Voters in the 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from Oktibbeha County in the northeastern part of the state to Wilkinson County, will vote for their congressman on Tuesday.
Incumbent Gregg Harper. a Republican, faces Democrat Dennis C. Quinn of Magnolia, Reform Party candidate Lajena Sheets of Seminary and Veterans Party candidate Roger Gerrard of Meridian.
Harper is a native of Pearl, where he and his family live and attend Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon.
Most recently, he’s served on the House Committee for Energy and Commerce. “It’s a very strong committee,” he said.
He has held seats on the Energy and Power; Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade; and Environment and Economy subcommittees.
House Speaker Paul Ryan appointed Harper to serve on the Committee on House Administration. He is vice chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress and chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing.
He said he stands behind Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump because of his views on abortion. Clinton has been quoted saying she believes in end-term abortions in special circumstances such as if a child has a terminal illness and will not make it or if comes down to a decision of the mother’s life or the child’s life.
Harper, who is pro-life, said he does not believe in abortions and that the country has a responsibility to protect the life of an unborn child.
“Only one of the two will stand up for the unborn child. If we don’t do that, who will? Also, the next president will appoint about 4,000 people to various agencies that have a huge impact over our day-to-day lives.”
The biggest of those appointments is to the Supreme Court.
“It will determine the balance of courts for many years to come,” Harper said.
He said when it all boils down, he wants a commander-in-chief he can trust.
“I can’t trust Hillary after the way she handled Bengazi. To say it was a mistake to have a private server with classified information on it in her home is really a stretch. If I had done that, I would be in jail,” Harper said. “We cannot elect a president who thinks they’re above the law. We’re not above the law.”
As for an issue closer to home, such as the state flag, Harper said he trusts the guidance of Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on the issue. They have both said in the past that they respect the will of voters, who voted 2-to-1 to keep the banner featuring the Confederate battle emblem in 2001.
On the topic of police brutality, Harper said he believes people have to be taught how to respect law enforcement.
“I have no problem with dialogue. We are a nation of law and order,” Harper said.“The officers I know and deal with are first-class people. When people need help and they call 911, they don’t care what color the officer is, they just need some help.”
Harper said whether it’s a physical wall or done by utilizing technology, something must be done to help the Border Patrol.
“We must enforce the laws. Donald Trump proposed the wall but Hillary Clinton also voted for a plan that would have funded a portion of a wall.”
Harper said some kind of support is needed.
“We have Islamic radical terrorists trying to get into our country. They’re not coming to get a job, they’re coming to harm us. We have to know who’s coming in our country,” he said.
Multiple efforts to contact Quinn were unsuccessful.
