Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Official Guest Host Aaron Gulbransen welcomed Tennessee 5th Congressional District GOP candidate Jeff Beierlein in-studio to discuss his platform, priorities, and agenda if elected to Congress.
Gulbransen: Tomorrow is E-day, as we call it in the biz, or election day in Tennessee. We have Tennessee 5th Congressional District Republican candidate and combat veteran Jeff Beierlein line in-studio with us. So it’s just easy. What do you got to say? Tomorrow’s the big day.
Beierlein: Just for those of you who aren’t in the know, I want to remind everyone tomorrow is election day, and we’ve only got about, I think, less than 50 percent of anticipated voters out already. So there’s plenty of folks out there still, and that’s across the entire state.
I will say when we look at it, the numbers are down considerably. I was in a county yesterday down 16 percent, some counties are down 40 or 50 percent. It’s incredible.
So I think there’s this malaise or apathy, or maybe folks are getting sick and tired of the negative ads as well, run by the big three money candidates, and I think they want something different.
I do want to remind everyone that this is their chance. We’ve waited 148 years for this moment to flip this. And only Joe Biden remembers what it was like to have a Republican. I would think it was his first term as a senator. (Laughter)
Gulbransen: It might have been his second.
Beierlein: Was it 1875 or so? You’re right, it was his second. But no, in all seriousness, this is important, and we have to decide, as Tennesseans, do we want the PACs and the big money coming out of D.C., which is about 75 percent of this election right now, to determine who the candidates are, or we can step up and take control of that decision.
You know if you’ve got questions you can follow the money and you can listen to the ads and you can back them up. I do find it ironic that so many folks are against negative ads but nobody seeks to stop it.
And we’ve made a commitment not to do that and run negative information about our competition. So let’s take control, Tennessee, get out and vote.
Gulbransen: And of course if you had a contrasting opinion or something, you’ve said it out of your own mouth. You haven’t relied on somebody else to spend a million dollars and pretend that they don’t know about it.
Abortion is a big issue people vote on in the primaries. I mean these are like the bread-and-butter issues. What’s your stance on abortion?
Beierlein: I’m pro-life all the way. This is a seminal moment in American history. I think the courts have stepped up in a big way. But I will say, much like Churchill said, this is not the end, nor the beginning of the end – this is the end of the beginning. So the Supreme Court rules for the Dobbs decision, that they’re pushing power back to the states.
So the question is now what? States will decide. I think there was a ruling in Kansas yesterday or maybe it came through the vote, that they will allow for abortion.
And I honestly think not every state will go along with the pro-life stance and they will remain pro-choice, but that in itself is a monumental step forward for pro-life, and let the states decide to take it to the voters. It won’t change my feelings a Christian and it won’t change how I believe, ultimately.
Gulbransen: That’s the consensus around the country and the pro-life movement, it is just the beginning of the work that needs to be done. The consultants in the business for the primaries always say god, guns, and babies. So we got the babies part out of the way. Guns.
Beierlein: You’re talking to a combat veteran here. Believe me, my house is like a fortress. (Chuckles) So I am not ever going to cede any ground on the importance of the Second Amendment.
Gulbransen: When you go to the range what’s your favorite to bring?
Beierlein: Shooting handguns or long guns?
Gulbransen: Either.
Beierlein: Handguns. I shoot a lot of nine millimeters. I like .45s but it’s obviously a lot more expensive. But for target practice a nine-millimeter is great. Long guns, I love a .308. It’s just got a lot of knockdown power.
Gulbransen: I have a few AKs and I have, I do have a an AR pistol that’s a .300 Blackout. You are talking to a big Second Amendment enthusiast here. I just spend way too much money on ammo. But you know, that’s that’s why I do this job, right, is to pay for ammo at this rate.
A lot of people will talk about their faith as a marketing thing, so I almost feel guilty asking this, but this is something that people want to know. What church do you go to? What’s your relationship with God?
Beierlein: I go to St. Matthew’s in Bellevue, actually, and, you know, I’m Catholic. I grew up a Christian and went to Christian schools, and have been lucky enough to send my children to Christian schools.
But that said, I think it’s important that at least parents have a choice where they do send their kids. And I know there’s some issues with where funding’s going now, which I think that’ll come up and continue to be an issue and how effective that can be.
But that’s a family’s decision. But I do want to mention as well that my number one priority in this election is getting our economic household straight.
We have to bring back stability. And we’ve compromised that largely through just a very, very progressive energy policy that’s putting our country way behind.
And we’ve become essentially subservient to the enemies of America. And that’s detrimental. This whole Green New Deal piece has gone way too far. I’m hoping through taking back Congress, if we can get the Senate as well, we can at least stop some of that and turn it back to the American energy industry, turning full throttle again, Aaron. We’ve got some work to do there.
Gulbransen: What do you envision? This is one of my favorite questions that I always ask – we’re selling not just ourselves when we’re running for office in a year like this one, we’re selling a Republican majority. So, assuming you’re elected, what do we hope to get out of a Republican majority in the U. S. House of Representatives?
Beierlein: We have to get back to basic conservative principles. And if you think back to Newt Gingrich’s Contract for America maybe 25 years ago, or 30 years ago or so, I know that working with that as a Republican majority, and what that could look like. But at the end of the day I think, foundationally, we have to go back to being fiscally conservative, representing our freedoms appropriately. Taking up those rights that we fought for.
Listen to the interview:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
