For the third time in a row, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischman will defend his seat in Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District from at least one GOP primary challenger this year.
Geoffery Suhmer Smith of Athens, Tenn., announced this week he will seek the Republican nomination for the 3rd district, saying he will run against Fleischmann as a "true conservative."
Smith said he received his bachelor of science in criminal justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and he served as an Army infantryman in the 10th Mountain Division from 2011-2014, according to a released statement. He has never held elected office, but Smith believes that could be an advantage in this election because he is "not a career politician."
"This is the year of the anti-establishment candidate," he said.
For the McMinn County plant supervisor, a handful of consequential issues stand out as priorities, the most important being homeland security. He said he is opposed to the resettlement of Syrian refugees on American soil, believing they have not been properly vetted and could be a serious danger to the community.
"When you do stuff like that, you open us up to attack," he said.
Another important topic for Smith, and the issue that finally pushed him to pick up his papers and challenge Fleischmann, is funding for Planned Parenthood.
According to the press release, he decided to run after Fleischmann voted in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which he said continued funding for the organization. The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill passed the House 316-113 in mid-December, with 150 Republicans supporting the measure and 95 opposing.
"I took an oath to defend my country from all enemies foreign and domestic, and there is no enemy greater than a man who votes to fund the barbarism of Planned Parenthood," he said.
Aside from his personal platform, Smith also believes he can best represent the interests of the district because he is a native with deep family ties to the area.
"I am a descendant of East Tennesseans going back for a century," he said. "I have a great-grandfather buried in East Ridge."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.