Washington D.C. veteran and a political newcomer face-off in hopes of representing North-Central Florida in Congress

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - A Washington D.C. veteran vs. a political newcomer, these are the two candidates on the ballot running to represent the 3rd Congressional District the United States House of Representatives.

Kat Cammack worked for Congressman Ted Yoho, the current representative for the district who is stepping down. Adam Christensen is a business owner trying to make his way to Capitol Hill. Two different philosophies and ideologies are hoping to represent the more than 700,000 residents in the which includes all of Alachua, Bradford, Union, Clay, and Putnam counties and parts of Marion County.

“We are championing these principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone,” said Republican Kat Cammack.

“What we are fighting for crosses everything. We are fighting for ourselves. We are fighting for the community,” said Democrat Adam Christensen.

Christensen would like to focus on making healthcare for all a possibility.

“We need to make sure that everyone is covered. On top of that, we need to make sure, especially here in north-central Florida. We need to move out of basically the second great depression that we have had. We have to create essentially a new Tennessee valley authority here in North-Central Florida. We have to get broadband into essential every single part of the district.”

Cammack wants to fight for equal access to reliable internet for every community.

“All of our communities, whether they are urban or rural, have to have reliable high-speed access to the internet. That is not a republican or democrat issue. That is an issue that impacts us all.”

Another issue she believes is bipartisan is human trafficking, and if elected, she plans to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

“One example that is here locally that we have an entire stakeholder base is human trafficking. That is republicans, that is democrats, that is government entities, that is non-profits, that is a variety of different people coming together to fight a common mission of fighting human slavery.”

Christensen said he would go to Washington and protect small businesses, not big companies.

“We are fighting to make sure that our small businesses don’t get consolidated and wiped off of really where they are. We need to protect our communities. Any company, any corporation, anyone who wants to come into our community and tries to take that money out instead of putting it in. We don’t want them there.”

He believes his campaign is about change and a fresh perspective.

“What matters is, are we ready to stay in the same place. Can we afford to stay in the same place where we’ve been, or are we ready to move forward?”

Cammack worked for Congressman Yoho, and she thinks her inside knowledge of Capitol Hill will help her from the start.

“We know how to get the job done on day 1. You have thousands of pieces of legislation coming at you. You have so many different responsibilities as a member of congress, and to be able to navigate those halls on day 1, you need to have that experience.”

If elected, Kat Cammack would be the youngest Republican woman in Congress.

To find out more about Kat Cammack and Adam Christensen, click on the links below.

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