Bringing change to a portion of the state that’s remained red over the years is the goal for Dr. Marty Olsen.
Olsen, an East Tennessee State University instructor and practicing OB-GYN in Johnson City over the past 25 years, formally announced his candidacy for the First Congressional District U.S. House seat Saturday at a Democratic Party Rally near Sycamore Shoals State Park in front of an energized party base. Prior to the weekend announcement, the candidate already made stops in 10 counties across the Congressional District.
During Saturday’s rally, Olsen promoted “responsible change,” the mantra for his 2017 bid to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Phil Roe. The candidate stressed the importance of bringing unity to an already divisive country and bring positive change to the state.
Three of Olsen’s key points being focused on during the campaign is healthcare, education and jobs.
“I have sat across from patients in exam rooms and heard the stories of people who are ill and can’t get medical treatment because they don’t have insurance,” Dr. Olsen said.
According to information from the Olsen for Congress website, the candidate states “the recent proposals from Washington to put 22 million more people at risk for lost healthcare coverage are unacceptable.” One of the most significant issues Olsen would look to tackle if elected, he stated, is the opioid epidemic, a subject he’s seen first hand due to neuronal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the region. Olsen works with opioid-addicted pregnant women to help reduce the addiction in their newborns.
For education, Olsen stresses the importance of supporting public schools compared to voucher programs.
Another critical topic for the doctor is jobs in the area. Olsen highlighted the fact that different communities throughout the region now have vacant store lots and the lack of employment are causing the youth of the state to move for other opportunities.
Olsen also promotes family values. While introduced by his daughter, Karen, Olsen was also joined by his wife, Natalie, during Saturday’s rally.
Rascoe Dean, son of former Nashville mayor and currently Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean, spoke during the rally to promote Olsen’s and his father’s values while former Rep. Nathan Vaughn also support the benefits of the candidates and said the state and country needs to be united to make progress for the future.
Visit olsenforcongress.com to learn more about the candidate.