Knox News invited the major U.S. House candidates to come to our office for an interview and to fill out an online questionnaire about issues that matter to Tennesseans.
Their responses are below.
Election Day is Nov. 3. Don't forget to vote!
U.S. House District 1
U.S. House District 1 is in far East Tennessee. It includes Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, parts of Jefferson, Johnson, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties.
Democrat
Kristi Burke
Age: 35
Occupation: Artist and YouTube content creator
IN-PERSON INTERVIEW
Tell me about a time you led through disagreement or conflict.
I was in a grocery store and had some things on my car about my campaign. Someone started asking me about it and said he voted Republican. Once he started talking, we realized we actually agreed
on everything. We agreed that the rich are just getting richer off of us, that our government isn’t operating for us and that everyone in the United States deserves to have their basic needs met like housing and health care. He was very skeptical of me at first, but after we had about a 10-15 minute conversation, we realized we might just have some disagreements about how to achieve our shared values and goals. It was a really productive conversation.
In Congress, my goal would be to listen to all people, not just Democrats, not just people who support me. I truly believe that we can all agree if we actually have productive conversations. It would just be a matter of informing the public and being honest and transparent, and actually taking the time to sit down with constituents and have productive conversations.
What would you do to make housing more affordable for renters and first-time homebuyers? Where will the money come from?
I think we just need to prioritize the people that live here. The people here in East Tennessee are getting priced out of their homes and they can’t afford to live here because we have luxury buyers coming in and just buying everything up and trying to make a profit off the people in our community. The goal is to incentivize communities to build affordable housing and not just allow these out-of-state corporate developers to come in and buy up all of our affordable housing and resell it for profit.
Who is a leader you aspire to emulate and why?
I don’t think about emulating people as much as I think about becoming the leader that the people of my community want me to be. I’m not trying to model myself off anyone else. I think I’m a genuine, trustworthy person and I’m best suited for this job. I’m working every day on myself, the person that I’m going to be when I get to Congress, and I listen to the people of my district and their needs and wants.
ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Data centers that propel AI innovations are driving up demand for electricity nationwide. How should Congress balance energy reliability, environmental concerns and economic development?
Congress must ensure innovation benefits our communities, not just corporate profits. I support the AI Data Center Moratorium Act because we need safeguards before allowing massive data centers to strain our electric grid, raise utility bills, and consume enormous amounts of water and energy. Economic development should create good local jobs and strengthen our communities, with corporations covering the infrastructure and environmental costs so taxpayers and ratepayers don’t have to.
Presidents of both parties have increasingly used executive orders and other tools to expand the power of the White House to act without legislative approval or oversight. Do you think Congress should more aggressively assert its constitutional authority to check the executive branch, and if so, what is a specific action Congress should take to reclaim its authority?
No president of either party should be permitted to govern around Congress. I support strong ethics rules and aggressive oversight for both the executive and legislative branches. Congress should also require emergency powers to expire after 30 days unless lawmakers affirmatively approve their continuation to restore accountability and the constitutional balance of power.
What is the biggest economic challenge facing Tennessee families, and what is your top specific legislative solution to tackle it?
Tennessee families are being economically hit from every direction. We have low wages, unaffordable housing, and rising healthcare costs. My top legislative priority is Medicare for All. In East Tennessee, where health outcomes are among the nation’s worst, guaranteeing care while eliminating premiums, deductibles, and medical debt would improve both our health and our economic security. We must also raise wages and expand affordable housing, but healthcare is the essential first step.
Did you use AI assistance to help write your answers? If not, please write "N/A." If so, please elaborate.
N/A
Republican
Diana Harshbarger (incumbent)
Age: 66
Occupation: U.S. congresswoman, retired pharmacist
Diana Harshbarger did not participate in Knox News voter's guide interviews or online questionnaire.
U.S. House District 2
U.S. House District 2 is north-central East Tennessee. It includes Blount, parts of Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, parts of Jefferson, Knox, Loudon and Union counties.
Democrat
Michaela Barnett
Age: 33
Occupation: Small business owner
IN-PERSON INTERVIEW
Tell me about a time you led through disagreement or conflict.
When I was in (U.S. Rep. Paul Tonka’s) office, I was an immigration staffer at a time when members of Congress were being turned away from their constitutional right to oversight of the executive branch overseeing DHS facilities to see abuses. As the immigration staffer, part of what I was doing was leading the coordination of an oversight visit. I had worked really hard to work with district staff to get a visit planned with a few other members. I remember the day it was supposed to happen, coming into the office and one of the members of the office just looked at me and I said “Oh it's not happening today, is it?”
Some of the other staff members were uncomfortable and they were worried about threats to themselves or the congressmen. I was so disappointed because as a member of Congress and as his staff, the degree of protection we have compared to the immigrants that are being detained, you really can't compare that. And I remember talking to several other members where I was, I really needed to not downplay their security and safety concerns while also affirming that it was our duty as members of this congressman's staff to go and see the conditions in which people were being kept.
We kind of addressed people's concerns while also really making clear what the trade-offs are. That was a moment of disagreement, frustration in the office. We talked through it and the visit did end up being rescheduled.
What would you do to make housing more affordable for renters and first-time homebuyers? Where will the money come from?
I’m really curious to see the impact of the recent housing bill that became law. It was one of the few bipartisan things this Congress has been able to accomplish and a lot of what was in that bill had different things that I support.
We need to streamline some permitting processes, we need to minimize the impact of private equity buying up single-family homes. I think one thing we need to do to bring down housing costs is end the president’s trade war with Canada. We have so many building materials that are just increasing in cost senselessly, which is driving up the cost that it takes to build and then the cost for folks trying to get their first home.
Here in East Tennessee, we have to be mindful because if you look at market-based approaches to bringing down housing costs, the logic is “build, build, build.” If you’ve got more units, the price of all of them will stabilize and go down. When I’m at people’s doors, I’m hearing we have too much development in Knoxville, in East Tennessee. It’s happening too fast. We need to focus on the other side of this calculus, which is jobs that pay a living wage. We need to repair roads, we need to upgrade our electrical grid, we need to upgrade our wastewater facility. There’s a lot of synchronicity with building for the future. I look forward to advancing legislation and appropriations requests that can do those two things.
Who is a leader you aspire to emulate and why?
I hope that (U.S. Rep.) Melanie Stansbury will be my mentor in Congress. I think she does an excellent job not only of fighting and delivering for her constituents, but educating people about how Congress works and what is in the content of bills and how citizens can get engaged in the process. I think she is a really excellent advocate and legislator while being a really strong communicator.
ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Data centers that propel AI innovations are driving up demand for electricity nationwide. How should Congress balance energy reliability, environmental concerns and economic development?
Innovations in AI do have the potential to accelerate scientific insights and technological innovation. I believe it is the role of Congress to ensure that the promising benefits of the AI revolution are distributed fairly. Right now, massive AI data centers strain our power grids, increase our utility rates, and threaten our environment, all while promising job displacement for American workers. So far, the benefits from these innovations are being concentrated at the top while the rest of us bear significant costs.
These are not the only issues with AI development – we’re now seeing AI leaders call out the unfettered acceleration of this technology as an existential threat to humanity. I am also increasingly concerned about the AI bubble popping and creating negative economic impacts for East Tennesseans.
In Congress, I’ll work to advance legislation that ensures that local communities retain control over data center development in their backyards, mandate that any data center development fully covers the cost of any utility rate hikes and invests in upgrading the electrical grid, and meets stringent, federal environmental standards for noise, light pollution, water use and energy supply. I’ll also support legislation that ensures states and local communities can regulate AI, unlike Rep. Tim Burchett who voted for a 10-year ban on states’ rights to regulate AI.
AI models need more stringent oversight to ensure safety, and I’ll fight for policies that require independent safety reviews before new models are released. I take the threat of jobs displacement from AI incredibly seriously, and will work to create and fund workforce development programs to help protect Americans from job displacement caused by AI.
We also need global safety agreements for AI, which means being a leader respected on the world stage and able to use our influence to lead and negotiate such agreements. I’ll work to return our status as a reliable ally in Congress so we can leverage such power.
My guiding principle in Congress is that East Tennessee’s resources, from water to land to electricity to our workforce, should benefit our communities, not billionaires and their massive corporations.
Presidents of both parties have increasingly used executive orders and other tools to expand the power of the White House to act without legislative approval or oversight. Do you think Congress should more aggressively assert its constitutional authority to check the executive branch, and if so, what is a specific action Congress should take to reclaim its authority?
Absolutely. The framers of our nation fought to free themselves from a monarchy in which one individual had disproportionate power, and created three separate but equal branches of government in order to maintain checks and balances. Many of the issues we face as a country today are as a result of members of Congress surrendering their Constitutional power and instead just submitting to the executive branch.
Congress has the power to declare war. Right now, we are embroiled in yet another expensive, unnecessary war in the Middle East that Congress has not authorized. Congress should advance legislation that defines hostilities in the war powers resolution and requires a funding cutoff as an enforcement mechanism. Congress should also create an efficient, streamlined process to challenge executive encroachments on Congressional war powers.
Reclaiming Congress’s constitutional authority requires that members of the President’s own party, whether Democrat or Republican, have the courage to stand up to their own leadership when the situation demands. Members of Congress must remember that they swore an oath to the Constitution and that their duty is to the people they represent, not to party leadership. If given the chance to represent the people of East Tennessee, I look forward to upholding my sworn oath to the Constitution, even if it comes at significant personal cost.
What is the biggest economic challenge facing Tennessee families, and what is your top specific legislative solution to tackle it?
I knock on East Tennesseans’ doors every day, and nearly all of them tell me the same thing: it’s too hard to get by. Many work paycheck to paycheck or are unable to afford essentials for their families, whether that’s medical care, transportation or groceries.
Short-sighted, billionaire-backed policies mean that we're losing thousands of manufacturing jobs, farmers and small businesses are hurting from the president's tariffs and trade-wars, and our young people are unable to find jobs that pay enough to make ends meet. The cost of living – from housing to groceries to health care – has skyrocketed, but job opportunities have become more restricted and our wages have not kept up.
As an entrepreneur, innovator, and jobs-creator, I know that East Tennesseans can have access to abundant, good jobs that contribute to our society, economy, and create financial stability for workers.
That’s why I’ll work in Congress to bring back East Tennessee’s share of infrastructure dollars so we can invest in much-needed projects across the region while expanding apprenticeship and trade school opportunities. Specifically, I will fight for federal funding and tax credits that incentivize investments in our energy and transportation infrastructure. From upgrading power grids to filling potholes, this legislation will bring billions of dollars to East Tennessee, support local businesses, create thousands of new good-paying jobs, and lower energy costs, all while building crucial infrastructure for our communities.
While this administration is focused on foreign wars and driving up costs, my priority is to ensure that local workers can build their own communities and make a good living doing it.
Did you use AI assistance to help write your answers? If not, please write "N/A." If so, please elaborate.
N/A
Republican
Tim Burchett (incumbent)
Age: 62
Occupation: U.S. congressman, former Knox County mayor
Tim Burchett did not participate in Knox News voter's guide interviews.
ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Data centers that propel AI innovations are driving up demand for electricity nationwide. How should Congress balance energy reliability, environmental concerns and economic development?
I am a small-government Republican who believes that we should be cautious about imposing heavy regulation on the private sector. However, we have a responsibility to protect Americans, especially children, from the abuse that artificial intelligence poses to our nation. From nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes targeting women and children to sophisticated scams targeting seniors, we need to address bad actors who use this technology to exploit innocent people.
Presidents of both parties have increasingly used executive orders and other tools to expand the power of the White House to act without legislative approval or oversight. Do you think Congress should more aggressively assert its constitutional authority to check the executive branch, and if so, what is a specific action Congress should take to reclaim its authority?
Executive orders are authorized by the U.S. Constitution and serve as directives for the executive branch. By design, they are not intended to last forever but to advance the administration's agenda and deliver on campaign promises. As such, executive orders should signal to Congress to act as swiftly as possible to deliver the legislation the American people elected the president to support. With each new administration, the first act is to undo the previous administration’s executive orders. I have found it incredibly frustrating that Congress has not moved to codify good executive orders into law. That is why I have introduced and pushed bills to make many executive orders from this administration the law of the land.
What is the biggest economic challenge facing Tennessee families, and what is your top specific legislative solution to tackle it?
My biggest economic concern is rising fuel prices. That is why I have proposed legislation to put export controls on diesel to keep American diesel in America. Big oil is taking Americans for a ride. While families, farmers, truckers and small businesses are paying record prices at the pump, American diesel is being shipped overseas. My bill would put that to an end by requiring Big Oil to prioritize the American consumer instead of shipping our fuel across the globe for higher prices.
Did you use AI assistance to help write your answers? If not, please write "N/A." If so, please elaborate.
N/A
U.S. House District 3
Democrat
Anna Golladay
Age: 53
Occupation: Small business owner, community organizer
IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS
Tell me about a time you led through disagreement or conflict.
I have been a faith leader for a significant part of my career. I think there are always times where, specifically in a church setting, there is disagreement on any number of things. I think the most important thing for me, specifically from a leadership standpoint, is that there is an understanding that all sides are worthy of input and feedback. I have a commitment to myself that I won’t ever tell someone how they should feel or how something I did to them made them feel. They are allowed to feel that way and welcome to feel that way, however it landed on them.
I’m never going to gaslight someone into thinking that what I said or did didn’t make them feel the way they’re telling me it did. From a leadership standpoint, it's important that in any form of disagreement or challenge, there is critical listening and an understanding that the way decisions can land on people may have opposite effects than what you thought or intended. There are always going to be ways I’m going to disagreements with my colleagues and my peers, but disagreements don’t have to make you disagreeable. Recognizing that the way something makes someone feel or the way they believe it will affect their district is only known to them. I can never assume that a legislation or policy I’m pushing will benefit a district I’m not intimate with.
What would you do to make housing more affordable for renters and first-time homebuyers? Where will the money come from?
We are running up against the housing question in almost every town hall that we do. Folks are struggling to afford a lot of the pieces of their life, but specifically as it relates to rent and as it relates to mortgage prices. And we know that in Tennessee, renters spend about 30% of their income on housing.
For me, expanding the low income tax credit is important because I think we need to encourage purchasing opportunities as much as possible. I also want to contribute to passing the American Homeowners Opportunity Act, which is a tax credit that allows buyers to receive up to $50,000 of their down payment. It can benefit buyers in real time but does not create a direct hit to the budget of the federal government because it comes in the form of a tax credit. And then, I very much want to fund community land trusts for local municipalities. If we can partner with cities to fund those trusts, I think we can have a greater impact on housing than simply incentivizing people as individuals.
I’m always going to err on the side of doing something at a scale that feels impactful can have greater results than doing something that simply affects one or two individuals at a time. When you invest in local government and allow them to be stakeholders, you build a kind of energy and relationality between officials.
Who is a leader you aspire to emulate and why?
I am most impressed right now with the leadership of U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna out of California. I think his approach to the systemic marginalization of people as well as the kinds of issues that we as a country are up against, specifically as it relates to AI and to some of the international conflicts we’re involved in, are ones I resonate with. I would also say that I will always go back to my deep abiding respect of James Baldwin as a civil rights icon and as someone who has written on Black liberation and the way theology should influence that. He showed, in many of the places where he was without power, the kind of humble yet assertive nature of leadership I think a lot of us should aspire to emulate.
ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Anna Golladay did not participate in the Knox News voter's guide online questionnaire.
Republican
Chuck Fleischmann (incumbent)
Age: 64
Occupation: U.S. congressman, lawyer
Chuck Fleischmann did not participate in Knox News voter's guide interviews.
ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Data centers that propel AI innovations are driving up demand for electricity nationwide. How should Congress balance energy reliability, environmental concerns and economic development?
Tennesseans should never be burdened by the energy usage of data centers. Electricity rates must stay low, and requiring companies to supply their own energy for their data centers, as President Trump asks in his Ratepayer Protection Plan, is a key part of ensuring that ratepayers are not being hurt by AI innovation.
As the demands on our energy system increase, America establishing energy independence becomes even more important. For Americans to have access to energy that is reliable, affordable and environmentally conscious, our energy needs to be produced right here in the United States. East Tennessee is positioned to lead our country to energy independence, and I will continue to fight to expand our energy capabilities in Congress.
We must take an all-of-the-above strategy when it comes to energy, investing in everything from solar to wind to the use of our natural resources, but, above all, we must continue to innovate when it comes to nuclear energy.
Oak Ridge is one of the key driving forces of America's nuclear innovation as the most comprehensive nuclear environment in the country. In Congress, I have worked to secure funding for new projects, including a $400,000,000 grant for TVA to develop a small modular reactor, the first of its kind in the United States. The research and development being done in Oak Ridge will help power our future.
Through investing in American energy innovation, we can ensure access to energy that is reliable, affordable, and environmentally conscious. We must continue down the path towards energy dominance so that we can continue to lead on all fronts, including AI innovation.
Presidents of both parties have increasingly used executive orders and other tools to expand the power of the White House to act without legislative approval or oversight. Do you think Congress should more aggressively assert its constitutional authority to check the executive branch, and if so, what is a specific action Congress should take to reclaim its authority?
Checks and balances are an important part of why the United States is the best-governed nation in the world. In Congress, I will ensure that the branches of government are held appropriately accountable to each other and will work for policies that is in the best interests of my constituents.
What is the biggest economic challenge facing Tennessee families, and what is your top specific legislative solution to tackle it?
Affordability is the biggest issue facing Tennessee families, economic or otherwise. Washington has stifled the economy through over-regulation and irresponsible fiscal policies, passing those costs onto the taxpayer instead of allowing the economy to thrive on its own.
In Congress, I will make sure that the government gets out of the way so that our businesses can create more great-paying jobs and can best contribute to the economy. I will work to cut unnecessary and burdensome taxes and regulations, and find innovative solutions to help balance our federal budget. It is time for the government to let American families and entrepreneurs thrive.
Did you use AI assistance to help write your answers? If not, please write "N/A." If so, please elaborate.
N/A
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: East Tennessee U.S. House voter's guide: Get to know the candidates
