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Chuck Fleischmann | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Zach Wamp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Joseph Fleischmann (1962-10-11)October 11, 1962 (age 63) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) University of Tennessee (JD) |
| Signature | .png) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Fleischmann introducing the FY2024 appropriations bill for energy, water, and related agencies. Recorded October 25, 2023 | |
Charles Joseph Fleischmann[1][2] (/ˈflaɪʃmən/FLYSHE-mən;[3] born October 11, 1962)[4] is an American attorney and politician who has been theU.S. representative forTennessee's 3rd congressional district since 2011. The district is based inChattanooga and includes a large part ofEast Tennessee, includingOak Ridge. He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Fleischmann was born inManhattan,New York City, and is a resident ofOoltewah, an unincorporated suburban community east of Chattanooga.[5][6] He is the son of Rose Marie (née Salvo) and Max Fleischmann, Jr.[7] Fleischmann is ofItalian,English, andAustro-Hungarian descent, with some Jewish heritage on his grandfather’s side, and is a distant relative ofHarry Houdini.[8][9]
Fleischmann graduated fromElk Grove High School inElk Grove Village, Illinois.[8] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[4] He received bothPhi Beta Kappa andmagna cum laude honors. He then earned aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Tennessee College of Law inKnoxville.[10] He was the first member of his family to attend college.[8]
After graduating from law school, Fleischmann moved toChattanooga, Tennessee, and founded an independent law firm, Fleischmann and Fleischmann, in 1987. He is a former president of the Chattanooga Bar Association[8] and former chair of the Chattanooga Lawyers Pro Bono Committee.[11]
Republican incumbentZach Wamp retired in order to run for governor, leaving this an open seat. Fleischmann entered an 11-way Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district. None of the candidates had ever run for elected office before. Fleischmann's biggest competition came from former state GOP chairRobin Smith, who was considered the front-runner.[12] She was endorsed by formerspeaker of the U.S. HouseNewt Gingrich andthe Club for Growth. Fleischmann won the primary with a plurality of 30% of the vote, defeating Smith by 1,415 votes. He won most of the counties in the district, which were mostly in the northern part of the district, while Smith won three counties:Rhea,Hamilton (home to Chattanooga), andPolk counties. Third-place finisher Tim Gobble won onlyBradley County, his home county.[13][14]
Fleischmann's Democratic opponent in the general election was John Wolfe, a fellow attorney. Fleischmann had faced Wolfe in his first case as an attorney. He said he won that case and the appeal "and now I want to defeat him a third time."[15] His other opponent was independent candidate Savas Kyriakidis, an attorney, restaurant owner and Iraq War veteran.[16] Fleischmann won the race with 57% of the vote.[17]
In his first reelection campaign, Fleischmann defeatedScottie Mayfield and Weston Wamp in the Republican primary, 39%-31%-29%.[18] He defeated Democratic nominee Mary Headrick in the general election with a large majority of the vote.[19]
On November 4, 2014, Fleischmann defeated Headrick again with 62.3% of the vote.
On November 8, 2016, Fleischmann defeated Democrat Melody Shekari and independentRick Tyler with 66.4% of the vote.
On November 6, 2018, Fleischmann defeated Democrat Danielle Mitchell and independent Rick Tyler with 63.7% of the vote.
On November 3, 2020, Fleischmann defeated Democrat Meg Gorman with 67.3% of the vote.
On November 8, 2022, Fleischmann defeated Democrat Meg Gorman with 68.4% of the vote.
On November 5, 2024, Fleischmann defeated Democrat Jack Allen with 67.5% of the vote.
In October 2021,Business Insider reported that Fleischmann had violated theStop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law, by failing to properly disclose the purchase of stock inDraftKings Inc. and the sale of stock inZimmer Biomet, each worth up to $15,000.[20]
In July 2024, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Fleischmann declined to attend a town hall debate with opponents Jack Allen (D) and Stephen King (I). The article further mentioned that Fleischmann had not debated an opponent since October of 2014, when he debated Mary Headrick (D).[21] Later, in September of 2025, Fleischmann said he intends to "never" host a town hall.[22]
Fleischmann tends to voteconservative. The conservative policy advocacy organization,Heritage Action, gave Fleischmann a lifetime score of 74 percent.[23] The conservative and libertarian advocacy group,FreedomWorks, gave him a lifetime score of 70.6 percent.[24]The largest federation of unions in the United States, theAFL-CIO, gave Fleischmann a lifetime score of 12 percent.[25]
In July 2011, Fleischmann originally supported SpeakerJohn Boehner'sdebt limit bill, but voted against the final debt ceiling agreement.[26]
In November 2011, Fleischmann filed a new bill, the Stop Green Initiative Abuse Act of 2011, which would repeal the Department of Energy'sWeatherization Assistance Program. This program attempts to assist low-income families in lowering their energy bills by adding energy-efficient caulking and insulation to homes. A December 2010 Tennessee Comptroller's Office report concluded that funds for the program had been "wasted or misspent".[citation needed] Fleischmann's office estimated that if this bill passed it would save taxpayers $2.1 billion over the next decade. This was the third bill he proposed.
Fleischmann supports the use ofnuclear power. His district contains theSequoyah Nuclear Plant. He is the head of the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus.[27][28][29][30] In 2024, Fleischmann proposed new funding from the Department of Energy to develop advanced nuclear energy projects, includingsmall modular reactors.[31]
In December 2020, Fleischmann was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election, in whichJoe Biden defeated[32] incumbentDonald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lackedstanding underArticle III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[33][34][35]
House speakerNancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Fleischmann and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[36][37] New Jersey representativeBill Pascrell, citing section three of the14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Fleischmann and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[38]
Fleischmann voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[39][40] When asked aboutPalestinian deaths from the ongoingGaza war, Fleischmann said "I will always support Israel, and you can tell the Palestinians I will never support them."[41] Fleischmann deniedIsrael is committing a genocide against the Palestinians.[41]
Fleischmann supports sendingUnited States aid to Ukraine.[42]
Fleischmann was one of 120 Republicans who voted against removing Confederate statues from inside the Capitol building.[43]
On November 16, 2011, Fleischmann voted for a bill that encourages the display of "In God We Trust" in public buildings and schools and reinforces it as the motto of the United States.[44]
Fleischmann has been a firm opponent of gun control. He has received an "A" rating from the interest groups "National Rifle Association Political Fund Positions on Gun Rights" and "Gun Owners of America Positions on Gun Rights". He supports legislation that "allows licensed firearm owners to carry out their God-given right more freely" because "the right to carry a firearm is a right that allows law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and is crucial to the freedom of our country." On November 16, 2011, Fleischmann voted for the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, which would allow a resident of a state that allows concealed carry to possess a firearm while visiting another state that has different firearm laws.
Fleischmann's first vote in office was for the 2011 motion Repealing the Health Care Bill.
In 2023 Fleischmann led the US Congress in self-appointed earmark spending, securing $273.3 million for his district out of the 2024 federal budget.[45] The majority of this spending is destined for the lock replacement project on theChickamauga Dam, which is the single highest-cost project in the country in the 2024 budget.[46]
For the119th Congress:[47]
| Year | Office | District | Democratic | Republican | Other | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | John Wolfe | 28.01% | Chuck Fleischmann | 56.79% | Savas T. Kyriakidis (Ind.) | 10.54% |
| 2012 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Mary M. Headrick | 35.46% | Chuck Fleischmann | 61.45% | Matthew Deniston (Ind.) | 3.1% |
| 2014 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Mary M. Headrick | 34.58% | Chuck Fleischmann | 62.36% | Cassandra J Mitchell (Ind.) | 3.1% |
| 2016 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Melody Shekari | 28.85% | Chuck Fleischmann | 66.39% | Rick Tyler (Ind.) | 1.9% |
| 2018 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Danielle Mitchell | 34.48% | Chuck Fleischmann | 63.68% | Rick Tyler (Ind.) | 1.84% |
| 2020 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Meg Gorman | 30.3% | Chuck Fleischmann | 67.3% | Amber Hysell (Ind.) | 1.57% |
| 2022 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Meg Gorman | 30.19% | Chuck Fleischmann | 68.38% | Rick Tyler (Ind.) | 0.87% |
| 2024 | U.S. House of Representatives | Tennessee's 3rd district | Jack Allen | 29.36% | Chuck Fleischmann | 67.50% | Stephen King (Ind.) | 1.68% |
Fleischmann is married to Brenda M. Fleischmann. They have three sons, and live in Ooltewah. Fleischmann is 5' 4" tall.[53] Fleischmann is aRoman Catholic.[54]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The man then asks Fleischmann if Israel would stay an ally of the U.S., even if it commits genocide. Fleischmann said "that's your term," and the man started discussing the number of Palestinian deaths in the Israel-Gaza Crisis. "Let me tell you a statistic. Israel will exist. The Jewish state will exist, and that is for God to do," said Fleischmann."I will always support Israel, and you can tell the Palestinians I will never support them." The man then tells him that he is Palestinian in the video. "Then I will tell you, I will never support you. I will tell you to your face: Goodbye to Palestine,'" Fleischmann said. "Goodbye! ... The Jewish people will never suffer again under Palestinian terrorism, under Hamas, under Hezbollah. Israel will be secure forever."
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee that controls spending, said providing weapons and other assistance to Ukraine is crucial to halting Russia's unprovoked invasion. "I voted for the first funding bill, and I would be open to discussing more funding," Fleischmann said. "If we do not take the necessary steps for Ukraine to protect its nation and sovereignty against Russia, I think the ripple effects will end up costing not only the United States but the world a lot more."
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 3rd congressional district 2011–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 81st | Succeeded by |
