BY VANESSA ECHOLS
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Democratic Congressional candidate Lee McInnis continued his series of town hall meetings with a recent stop in Opelika. McInnis is the Democratic nominee for the third Congressional district, which includes Lee and six other counties. His town hall campaign stop was August 20th at the Opelika Public Library.
McInnis said his campaign issues are focused on the nearly 50% of American workers who aren’t earning a living wage, making sure the ultra wealthy pay their fair share of taxes and access to health care for all Alabamians, which is a particular challenge for those in rural areas of the state.
“Our rural communities are under assault,” McInnis told those gathered at the town hall. He cited the number of rural hospitals that have recently closed or are struggling to survive in Alabama’s rural counties. “When I talk to people in those counties and ask them what worries them, they say it’s their children getting sick and having to drive sometimes an hour to get to the hospital or an emergency room.”
McInnis is an Alabama native and currently lives in Opelika. He is a veteran of the United States Army, having served in Army Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Community and Acting Director of Intelligence for NATO/USA Special Operations in Afghanistan. He is challenging the Congressional seat currently held by Mike Rogers, who has been in Congress for 23 years and is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
McInnis told the crowd if he’s elected, he is committed to being in touch and accessible to the 720,000 residents in the district.
“We are running an open, transparent, positive campaign. We believe the best way for you to decide who to vote for in November is to have an open conversation with as many of the 720,000 people in the district we can talk to,” McInnis said.
McInnis has called on Congressman Rogers to participate in a debate, but said so far, Rogers has not responded to the three certified letters sent to the campaign. The Observer reached out to the Congressman’s office and also did not hear back.
McInnis said the town halls are an opportunity for voters from all political parties to hear from him and ask him questions face to face. He was joined at the Opelika Town Hall by Democrats Jamie McCurry, running for a seat on the State Board Of Education, along with Hazel Floyd and Michelle French, running for seats in the state legislature.
