Republican · Tennessee's 3rd District · 2026
Chuck Fleischmann
Fleischmann lost his mother young and was living on his own at 16.
Biography
Chuck Fleischmann's early jobs included mopping floors at McDonald's and working in a library, and his biography describes living on his own at 16.1 He and his wife, Brenda, live in Ooltewah and have three sons.2
Born in New York City, Fleischmann earned a political science degree at the University of Illinois in 1983 and a law degree at the University of Tennessee in 1986.3 He and Brenda ran a small business in Chattanooga for 24 years after law school.2 His legal career included serving as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association and chairing the Chattanooga Lawyers Pro Bono Committee.3 He has also served on the boards of the National Craniofacial Association and the Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.2
First elected to Congress in 2010, Fleischmann now chairs the House energy and water appropriations subcommittee.34 He helped lead the fiscal 2026 energy and water spending measure, which became law within a broader appropriations package on January 23, 2026.45
His stated priorities for that spending include investment in advanced nuclear reactors, critical minerals technology, national laboratories and a more resilient electric grid.6 His office also highlights upgrading ports and waterways and funding the Chickamauga Lock project.6 Fleischmann faces Democrat Anna Golladay and five independents.7
Record and controversies
Remarks about Palestinians and his response
In a March 2024 exchange with CODEPINK activists, Fleischmann said he would never support Palestinians and declared, “Goodbye to Palestine.”8 In a written response, he said he had been defending Israel's right to respond to Hamas's October 7 attacks, characterized the protesters as antisemitic and supportive of Hamas, and reaffirmed support for Israel's war against Hamas.8