GOP congressional candidates address wide slate of topics

The six Republican candidates running to be the next representatives from Mississippi’s Third Congressional District had the opportunity to let voters know where they stand on certain issues at a forum in Starkville on Monday.

The winner of the race will seek to take the place of U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, a Republican who announced in January he would not seek a sixth term on Capitol Hill.

To better understand the similarities and differences between candidates, the Starkville Daily News has compiled a candidate breakdown, followed by a summary of individual responses to questions asked during the forum. The candidates will face off in the June 5 Republican Primary.

SALLY DOTY

Two-term state Sen. Sally Doty currently represents Lincoln, Lawrence, and Copiah counties, as well as part of Walthall County. She

serves as chair of the House Energy Committee, vice chair of Judiciary A and serves on the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

MORGAN DUNN

Morgan Dunn, a native of Magee, previously worked for Pioneer Health Services and currently owns a small business in Magee, Zip’s Cafe, with her husband, Chris.

MICHAEL GUEST

Michael Guest has served as district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties since 2008. Before then, he served for 12 years as an assistant district attorney.

WHIT HUGHES

The former finance director for Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Whit Hughes has served as deputy director for the Mississippi Development Authority. Hughes, who played baseball and basketball at Mississippi State, also serves as the Baptist Health Foundation president and chief development officer.

PERRY PARKER

Perry Parker, of Seminary, manages a cattle farm with his brother. He also helped start TheFirst, a national banking association, and serves as director emeritus.

KATHERINE ‘BITZI’ TATE

Katherine ‘Bitzi’ Tate has spent two decades working as a high school teacher, a state level administrator and as MSU’s Training and Education Coordinator with the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Engineering Reach Center in Canton.

Next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives?

DOTY: She would like to see Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, or Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana. However, Doty said she would most like to see someone from Mississippi’s geographic area and who could get the votes to secure President Donald Trump’s agenda.

DUNN: She would like to consider the values of that individual and where they are from, along with taking a look at voting history.

HUGHES: He wants the next speaker to have the same qualities voters are looking for in the next representative from Mississippi’s Third Congressional District, who values principles over politics.

GUEST: He said he would prefer a strong conservative leader with similar values to Mississippi. One of the candidates mentioned by Guest was U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, RSouth Carolina.

PARKER: He agreed with Doty, saying he would like to see McCarthy or Scalise as the next Speaker of the House. He also mentioned Freedom Caucus member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

TATE: She would prefer a candidate from the Freedom Caucus, saying Jordan, or Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina.

First and second choice for committee assignments?

DOTY: Energy and Commerce Committee, citing her own experience as chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the Mississippi Senate.

DUNN: Ways and Means (Healthcare Subcommittee), Appropriations Committee.

HUGHES: Natural Resources Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, Veterans’ Affairs Committee, saying these, and other committees, are on the minds of voters.

GUEST: He said he has not thought about committee assignments, opting to wait until he is elected to think about it. Guest said he would look at committees to see where best to serve.

PARKER: Agriculture Committee and Financial Services Committee, with a goal of promoting the economy in the state.

TATE: Education and the Workforce Committee. Tate says she wants to deconstruct the Department of Education, calling it unconstitutional. She declined to give a second choice.

Foreign affairs and the Civil War in Syria

DOTY: Supports Trump’s decision to bomb Syria, saying the targets were isolated to ones used in chemical raids. She said the action doesn’t commit U.S. to further military action.

DUNN: Supports Trump’s decision to bomb Syria, saying America has let itself look weak in the past. However, she declined to answer if she supported the idea of American military personnel on the ground in Syria, saying she wants action based on strategy.

HUGHES: Supports Trump’s decision to bomb Syria, but said it is not an appropriate time to put boots on the ground. Hughes also said the U.S. needs to look for and promote collaboration with allies, as seen with England and France in recent bombing.

GUEST: Supports Trump’s decision to bomb Syria, but said he would not support boots on the ground. He believes, however, that Trump took proper and measured steps in his actions.

PARKER: Disagreed with Trump’s decision to bomb Syria, saying there doesn’t seem to be a victory strategy in place. Parker said the U.S. should only put military personnel at risk when victory is assured.

TATE: She said she understands the president’s decision to bomb Syria, claiming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “does what Muslim dictators do.” Tate said she supports the nationalist agenda and does not want the U.S. to subvert itself to international law.

International trade, tariffs and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

DOTY: Doty said she believes the president is in midst of negotiations, something voters knew he would do. She slammed China as a communist country “cheating on agreements,” but said it is important for policymakers to be aware of Mississippi’s agriculture backbone when approaching tariffs. She also said NAFTA should be renegotiated.

DUNN: Dunn cited the importance of negotiations and approves of the job done by Trump. She said tariffs should be two-sided. Dunn then said NAFTA needs to be renegotiated.

HUGHES: Hughes said he supports agriculture and natural resources and trade agreements are a good thing for Mississippi, but they need to be free and fair. He said NAFTA needs to be renegotiated, but said he breaks with Trump on tariffs, saying trade wars can have a negative impact on jobs and consumer prices.

GUEST: He said the country should open up additional markets so people in Mississippi can share products with others. He is opposed to tariffs except when there is proof of unfair trade or the industries are vital to national security, such as oil and food production. He also believes NAFTA needs to be renegotiated.

PARKER: While Parker said he supports the Trump agenda, he would use his role as a congressman to be vocal with the White House about tariffs negatively affecting people in the Third District and the whole state. Parker then said the U.S. should look at the idea of withholding certain financial services to China. Despite saying NAFTA should be renegotiated, Parker said it has been good for agriculture and it is crucial to protect those gains.

TATE: Tate referred to Trump as “the best negotiator in the world,” and said the U.S. has been abused too long by China. She also said a trade war is necessary.

Immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

DOTY: Doty said she wants to hold undocumented immigrants accountable and “not allow someone to come in this country that is a drain.” Doty said she wants to see merit-based immigration, bringing in people to add to local communities and the workforce.

DUNN: Dunn said the U.S. has been building a culture around accepting something that is illegal and said it is important to understand the resource strain on health care and law enforcement. “The ones that got over here the right way, want everybody else to do it the right way.”

HUGHES: Hughes said he wants to see more rules and a lawdriven process. He stressed the importance of securing the border, saying “where a wall makes sense, we need a wall, where we don’t we need a wall, use technology to secure the border.” Hughes is not in favor of amnesty or chain migration and not in favor of a random visa lottery program.

GUEST: Guest said the U.S. is a country of immigrants, and the country should want the best and brightest from other countries to fill needs in the workforce. However, he is opposed to “blanket allowing illegals to stay.” Guest said he would be in favor of looking at policy to allow some Dreamers to remain under “resident alien status” but not grant them citizenship. He said a border wall would also help stop the flow of narcotics across the border.

PARKER: Parker said Congress needs to have immigration reform that leads to guest workers being able to come in for agricultural jobs that Mississippi depends on. “We can either import food or import labor,” he said.

TATE: Tate said she stands up for common sense as it relates to immigration, saying the border wall is a must and she wants her art students to paint it. “Send the Dreamers back home,” she said. “Deport them, it’s not an inalienable right to be here in America.”

Health care and privatization of Veterans’ Affairs care

DOTY: Doty is a supporter of privatization, saying the government needs to pay for veterans’ treatments with their local doctor. She believes veterans should be able to use their own physician they are used to.

DUNN: Dunn called the VA’s treatment of veterans “appalling,” saying the problem results from a broken health care system. She said she supports the idea of privatization and said she wants to structure the health care industry to where it is the patient and provider making the ultimate decision. She also said she wants to reduce red tape and regulations.

HUGHES: Hughes said there has been mismanagement and bureaucracy in the VA, with problems associated with red tape. Hughes wants more affordable choices inside and outside of the VA system and wants to reduce backlogs for quicker and easier access.

GUEST: Guest also cited problems with rep tape, saying the government needs to give the VA the ability to make staffing changes they need so veterans receive better health care. He said he wants to privatize the VA and let veterans see the doctor of their choice.

PARKER: Supports privatizing the VA system.

TATE: Tate said every health care institution is an individual consisting of doctors and nurses. She cited problems with a bureaucratic system, but is hopeful about the changes made by the Trump Administration. She said if privatization would provide better service, then she would be in favor. She said she would also support medical savings accounts.

Workforce development

DOTY: Doty praised the community college system and its efforts in Mississippi, as schools work to match what they are offering with the local workforce. However, she said she would like to see more innovative things, like Pell Grants for certificate students. She also mentioned entitlement reform, citing problems with the workforce participation rate in Mississippi.

DUNN: Dunn touted her own experience in developing educational programs and praised the innovation being done at community colleges across the state. She said it is important to start workforce development from grade school level due to the difficulty of transplanting new people in Mississippi.

HUGHES: Hughes cited workforce development as the key driver in succeeding in the global economy. He said it is important to change the perception of what it means to have a four-year degree. Lastly, he said it is important to identify what programs work and streamline the process to make things easier for administrators and users.

GUEST: Guest said workforce development should start in high school, because not everyone who graduates goes on to a four-year school. Guest said it is crucial for students to learn essential job skills they can translate directly from high school into an apprentice program. He then expressed a need to retool high schools and junior colleges so they can offer programs and train for jobs that are in demand.

PARKER: A product of Pearl River Junior College, Parker said Mississippi’s community college system is an innovator and leader, saying California patterns much of its community college system after Mississippi.

TATE: Tate expressed her view that workforce development should be driven by industry, but said “young people have sense enough to decide. If they want to go to school, let them figure out a way to pay for it, it will mean more to them. A four-year degree is not for everybody.”