Editor's note: The Tennessean Editorial Board invited candidates for the 2024 congressional elections to fill out our questionnaire. They include biographical information and answers to 11 questions on variety of topics from key policy issues to their recommendation for visitors on what to see or do in their congressional districts.
Election Guide: Learn about candidates running in Aug. 1 Tennessee primary election for U.S. Congress
Key dates:
- July 12-27: Early voting
- July 25: Deadline to request absentee ballot
- Aug. 1: Primary election
- Nov. 5: General election
Biographical Information
- Name: Cyril Focht (Focht rhymes with vote)
- Which office are you seeking? U.S. House District 6. One of three Democrats in the primary election.
- Age at the time of election: 29
- What city/town in Tennessee do you live in? Cookeville
- Education: B.S. in computer science from Tennessee Tech, 2017. M.S. in computational media from University of California Santa Cruz, 2019.
- Job history: Computer science instructor at Tennessee Tech
- Family: I'm single with no kids
11 questions for the candidates
Why are you running for this office?
I decided to run for federal House, instead of state House, because of my platform on software and technology. While there's plenty that should be done a state level, it would be a lot more effective to bring that expertise to Congress.
What makes you qualified to hold this office and better qualified than your opponent(s)?
I've been volunteering for years as a community organizer in Cookeville, which has given me the experience with the political process and working with constituents that it takes to be a successful representative.
If you are elected (or re-elected), what are your top 2 to 3 priorities for your new (or next) term in office?
As soon as I'm elected I want to hit the ground running with a breadth of new bills to set policy for our technology landscape in areas like artificial intelligence, internet and social media, data privacy, rural access to broadband, and the right to repair. I will also be pushing for government accountability measures for congress that includes term limits, campaign finance reform, and limiting legislators' ability to profit from holding office.
What are you hearing most from voters about what they want you to accomplish, if elected?
The number one issue I hear from voters is reproductive rights. Nearly everyone I speak with disagrees with last year's overturning of Roe v Wade. In rural communities, people have a lot of concerns about access to food. There are a lot of communities in the district where people are having to drive half an hour or more to be able to get groceries, and that's not financially sustainable for most of those communities.
Are you satisfied with the direction of the country? Explain why.
I never really have been, and that's why I started thinking about running for office in the first place. Our systems of government are designed for elected officials to be able to profit from holding office, and as long as that's the case we will never have a legislative body that truly represents its constituents.
What is your assessment of the performance of the President Joe Biden over the last four years?
Over the last four years, Biden has proven to be an ineffective president at best. He's failed to deliver on most of his campaign promises, and the only notable legislation he's passed was the bipartisan infrastructure bill. As beneficial as that infrastructure bill has been for everyday Americans, it should have been the baseline for a strong presidential term, not the sole highlight. My personal opinion is that his failings as president have far outshadowed his successes.
How should the U.S. approach foreign policy goals as it pertains to regions, nations and conflicts such as China, Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war?
In general, we should be spending our taxpayers' money on taking care of our own problems as a country, rather than spending billions of dollars a year to perpetuate forever-wars.
Americans in recent polling say immigration is one of the top issues, if not the most important issue, facing the U.S. What should Congress do to address the immigration and border security?
We should increase the number of and support for immigration judges and their staff so that immigration status can be decided more quickly. Most immigrants who come into the U.S. do so seeking a path to citizenship, and because our immigration processing is so backlogged, applicants get stuck in a legal limbo while waiting on a decision for their own applications.
What else do you want voters to know about you that will help them make an informed decision on Election Day?
Whatever your political leanings, there's one thing I've been able to agree on with every single person I've spoken with on my campaign, and that's the fact that across the board most of our elected officials aren't truly representing the American people. They're far more interested in using their office to line their own pockets and put their party before their constituents. That will never change unless we elect representatives who want to change our systems of governance to make it harder to profit from serving in office and hold our government accountable to its people.
A "fun" question: When visitors ask you, "What should I do in Tennessee or your specific community?" what are the top 2 or 3 things or places you recommend?
It's so hard to narrow it down to two or three! Of course we're known for our beautiful state parks like Cummins Falls, Burgess Falls, and my personal favorite Savage Gulf. And I've always got to recommend people stop by Tennessee Legends and Father Tom's Pub when they're looking for food, drinks, and good company.
Will you commit to being civil in how you present yourself and the way you interact with opponents and others? (Our definition of civility is being a good, active, honest and respectable citizen)
Yes
Call Opinion and Engagement Director David Plazas at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas.
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