Michaela Barnett is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 02. When she wins, Burchett (with 2 Ts) will be out of a job.

Barnett held a Town Hall at the Blount County library in downtown Maryville, TN. The attendance overwhelmed the room, about 150 people. They had to bring in more chairs and remove tables. It was great. I was surprised to see about 20% of the audience were young people.

Barnett spoke for a few minutes, then opened up the room for questions.

IMO, Barnett is an excellent replacement for Burchett. She cares about the people. She will be accountable to her constituents. She will try to get laws passed to bring back healthcare. She will work in Washington, not just walk around shaking hands saying dadgum (my word, not hers). Her issues are more than just Yetis and UFOs. She's educated, intelligent, and experienced.

I asked her how she thinks she can beat Burchett, with him getting 86,000 votes and her getting 38,000 votes in the primary, both unopposed. She said that was the primary. Many people voted in the Republican primary for specific seats, e.g. Marsha for governor. In addition, her campaign is highly organized. They have over 1,100 volunteers. They have 7 full-time employees. Barnett's campaign is the best funded opponent Tim Burchett has ever had. So far they have raised over $500,000. Keep on giving.

She has a plan to push for a return to healthcare for most, with a look to the future for universal coverage. Restore ACA premium tax cuts. The current administration spent more money bailing out Argentina than what is needed to provide healthcare in the U.S. She wants to raise Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates for rural areas.

Barnett said she is ok with nuclear power as long as all are held to the highest standards. She is against using Tennessee as a storage facility for nuclear waste from other states. She wants to replace coal with other alternatives.

Barnett said she will work towards campaign funding limits, term limits, and to overturn Citizens United.

More was said but I had to leave early.

Support Michaela Barnett for the U.S. House of Representatives. She's a true replacement for Burchett.