Right now, there's several candidates running for the Republican nomination in the 3rd congressional district. I'm not following the party too deeply, but they seem to favor Tim Gobble (Bradley County Sheriff) and Robin Smith (Chairman of the Tennessee State Republican Party). Gobble's a decent candidate, but Van Irion more closely matches my views. He's a strong constitutionalist, conservative, with a dash of libertarian (with a small "L").
Van is a relative newcomer to the political scene. He's a lawyer by trade, concentrating in constitutional law, contract disputes, patents, business transactions, and civil litigation. He's well spoken - I talked with him briefly last night.
Van served in the Air Force as an air traffic controller, holds a degree in Biochemestry and later earned his JD. He has quite a resume on his web page, www.van4congress.org .
A crowded field eh? JMHO and with limited knowledge of Irion, he seems to be the real deal. A bona fide “Middle American” whose mentality is more in line with what our Founders envisioned as a servant of the people.