Chaz Molder, left, and Charlie Hatcher
Fifth Congressional District candidates Charlie Hatcher and Chaz Molder answered a series of questions submitted to them from Main Street Media of Tennessee ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.
Questions were also submitted to independent candidate Micheàl (Me-Haul) O’Leary but a response has not been received as of Friday, Oct. 23. Main Street was unable to contact James A Johnson.
Q: At the start of your term, what would be your top priority?
Hatcher: My top priority will be making life more affordable for Tennessee families while protecting the economic opportunities that allow our communities to thrive.
As a farmer, veterinarian and small-business owner, I understand what rising costs, government regulations and economic uncertainty mean to working families and businesses. We need to get federal spending under control, reduce unnecessary regulations, support American agriculture and create an environment where businesses can grow and families can prosper.
I’ve spent my career working to solve problems, not just talking about them. That’s the approach I’ll take to Washington.
Molder: Lowering the cost of living. Everybody running for office says that these days, but unless you’re willing to change the policies that got us here, it doesn’t mean much. I would work to reverse blanket tariffs, end an open-ended war that is driving up prices and make healthcare more affordable.
We also need a government that puts those priorities ahead of politicians’ financial interests. On Day One, I will introduce anti-corruption legislation to ban congressional stock trading, impose term limits and strengthen restrictions on lobbying after leaving office. People deserve confidence that their representatives are working for them.
Q: What is one of the biggest challenges families in your district are facing right now, and what can Congress realistically do about it?
Hatcher: Affordability is one of the biggest concerns I hear as I travel across our district. Families are paying more for groceries, housing, utilities, insurance and healthcare. Too many hardworking Tennesseans feel like they’re falling behind even when they’re doing everything right.
Congress cannot simply pass a law that makes everything cheaper, but it can make decisions that help reduce the cost of living.
We can control federal spending, encourage domestic energy production, reduce unnecessary regulations that increase consumer prices and support policies that strengthen American manufacturing and agriculture. I believe Washington needs to start thinking more like the families and small businesses that have to balance their budgets every day.
Molder: I recently spoke with a single mother at a grocery store in Columbia who was actively choosing between filling prescriptions for her children and putting dinner on the table that night. That conversation has stuck with me. Families are working as hard as ever, and these days, they’re finding that the basics are beyond their reach.
I hear the same frustration from farmers paying more for diesel, fertilizer and equipment while worrying about whether they will have a dependable market for their crops and beef. Congress can change policies that are contributing to those pressures. They can reverse blanket tariffs, restore cheaper health insurance premiums and negotiate lower prescription prices. Those are concrete policy decisions that would leave families with more money to live on.
Q: As data centers expand across the country, what should Congress do, if anything, to ensure costs aren’t offset onto local residents?
Hatcher: This should be a local decision and data centers should be put in places that make sense; however, this is also a national security issue. We cannot let China win the AI race.
Technology and data centers can bring investment and economic development to Tennessee, but local families and small businesses should not be stuck paying the bill for someone else’s expansion. Large data center operators should be responsible for the additional infrastructure and electricity costs directly attributable to their operations, rather than passing those costs along to residential customers. Congress should work with state regulators and utility providers to ensure transparency, protect existing ratepayers and maintain reliable electricity service.
Molder: Congress should require data centers to pay their own way and leave decisions about where they belong in local hands. I’m a mayor, so I have a front row seat to major corporations bringing big developments to town. The people who live with a project’s consequences deserve a meaningful say, including the ability to turn it down.
TVA took a good step by approving a separate rate structure intended to keep other customers from subsidizing data centers. Developers should cover the full cost of the electricity, water and infrastructure they require. Congress should also repeal the tax breaks benefiting data centers in the Big Beautiful Bill, which my opponent has vocally supported.
I supported a data center moratorium in Memphis and brought a similar proposal forward in Columbia. Communities need time to establish enforceable protections, and they should not be rushed because a tech company wants to build.
Q: What should Congress do to support Tennessee farmers?
Hatcher: As a lifelong farmer, veterinarian and former Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture, this issue is especially important to me. Food security is national security. A nation that cannot feed itself cannot remain truly independent.
Our farmers are facing increasing production costs, uncertain markets, labor shortages, and regulatory burdens. Congress needs to protect the farm safety net, maintain strong crop insurance programs, expand opportunities for agricultural exports and make certain our farmers can compete fairly in domestic and international markets.
We also need to invest in agricultural research, strengthen animal disease prevention and support the next generation of farmers.
Many of the principles of Make America Healthy Again I support, including healthier food, better nutrition and greater transparency in our food system. We can improve America’s health while supporting the farmers who produce our food.
We must never take American agriculture for granted.
Molder: Start by reversing the blanket tariffs and ending the war in Iran that are making it harder to earn a living. Farmers are paying more for fuel and other inputs while trade disputes put their markets at risk.
A farmer in Weakley County just the other day told me farmers don’t want a government handout; they want the ability to compete and receive a fair price. Congress ought to listen to that.
There are other practical things we can do. I support a federal right-to-repair law so farmers can fix their own equipment or choose an independent mechanic without unnecessary restrictions and delays. Congress also needs to finish a new Farm Bill that gives farmers dependable support, strong crop insurance and the certainty to plan beyond the next season.
Q: What policies would you support to make homeownership more accessible to Tennesseans?
Hatcher: Homeownership has long been part of the American Dream, but too many young families and first-time buyers are finding that dream increasingly difficult to achieve. Our children and grandchildren should have the opportunity to own a home, raise a family and build a future in the communities where they grew up.
We need policies that encourage the construction of more affordable starter homes, reduce unnecessary federal regulatory costs associated with development and expand access to responsible mortgage financing. We should strengthen existing programs that help qualified first-time homebuyers and rural families purchase homes, while maintaining sound lending standards.
We need to work with local communities and the private sector to increase housing availability without imposing one-size-fits-all federal zoning mandates.
Molder: People who grow up here should be able to live, work and raise a family here. I came home to Columbia and had that opportunity. It is becoming harder for the next generation to do the same.
We need more homes people can afford to buy, especially starter homes. I support reversing tariffs on building materials, improving access to financing for smaller builders, and helping communities pay for the water, sewer and roads needed to support housing. We should also eliminate duplicative federal delays while respecting local planning – in homebuilding, time is money.
Targeted help with first-time buyers’ upfront costs can make a difference, but it has to accompany more housing. A buyer needs a home to buy.
Q: How can Congress improve rural residents’ access to healthcare?
Hatcher: Having spent much of my life working in rural Tennessee, I understand the challenges facing communities where access to healthcare may require traveling long distances.
Rural hospitals and clinics are essential, and we need to ensure they have the resources and flexibility to remain viable.
I support expanding tele-health, encouraging healthcare professionals to practice in underserved communities, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and strengthening rural healthcare infrastructure.
I also believe we need to focus more on preventive healthcare, nutrition and addressing chronic diseases before they become more serious and expensive to treat.
Congress should ensure that the Rural Health Transformation Program delivers measurable improvements in access to care for communities like those throughout the 5th District.
Where someone lives should not determine whether they can receive timely, quality healthcare.
Molder: The Big Beautiful Bill instituted the biggest cuts to Medicaid in the program’s history. They should reverse those cuts and provide stable Medicare support to rural hospitals. When a hospital closes, a community loses emergency care, jobs and essential services that families and employers depend on.
We also need more providers. I support expanding student-loan repayment for doctors and nurses who commit to serving communities with shortages, along with dependable coverage for telehealth when a specialist is hours away.
Insurance matters, too. Tennessee’s coverage gap leaves people who do not qualify for TennCare but earn too little to receive assistance in a bad spot. Tennessee should expand TennCare, as Governor Haslam tried to do. If the state continues to refuse, Congress should provide a way for those families to get coverage directly.
Healthcare is a basic human right. People can reasonably be expected to contribute what they can afford, but we should not accept a system that leaves so many uninsured or paying for insurance they are afraid to use. Having an insurance card is not enough if the deductible keeps you from seeing a doctor.
Q: What steps can Congress take to lower costs for Tennessee families, and what specific policy would you support to accomplish it?
Hatcher: One of the most important things Congress can do is address the rising cost of energy because energy costs affect virtually everything families purchase. Higher fuel and electricity costs impact farmers, manufacturers, truck drivers, small businesses and ultimately consumers.
I support policies that expand reliable American energy production, modernize energy infrastructure and streamline permitting for responsible energy development.
Specifically, I would support legislation that reduces unnecessary federal permitting delays for energy infrastructure projects while maintaining appropriate environmental and safety protections.
I would also push for responsible federal budgeting that reduces wasteful spending and helps address long-term inflationary pressures.
We need to remember that every dollar Washington spends ultimately comes from the American people, either through taxes or borrowing.
Molder: Congress should reassert its authority and reverse the blanket tariffs raising prices on household goods and the supplies businesses need.
I also support expanding the number of prescription drugs Medicare can negotiate and making those negotiated prices available to people with employer-sponsored and private insurance. The goal should be cheaper prescriptions for everybody, with savings reaching people at the pharmacy counter.
Restoring the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits would provide another direct form of relief by lowering monthly insurance premiums. There are plenty of changes Congress can make that families would see in their household budgets.
Q: How do you plan to bring lawmakers together to address bipartisan concerns?
Hatcher: As Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture, I worked with farmers, business leaders, state and federal officials and legislators on issues that affected our entire state.
Agriculture, infrastructure, rural healthcare, economic development and protecting our food supply are issues that should bring people together regardless of political party.
I will always stand firm on my conservative principles, but I also recognize that accomplishing meaningful things requires listening, building relationships and finding common ground where possible.
The people of Tennessee aren’t sending us to Washington simply to argue. They’re sending us there to work and get things done.
Molder: I always say that potholes don’t have partisan labels. People just want them fixed. As mayor, I have worked with people who disagree with me politically because we share a responsibility to get things done. That includes working with Gov. Lee’s administration and local partners to bring JC Ford’s manufacturing operation and good jobs to Columbia.
In Congress, I would build those relationships early and find people willing to work on specific problems, whether that is keeping a rural hospital open or helping farmers repair their own equipment.
I’m proud to have the Blue Dog PAC’s endorsement and would carry forward that tradition of independent, fiscally responsible leadership.
Howard Baker understood that “the other fellow might be right,” and I do, too. I know that listening does not require giving up your principles. It requires accepting that someone from another party may have a good idea, and being willing to help them get it done regardless of who gets the credit.
Q: What are your greatest strengths that you will bring to the U.S. House of Representatives? Weaknesses?
Hatcher: My greatest strength is my combination of real-world business experience and public service.
I’m a farmer, veterinarian and small-business owner. I’ve managed employees, met payrolls, dealt with government regulations and made difficult decisions that affect people’s livelihoods.
As Tennessee’s Commissioner of Agriculture and previously as State Veterinarian, I gained experience working with government at multiple levels, managing complex challenges and building relationships to accomplish important objectives.
I understand both the private sector and government, and I know the importance of bringing people together to get results.
I’m naturally impatient when it comes to getting things accomplished. I’ve spent my life in farming and business, where problems have to be addressed and decisions have to be made. Government doesn’t always move at that pace. I’ve learned that patience, persistence, and building relationships are essential to achieving lasting results.
Molder: My greatest strength is bringing people together to solve problems. As mayor, I’ve learned how to listen, make difficult decisions and stay accountable for the results. I’ve helped pass eight balanced budgets without raising our property tax rate, and I know how much it matters to answer people and follow through. I think that skill set will be instrumental to succeeding in the House of Representatives.
The hardest adjustment for me will be spending so much time away from Tennessee. My family and my life are here, and this is where I want to be. I will fulfill my responsibilities in Washington, but whenever the work allows, I’ll want to be back home with the people I represent.
Q: If elected, what is one promise voters can hold you accountable for in a year?
Hatcher: My promise is that I will be an accessible, hardworking congressman who never forgets whom he represents.
Within my first year, I will hold public meetings throughout the district, establish regular communication with constituents, and provide a public accounting of the issues I’ve worked on, the legislation I’ve supported, and the progress we’ve made.
I will listen to people whether they voted for me or not, and I will make sure that the concerns of our rural communities and small towns receive the same attention as those of our larger cities.
As Tennessee’s Commissioner of Agriculture, I had three key principles that I believe not only made our agency a success, but also guided me in my life and career as a farmer, a veterinarian, a businessman, and a public servant. These principles are to work hard, get things done, and the importance of serving others. That’s the standard I will bring to Congress, and that’s the standard I expect the people of Tennessee to hold me to.
Molder: I will hold at least one public town hall in every one of our district’s 17 counties during my first year. You will be able to ask me questions, disagree with me, and tell me what needs attention.
I will also establish district offices serving Memphis, Northwest Tennessee and Middle Tennessee. People should not have to drive halfway across the state to get help with a veterans benefit or a Social Security issue. I have already visited every county at least twice, and I’ll come back again before the end of the campaign. But getting elected will not be an excuse to stop showing up.