Veteran challenging Fleischmann in Republican primary

 

William E. “Bill” Spurlock, a Chattanooga native and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is challenging U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann in the Republican primary in Tennessee’s Third District on August 2. The Third District includes Oak Ridge and its U.S. Department of Energy facilities.

Spurlock, 60, officially announced his candidacy in Chattanooga on Tuesday, April 3.

He has served in the Army, Marine Corps, and the National Guard, completing five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the press release said. He is the recipient of the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with a total of more than 50 ribbons and medals earned before recently retiring, as a major, after 34 years of service.

A press release said Spurlock was raised on Lookout Mountain by a single mother, and he attended The Baylor School. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. After three years on active duty in the Marines, he came home to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, earning a bachelor’s degree in business management.

After graduating, he went on to work as a police officer, a mechanic, a welder, a carpenter, a long-haul truck driver, and a licensed general contractor (having personally laid down the bricks on Chattanooga’s Riverwalk and Market streets), the press release said.

Following attacks on the World Trade Center, Spurlock said he sought out deployment opportunities in the War on Terror. After his first tour in Afghanistan, he volunteered for two more tours until his unit was called to serve in Iraq. His fifth and final combat tour took Spurlock back to Afghanistan, where he served as a combat adviser in hostile regions, assisting the Afghan National Army in fighting the Taliban. For his military service, Spurlock was awarded the Bronze Star twice, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Meritorious Service Medal.

He retired at the rank of major, having been rated number one above all other majors holding the same position for five consecutive years by the United States European Command, the press release said.

“With his military career officially behind him, he has set his sights on serving this nation in the U.S. House of Representatives,” the release said.

“I’m not a career politician, I’m a concerned Tennesseean who loves this state and all of its residents and who believes in quality leadership, hard work, and integrity,” Spurlock said. “District 3 has borne some exceptional leaders in the past, including Senators Baker and Brock, and I believe the residents of this district deserve strong leadership once again.”

The press release said Spurlock’s military service allowed him to learn from some of the best leaders our country has ever produced.

“Tennessee is my home and I am so thankful to be back here with my wife, Laura, so that we can raise our son in this place that means so much to me,” Spurlock said. “I literally helped build the city of Chattanooga when I laid the bricks on the Riverwalk, the Walnut Street Bridge, and the Chattanooga Discovery Museum years ago. Our government is dominated by career politicians who are disconnected from their constituents and have no clue what the average American’s life is really like. I am an average American. I am a proven leader. I am not beholden to lobbyists and corporations. And, I believe every individual resident of Tennessee District 3 is equally important and deserves equal and honest representation.”

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Spurlock will face Fleischmann, the incumbent, as well as Jeremy Massengale, Harold Shevlin, and “Mr. Jim” Elkins in the August 2 primary. Danielle Mitchell was, at last check, the only Democrat in the race, and the qualifying deadline was April 5.

The voter registration deadline for the August state and national primary is July 3. Early voting is July 13-28, and the primary is August 2. The general election is November 6.

For more information about Spurlock, visit SpurlockforCongress.com.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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