Of the seven U.S. House candidates the conservative Club for Growth political action committee has endorsed this year, two are running in congressional districts in the Chattanooga area, according to the PAC’s website.
One candidate, Hixson health care consultant Robin Smith, is seeking the open seat in Tennessee’s 3rd District, which spans 11 counties and includes Chattanooga, Cleveland and Oak Ridge. Eleven Republicans, four Democrats and six independents are vying to replace U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., who is running for governor.
The other candidate in the area whom the Club for Growth has endorsed, U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., won a runoff election on June 8 in North Georgia’s 15-county 9th District to fill the remainder of Nathan Deal’s two-year term after he resigned in March to run for governor.
Rep. Graves, a Ranger, Ga., real estate developer who was sworn in June 14, faces four opponents in the July 20 GOP primary. Two other Republicans are on the ballot but have withdrawn from the race.