Keith Douglas Sweitzer

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Keith Douglas Sweitzer

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Warren, Ohio

Profession

Supervisor

Contact

Personal Facebook

Keith Douglas Sweitzer (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Sweitzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Keith Douglas Sweitzer was born in Warren, Ohio. He studied at Youngstown State University. His professional experience includes working as a supervisor at a distribution center. Sweitzer has served with Boy scouts of America, and he is an Eagle Scout. He has also volunteered with veterans projects to raise awareness and decorate cemeteries for those who have served in the military.

Elections

2020

See also: Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020

Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Democratic primary)

Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 3

Incumbent Charles J. Fleischmann defeated Meg Gorman, Amber Hysell, Keith Douglas Sweitzer, and Scott James in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charles J. Fleischmann (R)	67.3	215,571
		Meg Gorman (D)	30.5	97,687
		Amber Hysell (Independent)	1.6	5,043
		Keith Douglas Sweitzer (Independent)	0.6	1,990
	Submit photo	Scott James (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	8

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 320,299
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tyler Deniston (Independent)
• Nancy Jackson Baxley (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 3

Meg Gorman advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 3 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Meg Gorman	100.0	28,578

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,578
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 3

Incumbent Charles J. Fleischmann advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 3 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charles J. Fleischmann	100.0	69,890

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,890
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sandy Casey (R)
• Basil Marceaux (R)
• Jim Elkins (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Keith Douglas Sweitzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sweitzer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have lived in the city of Oak Ridge for the past 6 1/2 years. I spent a lot of time doing volunteer work with several veterans groups, the Boy Scouts and other organizations that asked for my help. Since moving to Tenn. I have worked mainly in retail and am now employed at a hospital. Caring about others and helping them has always been a passion with me.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am tired of all the partisan politics in Washington and nothing gets accomplished. Our current leaders are bought and paid for by the lobbyist and big business interests. We need to elect people who will protect all Americans and fight for everyone's freedoms of choice.
• The career politicians have not accomplished anything to protect and improve the lives of women's rights, black lives and other minorities such as the LBGTQ. We need a voice in D.C. that will not cower to what a few in power of their party committees set forth for their own private agendas but will speak for all Americans.as
• We have to hold those that have knowingly screwed up this planet accountable for the changes in our climate. There is no denying that several corporations have been allowed to put the health and well being of Americans at risk including our own TVA.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our 2 party systems is so corrupt at the highest levels and that American rights for people of color, women and sexual preference have been trampled on for years because of the lobbyists in Washington. A few people force their own beliefs on the the people and do everything to control our lives. While the big companies continue to rake in billions of dollars in profit they do not pay their workers a livable wage.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Any elected official should care first about the people in their district. They need to bring back good paying jobs to their areas and make sure that these companies are ran by new business owners, not the same monopolies that that now control every aspect of our lives.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

My ability to have always worked well with others. To stick to my principles of caring about others first. I have always been and will always be open minded of other people's opinions and concerns.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To make sure that any laws passed will be for the benefit of all people, to not accept funding from lobbyist. Lobbyists don't care about what is good for the American people just their own bottom line.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I do not care about legacy, I just want to bring awareness to the plight of those treated unfairly.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

From the time I was 18 till my daughter was born at the age of 30 I was a truck driver and moved furniture. It was a difficult job and one of the most physically demanding jobs there is, it was also the most enjoyable I've had because I was able to meet people from all walks of life.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Don't Stop Believing. We as Americans are falling into the belief that we can't change the system, but we must for future generations.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, it has been proven that lots of politicians in the past were very strong leaders without any prior political experience. I believe that myself and other open minded individuals can do the same.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

To right all the wrongs thrust on Americans over hundreds of years and today. To actually drain the Swamp.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

no, the term length for representatives should be 4 years. We should start by electing half to 4 years and 2 years later elect the other half to 4 years. In this way our representatives could focus more on their jobs then getting reelected.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Footnotes

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Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)