Retired bank president Jack Allen will square off against U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Southeast Tennessee, for his District 3 congressional seat, which stretches across 10 counties including Hamilton, McMinn and Bradley.
“I’m just an upbeat guy,” Allen, who’s running as a Democrat, said in a phone interview Monday. “I always have been. The glass is 98% full. Everything we’re talking about can be fixed, but you’ve got to fix it by pulling people together.”
Allen had a formal campaign announcement Saturday afternoon at the downtown branch of the Chattanooga Public Library, an event his campaign said attracted nearly 70 people.
A primary election will be held Aug. 1, followed by the general election on Nov. 5, according to the Hamilton County Election Commission website.
Allen grew up in LaFayette, Georgia, and shared a rental house with his mother, father and three sisters outside of town, he said.