NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Congressman John Rose and State Representative Monty Fritts sat down for extended interviews on Inside Politics as they seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn did not accept the invitation. She has refused to debate her Republican opponents and done only a handful of interviews during the campaign.
When we caught up with Senator Blackburn, who is 74, outside a slow moving elevator last month, she responded to all of our questions with the same basic line, "We are talking to Tennesseans every single day."
Congressman John Rose said Blackburn's reluctance to engage with voters has made the race extremely close in its final days.
"I've had an opponent who has represented that she had already won. I think we know that's not true given the volume of negative ads," Rose said.
Rose, who is 61, said he would debate the Democratic nominee if he wins the Republican primary and criticized Senator Blackburn for refusing to debate him or participate in forums with all three candidates on stage at the same time.
"I think Tennesseans deserve a full-on debate with unfiltered questions and unscripted answers," Rose said.
Rose said he has been holding public town-halls and taking questions from voters across the state.
"I'm a conservative outsider with a conservative voting record but very much focused on what I'm hearing from Tennesseans and what they want for the future of our state," Rose said.
He said there is an affordability problem for many in Tennessee.
When asked what the governor can do about it he said, "Growth is driving up the cost, making it unaffordable for Tennesseans, native Tennesseans to afford a home."
He said he would support policies that "more fairly divide the cost of growth and focus more of that cost on people moving here and less of it on Tennesseans who have been here carefully managing things."
Rose has also raised concerns about the state's school voucher program, saying he wants transparency and accountability.
The voucher program provides more than $7,000 of taxpayer money to help parents pay for private school tuition.
He said he is troubled by the cost to the state and by data showing most vouchers go to families whose children were already enrolled in private school.
"It does concern me and I think we've got to see. Again, if the promise of vouchers or the Opportunity Scholarships is to be realized, it's got to lift all boats," Rose said.
State Representative Monty Fritts, from Kingston in east Tennessee, has made ending the sales tax on groceries a centerpiece of his campaign.
Fritts, who is 62, said his grassroots support sets him apart. He acknowledged raising and spending significantly less than his opponents.
"We've spent $330,000, I think, but our grassroots organization is far superior to theirs, the word of mouth and just the excitement," Fritts said.
Fritts has focused heavily on Christian issues and has called for banning mosques, claiming Islam is not a religion.
When asked how such a ban would be constitutional, he pointed to his Christian faith.
"As a Christian I think there is no other answer, right? Because I think Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh to the father except by him," Fritts said.
Fritts argued the First Amendment applies to Congress and not to the states and went further in his characterization of Islam.
"Islam is not simply a religious movement. It is a political movement that forces its strategy upon everyone. It is counter to the constitution, Islam is," Fritts said.
Fritts also addressed abortion and did not rule out the death penalty for people who obtain an abortion.
"Under Tennessee law, if you commit murder there is an opportunity for a death penalty, right? And so, if you provide equal protection under the law for the unborn, there would be an opportunity for that. It doesn't mean that every doctor, doesn't mean that every dad or mom would be the recipient of capital punishment, but they would be held accountable," Fritts said.
The full, unedited interviews with Congressman Rose and State Representative Fritts air on Inside Politics.
It first airs at 6:30 pm Friday on NewsChannel 5.
Inside Politics is also a podcast. Just enter Inside Politics Nashville wherever you get your podcasts and start listening.
Election day is next week on Thursday August 6.
