This interview has been edited for clarity.
Barnett: I made the decision to run while I was working in Congress as a science policy fellow. And honestly, just seeing up first and so clearly, how Congress was not working for people back home and simultaneously having U.S. Representative Tim Burchett as my representative while I worked in Congress; I just saw so many more opportunities for how that office could work for the people of East Tennessee. Whether that is voting in a way that doesn't take away health care from 29,000 East Tennesseans or working harder to bring our federal tax dollars home to invest in our infrastructure. I think that we need someone in that seat who's clear-eyed that Congress should be working for the people of East Tennessee, not corporate interests or career politicians, and that's why I made the choice to throw my hat in this ring and run to represent this seat.
Sieber: You talk about opportunities. Would you mind expanding on that a little bit?
Barnett: So I will say, you know, several folks have really thanked me for running a clean campaign. We don't engage in mudslinging, and I really want to focus on my ideas and also let Rep. Burgett's record stand on that record; folks can always look that up. But I think the people of East Tennessee have been really clear with me about their pain points and where they're hurting. You know, I knock on doors every single day, and folks are having a hard time accessing healthcare. Their kids are moving away because they don't have opportunities here. They are having a hard time affording housing, and people are concerned about the impact that data centers could have in our community, or the impact of unregulated artificial intelligence. In the One Big Beautiful Bill act that passed last summer, there was a provision in it that would have been a 10-year moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence for AI, we know it's moving so fast. I mean, that's like 1000 years, and Rep. Burchett voted for that bill with that provision in it. I think there are just a lot of opportunities to get up there and work to fund rural healthcare to work to regulate these hyperscale data centers and artificial intelligence, to work to try and bring our tax dollars back home to East Tennessee to invest in our infrastructure that so sorely needs it, and I don't know if those have been the priorities of our current rep. In fact, I'll say they haven't been, and that's why I'm excited to go up there and try to work really hard for the people of East Tennessee.
Sieber: One of your main points is making sure that you are staying connected with your constituents. If elected, what are ways that you will hold on this commitment?
Barnett: A few different ways. One is open town halls, which we've been doing throughout the campaign. I know that Congressman Burchett says that these are not town halls. He says they're campaign rallies. Which, if anyone comes, you can see that we've got folks from across the political spectrum, who are not yet supporters, who just have questions for how I would represent them. I tell people that when elected, if given the chance to represent our district, I'm going to work really hard to make progress on 80/20 issues. If I fail to do that, I'm going to come home to open town halls where you can tell me what I've gotten right, but more importantly, what I've gotten wrong. I also think there's an opportunity to do mobile office hours for constituent services, especially in more rural parts of the district that don't have maybe a physical office presence. So that whether you are a farmer in Grainger County, or you know someone in Loudon County that is having a hard time navigating the Social Security or IRS websites, a member of my team can hold mobile hours there to really help you with constituent services and navigating those federal platforms. So I think there are so many different opportunities, and there will be if given the chance to represent folks in this seat, for people to continue staying engaged and make sure that I am on track when it comes to the priorities that I've said I'm going to fight for.
Sieber: The 2026 Cook Partisan Voting Index says District 2 leans Republican. How have people who may have been coming to you that are maybe not have voted for a Democrat before? What are some issues that they have been asking you or telling you about that you've been taking into consideration?
Barnett: We do have a politically diverse district. There is no question about that. The only way that I will be elected to this seat is if enough Republicans and Independents, alongside Democrats like myself, choose to vote for me. And I also tell folks I will be the easiest member of Congress to hold accountable if elected, because any one of those groups could choose to fire me in two years' time, because we really have to build a huge coalition for this movement. Now, there are a lot of Republicans I talk to who feel politically homeless in their own party. They don't really recognize the party that they have loved for a long time, and they don't see a focus on small government and fiscal conservatism in D.C. and government efficiency. There are a lot of people that are very concerned about corruption and self-dealing. And what I also hear from a lot of people across the political spectrum is they want a representative who is very clear where their allegiances lie. That should be to the people that put them in that seat, not to party leadership, not to the president, not to corporate interests or corporate donors, and I think that is absolutely critical. If we're going to have a government that is responsive to the needs of the people again, we need to elect folks to those seats who are not funded by corporate PACs and who are willing to stand up to their own leadership when the moment requires it. I mentioned a little bit about data centers and artificial intelligence. That is something that's coming up for folks across the political spectrum. I think that people see these as a force that could move into our community, that could drive up our utility rates, could take our water, and can introduce light and noise pollution, and at the end of the day, really be serving an industry that is taking away East Tennesseans' jobs; all in service of a few people at the top. And I've really heard concerns about you know President Donald Trump's approach, which is that any community that doesn't want data centers must be backwards or poor, and also U.S. Representative Burchett's approach, which is that 'we just need to listen to the president on this one, because Congress is too old and out of touch to regulate artificial intelligence or data centers.' I mean, if that's how he feels, I think we need some folks who are in touch with these issues to be able to regulate this technology.
Sieber: You mention data centers. What are the specific actions you would take, if elected, to regulate them?
Barnett: Absolutely. So, I actually am a signatory to a pact about with several other candidates, basically saying 'here are some of the actions that we will take as a unified body when we get to Congress.' I think one thing that's really important is that sometimes these technology companies— when they come into a community— they are negotiating under NDAs and under secrecy, and so the community is really not clear about the deal that they are getting. I absolutely think that this has to be negotiated in public with communities being able to voice their concerns, and ultimately, these decisions need to be left up to communities. But we need very robust environmental standards in place for these hyperscale data centers that bring it up to such a level that they are, you know, completely covering energy upgrades; they are not increasing any utility costs; they are not introducing light and noise pollution; they are using closed water systems. And even then, I think communities should be given the right to say no to these as well. The other thing that we need when it comes to artificial intelligence is we need a full review of these models by an independent board and agency before they are being released. At town halls, I've had folks ask me if I really think that artificial intelligence is or could be an existential threat, and I think it can be. I've talked with a lot of experts about this issue, and these technologies can escape their sandboxes and do everything from; well, I don't want to hypothesize about the different things they could do, but anything that is connected to our internet is really something that these technologies could, at some point, interact with, and I think people sometimes take human models of cognition and apply it to them, and say, 'Well, AI wouldn't do this, AI wouldn't do that.' And the truth is that these are not human actors. This is technology that has been developed by humans that we need transparency and oversight into what is going into these models, and we also need protections to ensure that they are not getting into weapons of war, that they are not getting into hospital systems, that they are not getting into our financial systems. That is regulation that I will be pursuing when it comes to artificial intelligence, and then those safeguards that I mentioned when it comes to environmental and community standards, when it comes to data centers.
Sieber: WUOT received nearly 1000 results from a survey we published last month, asking constituents in our listening area to share what issues are on their minds this upcoming election. A common theme we saw were people’s concerns about the cost of living. It makes me think of the bipartisan housing package that passed in Congress this year. What are your thoughts on this legislation?
Barnett: I am hearing from folks across our congressional district that they're having to make impossible choices, whether that is choosing between the gas they need to get to their first or second or third job, putting off a rent or mortgage payment, trying to afford their medical treatment, trying to afford childcare, which is essentially another mortgage or rent payment on its own, and wages aren't going up at this point at the rate they need to really match the cost of living, and so we know that there's not one magic switch that Congress can turn to magically bring prices back down. But there are things that a member of Congress can do to try and make things affordable again. One of the biggest causes that we are seeing for this increase in our cost-of-living crisis is the war in Iran, and I'm hearing voter regret from a lot of people who voted for President Trump because he promised lower prices and no more forever wars. And now we have higher prices and another expensive conflict in the Middle East that is costing so much of our precious tax dollars that we could be investing here instead.
Sieber: You mention the war in Iran, what is your approach to U.S. foreign policy?
Barnett: I would not have been one of the deciding votes to stay in this war, as happened with my opponent, U.S. Representative Burchett. I have heard from so many East Tennesseans how outraged they are to be in this conflict, how outraged they are that we are putting our service members in harm's way, that we have reduced our soft negotiating power across the world. I think a lot of people do not see the United States as a reliable partner to enter into negotiations with, and again, we there is a huge cost here. We are seeing increases in our fuel costs. We all feel that at the pump every single day. That has so many trickle-over effects, as you see diesel going up, which is what the fuel that that powers our truckers and all of the goods that get transported across our country for our farmers. Fertilizer fuel, fertilizer prices have increased, fuel prices have increased, and now there is this this mystery meat that's flooded the market, which is really hurting our East Tennessee farmers. Of course, there is a role for tariffs in any good foreign policy, right? You want to level out trade agreements. You want to negotiate in different ways, but I think the problem we have is that is one of the few foreign policy mechanisms this administration has leveraged, and it is hurting East Tennessee families. It's driving our costs up, it's limiting our export ability, and then we have this war that's driving up all of our prices with no end in sight, and I think people here are disappointed. They're frustrated. Some feel betrayed, and then we're all paying for it at the pump, the grocery store, with our daily essentials, and we have to find a way to end this war and bring service members home safely and start bringing costs down. It's absolutely critical.
Sieber: If elected, how would you handle political division, especially in the world of social media?
Barnett: That's interesting. The question about in the world of social media. I tend to think about it in terms of being on the Hill, where I have shared that I'll work with anyone, no matter their politics, if they're willing to help me get things done for East Tennessee. If you're willing to help me fund our rural hospitals or invest in our roads and bridges and schools. If you are willing to help me institute common sense government reforms like term limits and getting dark money out of politics and ending members of Congress from trading stocks, ending members of Congress from lobbying after their term, I do not care what the rest of your politics are. I don't care if we're divided on a lot of other things. I am excited to get to work for you. I'm excited to get to work for East Tennesseans, and I'll work with anyone on any of those issues. Now, when it comes to divides on social media, I do think we see plenty of folks who are in leadership positions that are just using such inflammatory language, and they are really inspiring so much more division. I mean, my opponent does this with what he calls me in his emails and the way that he talks about the radical left and you know demonic Democrats and all of these different things, and I always try and remind the congressman that we are political opponents, we are not enemies, and we do not need to use this inflammatory rhetoric that really only serves to divide people in our community instead of looking for solutions on the things that we agree on. It's so heartening to me when I'm not behind a computer screen and I'm at someone's front door. Even if we may disagree on some things politically, we can talk about the things that we agree on and start trying to find a path forward. And ultimately, I think that that's what people deserve. And a member of Congress, it's someone who is going to look for a solution and also model a way to bring our communities together on the issues that we agree on, so that we can start solving problems for East Tennesseans. You know, the price at the gas pump doesn't discriminate. The access to care. I mean, there is a difference in access to care in our in our district depending on where you live and your ability to pay. But there are a lot of issues that unite us, and I think that there's an opportunity to focus on those.
Sieber: What are key takeaways about your campaign that you want constituents to know?
Barnett: What my pitch to constituents has always been that this is a job. Right now, I'm in the interview process. If you decide to hire me, and you give me these two years to deliver, and if I fail to do so, you need to tell me so at performance reviews and through open town halls, and then if I still fail, you need to fire me and put someone else in my place because that is the only way that we get a government that's accountable to us again. Now, the things that I'll be fighting for in D.C. very concretely are to be investing in East Tennessee's infrastructure. I'll be working hard to institute common sense governmental reforms that we all agree are critical. Again, those term limits, getting money out of politics that that we discussed, and I'll also be working very hard to address our healthcare crisis. This is something I'm hearing all the time that we need to be funding more of our rural healthcare. That we need to fund mental health and addiction treatment, especially in our rural areas where they have limited access. We need to bring the price of prescription drug medication down. So, I'm going to D.C. to work on issues that matter to you. Ultimately, we the people we are the boss, and we need to remember that the people we put in power are supposed to answer to us. And I think if we remember that, we've got a real good shot at getting our government to deliver for us again, not just corporate interests and career politicians.
Sieber: That was Michaela Barnett, the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district. Thank you for your time.
Barnett: Thank you.
WUOT News reached out to independent candidate Bruce Fine and U.S. Representative Tim Burchett's office, but so far have not heard a response.
