Former Knox County Clerk Challenges Alexander For Senate Seat

BRISTOL, Va. – Democrat Mike Padgett stretched out his arms, turned his palms upward and said, “This is not the America I grew up in – what’s happened?”

Padgett, 59, is among six Democrats hoping for the chance to run against Tennessee’s Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander.

“I classify myself as a problem solver,” Padgett said Wednesday during a visit to the Herald Courier. “I’m the only [Democratic] candidate that has ever been elected to public office, and I want to put America first.”

He was first elected to the Knox County School Board in 1984, then as Knox County clerk in 1986, a position he held for more than 20 years. During his tenure as county clerk, Padgett managed more than 130 employees and an annual budget of $57 million.

“We’ve leaned on China and Japan to supplement our growth,” he said of the U.S. “We’re going to have to start putting ourselves back into the picture. We can’t keep troops in Iraq. We need them here to rebuild our country.”

When asked his opinion of Alexander’s leadership, Padgett let out a sigh before he spoke.

“Sen. Alexander was president of the University of Tennessee, governor, the secretary of education and a U.S. senator for almost six years,” he said. “If his legacy is education, then why are we 48th of 50 states in this country in education?”

Padgett said he would push for smaller classrooms, especially when children are beginning school. He suggested canning the federal No Child Left Behind program and creating a school environment where nutrition, physical activity and early learning would be emphasized.

“If we get these children at an early age and get them to read a newspaper by the age of 4 ... give me a child that wants to read a book, and I’ll show you a child that will be an active, engaged citizen,” he said.
Padgett also suggested that America use a combination of nuclear energy, solar panels, windmills and sugar cane to turn around the country’s reliance on gasoline and oil products.

“This would help us decrease our dependence on foreign oil,” he said. “I’m also not opposed to offshore drilling, as long as the states agree they want it. But oil is not going to be the long-term answer.”

Padgett and his wife, Patty, have been married for 37 years. They have three adult children.

Padgett and Bob Tuke, former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman, are the two Democrats believed to have the best chance to face Alexander in November.

Alexander, who won Fred Thompson’s vacant Senate seat in 2002, faces no Republican challengers.

The other Democrats who hope to challenge Alexander are Mark Clayton, Gary Davis, Leonard Ladner and Kenneth Eaton.

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