Press Release

PADGETT IS ONLY CANDIDATE WITH PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
Alexander, Tuke both misfire on gas prices

NASHVILLE - Mike Padgett said Thursday that he is the only Tennessean running for the U.S. Senate - Democrat or Republican - who's willing to work on pragmatic solutions to the problem of $4-a-gallon gas.

"Senator Alexander had the nerve to take to the Senate floor Wednesday and talk about how people on the street in Tennessee towns want something serious done about gas prices," Padgett said. "Senator Alexander, when was the last time you talked to anybody on the street in a Tennessee town? I've been to more than 95 of them this summer, and folks out there say they haven't seen you since you were wearing that red shirt.

"Besides, it's blatantly hypocritical for Senator Alexander to talk about how he wants to work across party lines, with energy legislation stuck this week in the Senate. Time after time - at least twice in just the last year - he has voted to block meaningful legislation to free America from the stranglehold of foreign oil because it would have eliminated billions in tax breaks to his friends in the oil industry."

Padgett also said that his leading Democratic opponent, Nashville lawyer Bob Tuke, lacks a sense of the practical when it comes to the problem of energy.

"Bob has turned a blind eye to drilling off American shores, but this is one piece - among many - that needs to be on the table. He is marching in lockstep with the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party, which refused last week to consider drilling off the coast of states that agree to the idea.

"That is not what Tennesseans want in a senator, and it's not what will beat Senator Alexander in November.

"I say, why not use drilling as a bargaining chip? Support a bill to allow responsible drilling off the coast of states that want to do so - with a caveat: The bill also must eliminate the tax subsidies currently going to the gas and oil industry. Let's see how serious the Republicans are about finding solutions."

With more than 20 years in public service, Padgett says he has the experience that Tuke lacks in practical problem-solving.

"In a Republican bastion like Knox County, I had to be able to reach across the aisle to get things done. That - and not partisan posturing - is what Tennesseans can expect from me in the U.S. Senate."

William "Mike" Padgett is former Knox County Clerk and small business owner. He and Patty, his wife of 37 years, have three grown children, Matt, Mark and Sara Beth

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