Charles Joseph Fleischmann is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for since 2011. The district is based in Chattanooga and includes a large swath of East Tennessee, including Oak Ridge. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early life, education, and law career
Fleischmann was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and is a resident of Ooltewah, an unincorporated suburban community east of Chattanooga. He is the son of Rose Marie and Max Fleischmann, Jr. His father was of half Austro-Hungarian and half English ancestry, and his mother was of Italian descent. Fleischmann is a Roman Catholic. Fleischmann received a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Illinois. He also received both Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude honors. He received his juris doctor at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville. He then moved to Chattanooga and in 1987 founded his own law firm, Fleischmann and Fleischmann. He is a former President at Chattanooga Bar Association and former Chairman of the Chattanooga Lawyers Pro Bono Committee. Fleischmann is married to Brenda M. Fleischmann. They have three sons, and live in Ooltewah.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
;2010 Republican incumbent Zach Wamp decided to retire in order to run for Governor, leaving this an open seat. Fleischmann entered a crowded 11-way Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district. None of the candidates had ever run for elected office before. Fleischmann's biggest competition came from former state GOP chairwoman Robin Smith. She was endorsed by former Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich and The Club for Growth. Fleischmann won the primary with a plurality of 30% of the vote. He defeated second-place finisher Smith by 1,415 votes. He won most of the counties in the district, which were mostly in the northern part of the district, while Smith won three counties: Rhea, Hamilton, and Polk counties. Third place finisher Tim Gobble won only single county: Bradley. His Democratic opponent in the general election was John Wolfe, a fellow attorney. Fleischmann faced Wolfe in his first case as an attorney. He said he won that case and the appeal "and now I want to defeat him a third time." His other opponent was independent candidate Savas Kyriakidis, an attorney, restaurant owner and Iraq War veteran. Fleischmann won the race with 57% of the vote. ;2012 For his first re-election campaign, Fleischmann defeated Scottie Mayfield and Weston Wamp in the Republican primary, 39%-31%-29%. He faced Democrat Mary Headrick in the general election of November 2012 and won with a large majority of the vote.
Tenure
Fleischmann has always been a firm opponent of gun control. He has received an "A" rating from the interest groups "National Rifle Association Political Fund Positions on Gun Rights" and "Gun Owners of America Positions on Gun Rights". He supports legislation that "allows licensed firearm owners to carry out their God-given right more freely" because "the right to carry a firearm is a right that allows law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and is crucial to the freedom of our country." On November 16, 2011 Fleischmann voted Yea on the "National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, which would allow a resident of a state that allows concealed carry to possess a firearm while visiting another state that has different firearm laws. Rep. Fleischmann's first vote in office was the 2011 motion "Repealing the Health Care Bill" which he supported. In July 2011, Fleischmann originally supported Speaker John Boehner's debt limit bill, but he voted against the final debt ceiling agreement. On November 16, 2011 Fleischmann voted for a bill that encourages the display of "In God We Trust" in public buildings and schools and reinforces it as our nation's motto. In November 2011 Rep. Fleischmann filed a new bill called the "Stop Green Initiative Abuse Act of 2011" which would repeal the Department of Energy's "Weatherization Assistance Program". This program attempts to assist low-income families in lowering their energy bills by adding energy efficient caulking and insulation to homes. A December 2010 report from the Tennessee Comptroller's Office concluded that funds for the program had been "wasted or misspent". Fleischmann's office estimates that if this bill passes it would save taxpayers $2.1 billion over the next decade. This is the third bill he has proposed.
