Press Releases

JULY 21 - MEMPHIS TEAMSTERS ENDORSE PADGETT FOR SENATE

MEMPHIS - Two powerful Teamsters locals in Memphis endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett. Teamsters Local 1196, headed by Nate Jackson, and Teamsters Local 984, headed by Terry Lovan, both are supporting Padgett in the Aug. 7 primary. Henry Perry, president of Local 667, announced his endorsement for Padgett last week...
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JULY 17 - EVENTS IN KNOXVILLE, MEMPHIS KICK OFF EARLY VOTE
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett is kicking off early voting, which begins Friday, at a get-out-the-vote rally Thursday night in Knoxville and an early-vote barbecue Saturday in Memphis.People I have talked to across Tennessee are excited about making big changes in Washington, and they canÕt wait to get out there and vote for somebody who can send Senator Alexander home, Padgett said. I am the guy to do that......
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JULY 17 - ANNIE HALL, DR. BRENT STATON HEAD CHATTANOOGA CAMPAIGN
Civic leader Annie Hall has been named Hamilton County campaign coordinator and Brent Staton MD has signed on as the county’s finance chairman by the Mike Padgett for U.S. Senate campaign.....
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JUNE 25 - IN 95 COUNTIES, MESSAGE IS CLEAR: WE'VE HAD ENOUGH
With a visit Wednesday to Wilson County, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett has been to all of Tennessee's 95 counties since late March. "At courthouses, around town squares, in diners and coffee shops, I have met Tennesseans and heard what they have on their minds," Padgett said. "What I've found is that families across this state are struggling to buy a few gallons of gas or a sackful of groceries. They wonder where the good-paying jobs have gone and when the troops are coming home from Iraq.....
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JUNE 12 - SEN. LOWE FINNEY ENDORSES PADGETT FOR U.S. SENATE
State Senator Lowe Finney endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett Thursday and campaigned with him in Jackson. "Mike Padgett has visited 86 of the 95 counties in this state, showing Tennesseans what the people of Knox County already know," Finney said. "That Mike is a public servant in the truest sense of the word - their concerns will be his mandate in the U.S. Senate....
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JUNE 11 - 22 PROMINENT TENNESSEANS ENDORSE PADGETT FOR SENATE
A group of prominent Tennesseans from across the state endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett Wednesday...
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JUNE 04 - PADGETT ENDORSES OBAMA
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett joined Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser Wednesday morning in endorsing Senator Barack Obama for president.At a unity breakfast at Swett’s Restaurant, Padgett called on his fellow Democrats to unite, saying they must end Republican occupation of the White House. “I am proud of the campaign Senator Hillary Clinton ran and am honored that Governor Ned McWherter called and asked me to serve on her state steering committee,” Padgett said. “I will look forward to serving with her in the U.S. Senate.,...
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May 29 - CONSUMERS, NOT OIL INDUSTRY, FEEL PAIN OF $4.01 GAS
As gasoline hit $4.01 a gallon in Tennessee this week, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said the oil industry must be held accountable. “Tennesseans are struggling to buy groceries and put enough gas in the car to get to work or to the doctor’s office. When are the oil industry executives going to start feeling the pain?” Padgett said Thursday.“And to add insult to injury – literally – gas costs about 50 cents a liter in Iraq,...
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May 28 - AFTER IRAQ CHARADE, U.S. MUST RECLAIM ITS HONOR
With a former White House insider now saying President Bush played Iraq as a political tool, new leaders will have to reclaim American honor in the world, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Wednesday. “The charade is over,” Padgett said during a campaign visit to Memphis. “The American people must hand the reins to new leaders in November. The task, then, will be nothing less than winning back America’s honor in the eyes of the world.”...
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May 22 - SENATOR ALEXANDER OUT OF TOUCH ON MOST PRESSING NEEDS
Senator Alexander showed how out of touch he is with the priorities of Tennesseans Thursday when he voted against better education benefits for veterans and those suffering from the economic downturn and for sending billions more to Iraq, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said. “Once again, Senator Alexander stepped right in line with President Bush...
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May 21 - MILITARY STRAIN OF IRAQ HAS LEFT US UNSAFE
With al-Qaida on the loose in Afghanistan, senators questioning Gen. David Petraeus Thursday should ask him why troops – including 4,000 Tennessee National Guard troops based in Knoxville – are scheduled to go to Iraq into next year, U.S. Senate Mike Padgett said Wednesday. “The United States is no safer from attack than it was on Sept. 11, 2001...
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May 16 - FOOD PRICES HIT MIDDLE CLASS WHERE IT HURTS MOST
Bloated food prices may be the cruelest assault of all on the working class, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Thursday. “When working parents go to the store for a loaf of bread, they’re paying nearly 20 percent more for it than they did just three months ago,” Padgett said. “And which is going to hit $4 a gallon first: gas or milk? Milk’s ahead by a nose, at $3.80...
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May 13 - GAS PRICES MAKE IT HARD TO PAY OUR BILLS
Tennesseans are having to make unthinkable choices with their checkbooks as the price of gas climbs toward $4 a gallon, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Tuesday. “There are families who are juggling their utility bills and their grocery money so they can keep enough gas in the car just to get back and forth to work...
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May 9 - WE MUST WAGE AGGRESSIVE, LONG-TERM FIGHT ON ENERGY PRICES
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett unveiled “Energy 2.0,” a far-reaching, pro-active plan, Friday for the nation to take back its energy independence. “As I visit the counties and cities across Tennessee, the pain being inflicted on families at the gas pump is obvious,” Padgett said during a three-day campaign stop in Memphis,...
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May 5 - GAS TAX HOLIDAY WILL ONLY MAKE MATTERS WORSE
A gas tax “holiday” over the summer is bad economics that will do little good for the Tennessee motorist, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Monday. “With vacation season coming up, Americans will feel like they can drive more...
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April 29 - ALEXANDER GRANDSTANDS ON GAS PRICES
Senator Alexander is engaging in election-year grandstanding about gas prices, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Tuesday. “In five years as a United States senator, he has done nothing that would prevent the pain we’re feeling now at the pump...
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April 28 - REPUBLICANS PLAY POLITICS WITH VETS’ BENEFITS

NASHVILLE – Some Senate Republicans are playing a game of one-upmanship with the GI Bill’s educational benefits for veterans, Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Monday. “They were called out for not supporting Senator Jim Webb’s bipartisan plan...
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April 24 - PENALIZE COMPANIES THAT OUTSOURCE AMERICAN JOBS
When the pain of outsourcing stings workers here in Tennessee, the companies responsible ought to pay a price, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said this week. “Just last week, a computer assembly plant in La Vergne shut down 150 positions...
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April 22 - ALTERNATIVE ENERGY NOT JUST FOR EARTH DAY
As gas prices hit an average $3.50 a gallon, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Tuesday it has never been more urgent that we find other ways to fill our tanks. “Alternative energy sources aren’t just something we roll out and talk about on Earth Day anymore...
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April 17 - PADGETT SAYS FLAT TAX DOES LITTLE FOR MIDDLE CLASS
Mike Padgett, candidate for the U.S. Senate, said Thursday that a flat tax like the one promoted by Senator Alexander does a lot for the wealthiest Tennesseans but little for the struggling middle class. “Take the few folks who make more than $350,000 a year....
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April 14 - IT'S TIME TO MAKE SURE MORE VETERANS GO TO COLLEGE
Tennessee veterans finally stand to get full college tuition when their enlistment is up, but Senator Alexander doesn’t seem to be interested in making it happen. “Our servicemen and women who want to attend UT, Tennessee State, Memphis or any Tennessee universities...
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April 9 - PADGETT TO PETRAEUS: AMERICANS FED UP, WANT TROOPS HOME
Gen. David Petraeus asked Congress yesterday for patience with the effort in Iraq, but Americans have run out of patience and want our troops brought home, Mike Padgett, a candidate for the U.S. Senate said.“Gen. Petraeus himself once posed the question: ‘How does this end?’...
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April 4 - PADGETT STATEMENT ON DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
Mike Padgett, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, said Friday that, as the nation marks 40 years since the passing of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. we honor a prophet whose wisdom echoes across the ages.“The words of Dr. King’s...
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MARCH 26 - PADGETT FILES TO RUN FOR U.S. SENATE
Mike Padgett filed documents on Wednesday with the State of Tennessee to officially run for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate. Padgett will be running for the seat currently held by Senator Alexander. “It’s time for a U.S. Senator with the courage...
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MARCH 19 - TIME FOR TROOPS TO COME HOME
Five years into the fighting in Iraq, the war on terror has lost its focus and Osama bin Laden remains at large while the U.S. spends billions on Iraq as Americans face a recession, Senate candidate Mike Padgett said Wednesday. “Tennesseans want to see their loved ones, their heroes...
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MARCH 11 - PADGETT LEADS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
U.S. Senate Candidate Mike Padgett leads his Democratic opponents in name ID and has the best chance to beat Senator Alexander in November, according to a recent poll conducted by Ayres, McHenry & Associates. "We’ve only been in this race for a week...
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MARCH 4 - PADGETT ANNOUNCES FOR US SENATE
Mike Padgett today formally kicked off his campaign for United States Senate. Padgett, who had recently retired from public service, cited his desire to be a voice of change for the people of Tennessee as a reason for running. "I have been talking to Tennesseans...
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