| |
| | Thursday, October 15, 2020
|
First District US House race
Early voting continues today in Tennessee. In Cocke County, the early voting site is in the Western Plaza Shopping Center. In a historical first, two women are running for the First District US House of Representatives seat being vacated by the retiring Phil Roe. “All my goal is to be the best congresswoman you’ve ever had,” says Republican nominee Diana Harshbarger. She won the nomination with 19 percent of the vote. In a reflection of the times, Harshbarger is the first Republican woman to win the nomination, going up against the first woman to garner the Democratic nomination, Blair Walsingham. Harshbarger has been a pharmacist for years. She says her fear is that the country is venturing too far to the left. “It’s possible to take our country back, it’s possible to change healthcare for the better, it’s possible to secure those borders, it’s only possible if you have the right leadership, am I right?” she recently to a Hamblen County group. The candidate calls herself an unapologetic conservative Trump Republican. Saying that she is running for Congress because she believes that our nation is at a tipping point. "Fringe liberals threaten the future of our country with the false promises of socialism. They stand in the way of President Donald Trump’s progress and economic freedom. The president needs an outsider like himself in Congress that has his back. The president needs someone that is not beholden to political games or special interests, someone who understands what it takes to build a business and raise a family," she argues. Blair Walsingham was the lone candidate in the race for the Democrat House nomination. The military veteran is running on the platform of health, freedom, and financial security. The mother of four, small business owner, and homesteader, Walsingham says she is "focused on pursuing policies that will reduce bureaucracy and ensure greater access to opportunity for all Americans." At the age of 17, Walsingham, enlisted in the Air Force, but during her last year in service, found out she had cervical cancer and was undeployable. She went to college and now lives on a farm in Hawkins County. “The most important issue is addressing poverty here all across the district and nationwide,” she said. “Here in East Tennessee, we have ten of the poorest counties in all of Tennessee, and eight of those are in District One.” To combat the issue, she wants to implement the Freedom Dividend, which includes a universal form of basic income, a higher priority of internet connections in rural communities, supporting farmers (along with legalization of cannabis and creating a hemp processing plant), criminal justice reform and updating school systems to be more individualized for students. “I’m going to steer policies in the right direction based on data and what people need, and not based on corporations big business buying people out.” Walsingham also hopes to break the “party line” in which people vote for candidates merely because of their political party. Instead, she argues that people should vote for candidates based on what policies they are representing.
|
Return to Today's News Stories - Front PageThursday, April 29, 2021
US 411 Project News
Mill Creek Wildfire Update
More Bad News For Smokies' Fans
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Mill Creek Wildfire doubles in size
Goodbye Smokies?
Keep Cocke County Beautiful
Cocke Co. High School Remote Learning today!
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
The fireflies are coming!
Burnout Operations on MillCreek wildfire today
Gas prices drop
Tennessee keeps all US House seats
Monday, April 26, 2021
Boat accident victim ID'd
Traffic stop yields drug arrest
Cocke County Wildfires
Friday, April 23, 2021
Leaving WNPC
Mathis announces candidacy
Newport drug roundup
Cruise Against Cancer
Jobless numbers
|
|
|