Dr. Mary Headrick, right, takes the microphone they shared from Rep. Chuck Fleishman, left, during Monday’s 3rd District Congressional debate at Cleveland Middle School. The debate lasted one hour and was moderated by Franklin Chancey and Travis Henry, two Cleveland attorneys.WHY VOTE FOR YOU?FLEISCHMANN”When Chuck Fleischmann goes back to Washington, I will be that strong fiscal and social conservative, leading the values of 700,000 voters of the 3rd District.”HEADRICK”I come from a math background. I come from a science background. And right now, with what we face, we need that. We need someone who will look at the numbers and add one and one and get two — not two and a half and deny science.”ROLE OF GOVERNMENTFLEISCHMANN”As the federal government grows, whether it’s Department of Education or any federal department, our liberties are constrained. And it’s a bad thing.”HEADRICK”My opponent has extrapolated from our regulation of the school system to say that we shouldn’t have federal regulation of anything. That just isn’t so.”THE DEFICITFLEISCHMANN”This is a point where Dr. Headrick and I could not disagree more. … Raising taxes will not solve this problem. It will make it worse.”HEADRICK”We need to have fair revenue, even if it means more taxes in some areas and fewer taxes in other areas.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Dr. Mary Headrick on Monday accused U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of failing to represent ordinary citizens, using the only scheduled 3rd Congressional District showdown to present herself as a listening ear to the middle class she believes her opponent ignores.
Bolstered by more than $100,000 in unspent ad money that Headrick doesn’t have, Fleischmann barely acknowledged his challenger’s specific critiques and made general appeals to cut taxes, reduce government and oppose President Barack Obama. He said a continuation of his first-term voting record would benefit all 3rd District residents.
The two differed dramatically over education, health care and government’s role in society, with each nominee labeling the other’s belief system as the cause of national dysfunction. Headrick blamed lax federal oversight and tax policies that favor the nation’s wealthiest, while Fleischmann said her approach would add layers of government to an already excessive regulatory system.
But for all the buildup less than a month before Election Day, the hourlong debate merely exposed to a small audience what both candidates have said for months, and an independent observer said one debate was unlikely to tip the scales in a congressional district that has elected Republicans since 1994, sometimes by 2-to-1 margins.