U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah, hasn't debated a general election opponent since 2014, but we think it's time he did.
We won't hold our breath, though.
No campaign manager worth his salt of either major political party would advise an incumbent congressman in a district he is likely to win by more than 20 points to debate an opponent, but we believe all of Fleischmann's 3rd District constituents need to hear from him on his accomplishments and the issues of the day.
"Campaigns have come to the realization that no one watches debates, so the risk outweighs the reward," John Thomas, a Republican strategist who works on House campaigns across the country, told Politico earlier this year.
We're not sure nobody watches debates, especially if they're live. The last time Fleischmann debated a general election opponent, Mary Headrick in 2014, WTCI filled its studio, and more people wanted to get in but couldn't.
General-election debates with Headrick in 2012 and 2014 have been the only two the six-term congressman has agreed to since first being elected in 2010.
In 2010, Fleischmann participated in a primary debate in Cleveland but chose not to debate Democrat John Wolfe before the general election, saying there were scheduling conflicts. Wolfe called him "the coward of the county," referencing a 1979 song by Kenny Rogers.
In 2012, he appeared in at least three debates with his primary opponents and then met Headrick in what was termed a lightly attended forum in Bradley County ahead of the general election. He rejected a second debate.
In 2014, Fleischmann and challenger Weston Wamp met in a televised primary debate at WTCI and then with Headrick at UTC. Then, after edging Wamp by a whisker and ditching campaign manager Chip Saltsman, he debated Headrick in a debate televised by WTCI.
In 2016, 2018 and 2020, he had little or no primary opposition and faced three different women with much lower name recognition in the general election.
In 2016, Fleischmann's opponent was attorney Melody Shekari, who taunted him about a debate by wondering why he continued to "duck and dodge" and stated in a Facebook post that "Cowardly Chuck Won't Debate."
In 2018, he did not debate opponent Dr. Danielle Mitchell.
In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Fleischmann and three other local Republicans with general-election opponents refused to take part in a Zoom debate sponsored by this newspaper, WRCB and the League of Women Voters. Because only Democrats accepted, there could be no debate, and the event was canceled.
A spokesman for his campaign said he was "focused on securing funding relief for Tennessee businesses and families" and was "focused on listening to the concerns of the people he represents and offering real solutions."
His opponent, Meg Gorman, tweeted: "When @chuck4congress refuses to debate me, he's refusing folks in TN-03 the opportunity to cast informed votes now and hold their elected official accountable in the future."
The two candidates came face to face for the first time on election day when Gorman arrived at a polling place where Fleischmann was waving a campaign sign. Confronting him, she asked if they could make a spontaneous video about civility in politics, which they did.
This fall, Gorman is his opponent again. Earlier this month, responding to a tweet urging the two to debate, she said: "I'm game! What do ya say, @RepChuck?"
A spokesman for Fleischmann's campaign said a debate had not been discussed to date but that Gorman seemed to have little presence in the district.
Incumbents, as we noted, have little reason to debate, and rarely lose regardless.
Between 1964 and 2020, incumbent House members have won between 85% (1970) and 98.3% of the time (1998), according to OpenSecrets.org. According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), during the 2021-2022 cycle, incumbents have raised an average of $2,147,104 to their opponents' $221,141.
Fleischmann, according to the FEC, has raised $775,939 for his re-election bid -- $1,391, or .18%, from small donors.
In the Politico article, it was suggested Republicans shied away from debates because they revile the media (who are often asked to moderate such events), because self-funding or celebrity candidates are too inexperienced, and because former President Donald Trump has complained debates are rigged.
"In general," Saul Anuzis, a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, said in the article, "most candidates do not feel they get a fair shake from the mainstream media. So, I think you put yourself at risk going up ... against a Democrat in debates, depending on who the moderators are going to be."
He said, "Just from a strategic perspective, there's not a whole lot of reason to give your opponents an opportunity to attack you or make a mistake or set yourself up on an issue that may backfire ... Why put yourself at risk for anything?"
As to Fleischmann, we figure he just reads the conventional wisdom tea leaves and doesn't want to take a chance he doesn't have to. It's shame, though. After six terms, the voters should be able to see their congressman defend his record, go toe to toe with a challenger and explain why they should re-elect him. We figure he owes them at least that.