever repealed an income tax of any kind.
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?
Green: As a physician, I know firsthand that life begins at conception, and it’s our moral responsibility as humans to protect the most vulnerable among us. As one of only seven countries that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks in the world – in the company of North Korea – passing the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act should be an easy first step. I was proud to co-sponsor the bill. The Supreme Court righted one of the greatest wrongs in our nation’s history with the Dobbs decision, and we must continue our fight to protect life in every state.
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?
Green: We must fix healthcare in America. As a former healthcare CEO, I know that to increase access, we must cut red tape and keep the government from bogging down the system. I introduced the Medicaid Improvement and State Flexibility Act, which allows states to implement a patient-centered and patient-controlled pilot program for Medicaid patients similar to what I passed as a state senator. I have also introduced two bipartisan bills in Congress to repeal arcane rules that are killing our rural hospitals. Consumer-centered health care shifts control of choice, decisions and payment to the patients and their providers.
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?
Green: Newly released data shows that inflation shot up to 8.2% in September. This includes a 13% jump in the cost of groceries and a 19.8% jump in energy costs. This is harming hardworking Tennessee families. Washington spending has sent our economy into a freefall. With the holidays coming up, families are struggling to host Thanksgiving dinner and buy their kids Christmas presents. Every time Democrats get their hands on an industry, prices shoot up. Just look at health care premiums since the ACA was enacted. And we must get the government out of the way.
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.
Clarksville Now was unable to reach Steven Hooper.
For more
Early voting is 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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