Jeff Hartline, Republican seeking the 5th Congressional District seat.

The following questionnaire has been submitted to each candidate running in the Republican primary seeking the nomination for Republican candidate for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. This seat is now held by Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper. Whoever wins the primary on August 5 will most likely face Cooper in November.

Tell me about yourself. Where are you from, what do you do for a living, what is your educational background, your political experience?

I was born in Rome, GA in 1955. My father is a lifelong minister and my mother has been a medical transcriptionist for as long as I can remember. I went to Freed-Hardeman University and graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies in 1976. I completed my Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies at Lipscomb University in 1997. In the time between I started a family, a business, and homeschooled my three children alongside my wife, Melodie. We have been married for over 31 years.

My work background is varied; I have worked as a physician recruiter, a medical practice manager, a custom-cabinet maker, kitchen-designer, a teacher, a coach, a minister, and a small business owner. My experience in politics is limited to the votes I have cast in my life. I am no career politician.

Why are you running for this office?

In 1994, Newt Gingrich led the charge to take back Washington with the “Contract for America.” At the time I considered running for the office but chose to wait. At the time I had three young children and a small business to run. Sixteen years have passed since that time and now my children are grown. My daughter has three sons of her own. My youngest will graduate in May from Lipscomb University.

I want to make certain that my grandchildren have all the same opportunities my parents and grandparents worked hard to afford me. I have been blessed in my life to have the full support of my friends and family. Many have approached me in the past about a possible run for office and I believe that now, more than ever, I am ready to carry the flag for the people of this district.

What do you see as the primary issue is this race?

The singular issue in this race is determining which candidate can beat Jim Cooper. We all want to beat him, but we need to determine who can accomplish the goal. Each candidate is very similar in his/her beliefs and can represent the conservatives in this district. We must put forth the candidate most likely to send Cooper home. I believe that my experience, maturity, grasp of the issues affecting our nation, ability to easily articulate possible solutions, and my passion for our republic makes me the best candidate. Almost all of the problems in our country are a direct result of federal government that has grown outside of its constitutional boundaries. We must rein our government in.


If you are successful in winning the Republican nomination and you are successful in defeating Jim Cooper, when serving in the US Congress what issue will be your primary focus? What will be your priorities?

Reducing the scope, size and spending of the federal government will be my primary focus when elected. Eliminating federal government control over the lives of individual citizens will allow our economy to thrive once more. The individual states must assume the responsibilities guaranteed by the 10th amendment.

My priorities include balancing the federal budget, annual real decreases in federal spending, securing our federal borders, revamping the tax system, protecting against enemies both foreign and domestic and reforming the legislative process (including no omnibus bills, no earmarks and encouraging single-issue legislation). I also committed to restoring our national defense to an appropriate level, defending 2nd amendment rights, and defending innocent life.

When I make my decision who I will support for this office, not only do I want to vote for someone who has solid conservative values and who I think would make a good Congressman, but I want to vote for someone who I think can beat Jim Cooper. Best person and electability may not necessarily be the same thing. I have heard that it will take anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million dollars to mount a successful campaign. Do you have the support, the time and resources to conduct a wining campaign?

When I made the decision to pursue this seat, I chose to take a leave of absence from my job in order to give the campaign my full attention. I believe that is what this race requires from start to finish. I initially assembled a team to begin formulating a strategy for securing support, funding and votes. Since that time, we have added more people to our steering committee and built a finance committee of dedicated conservatives working hard to raise the necessary funds to challenge our incumbent. We believe that our first quarter numbers speak volumes about my electability and also our ability to raise funds. Historically, this district has been perceived as solidly liberal. We believe the people of this district have proven they are ready to support a conservative candidate for Congress.

If one wants to know more about your campaign or contact you how to they do that?

We have set up many ways for the constituents to get in touch with our campaign. The easiest way is to visit the website at www.hartlineforcongress.com. Here you can join our email list, sign up to volunteer, contribute financially and much more. I also keep a blog at www.signersandframers.com where I discuss current issues affecting America. We also keep active Facebook and Twitter profiles in order to maintain an effective online presence. My cellphone and email address are available as well for those that want to speak with me directly.

Top Stories