UPDATE: ACK on some of the names.

The Mike Padgett for U.S. Senate campaign has released a list of 22 endorsements that includes some prominent Tennessee Democratic party regulars. Read the full press release and list after the jump...

The Sumner County Democratic Party will hold its June Meeting at the Lunch Box on Long Hollow Pike in Gallatin at 8:30 a.m. on June 14. Join us as we hear from the campaigns of the Dems who will paint Sumner County Blue this November with an anticipated visit from Mike Padgett as well. Learn how you can be a part of this winning team, get the latest in Democratic fashion and breakfast, too!

Sean Braisted and Ilissa Gold met up with Mike Padgett at the Tin Roof in Nashville last night.

Sean has Padgett's comments on energy, and Ms. Gold notes his remarks on education. Both were impressed with his candor and straightforward approach.

(Does Mike Padgett really say "mad props?" Makes you wonder who's writing his blog...)

In reading Mike Padgett's "Front Porch" campaign blog about his travels across the state meeting with voters, I was struck by how many restaurants he visits on the campaign trail.

Here's a partial recap of his country cooking campaign stops so far:

Breece's in Centerville, Miss Opal Shaw's in Bolivar, Southern Cafe in Elizabethton, Lois’s Restaurant in Mountain City, Calhoun's on the River in Knoxville, The Rendezvous in Memphis, Lakeside Grill in Knoxville, Kathy's Cowntry Kitchen in Benton, Roma's Restaurant in Cleveland, Panera Bread in Chattanooga, Wally's in Chattanooga, Little Dutch Restaurant in Morristown, Dixie Cafe in Byrdstown, Shell Station on Hwy. 111 in Spencer, Mary’s Kitchen in Altamont, Junior's Restaurant in Rockwood, IHOP in Memphis, Outback in Memphis...

And that's not counting the Rhea County Strawberry Festival, the Randy Camp Fish Fry, and the Scott County Appalachian Dumpling Festival ("chicken and dumplings, cherry dumplings, pinto bean dumplings, apple dumplings, pineapple dumplings, squash dumplings, rhubarb dumplings...").

OK, then. Gotta go. I'm gettin' hungry.

A.C. Kleinheider interviews Mike Padgett at Post Politics.

“We have accomplished everything we have set out to do in Iraq. We have alleviated a dictatorship, we proved there were no weapons of mass destruction — at all. We have instituted a democracy in Iraq. They have held free elections. What else do they need?”

Read the whole thing.

Mike Padgett says Senator Alexander is engaging in election-year grandstanding about gas prices:

"In five years as a United States senator, he has done nothing that would prevent the pain we’re feeling now at the pump," Padgett said after Senator Alexander announced that he would propose a "Manhattan Project-style" effort to break U.S. energy dependence on foreign producers.

"This is nothing more than an election-year re-invention for Senator Alexander.

"When Democrats put a strong energy bill on the table last year, he made a lot of noise about how he was for its 35 mpg requirement, then he stepped right in line with the White House and threatened to stop the bill in its tracks if it ended tax breaks to Big Oil.

"And if he is really a champion of clean energy, why has he led the charge against wind energy? Meanwhile, he is a big fan of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"Tennessee voters are too smart to be fooled by this pandering. I ask them to stand with me, and when it comes time to vote on energy legislation, I will stand with them, not the oil industry."

Mike Padgett is exactly right about Alexander's election year pandering.

But Padgett's thoughts on energy policy at his website are a little short-sighted, being focused mainly on the price of gas (which is already artificially low) and helping out Tennessee's farmers by replacing oil with biofuel from corn and soybeans and switchgrass.

We used to feed grains to our horses. Feeding them to our cars is a step back 100 years into the past. Switchgrass is marginally better. But we need to get beyond internal combustion and burning up our natural resources (including topsoil) and competing with our cars for food.

But at least Padgett has thoughts. Bob Tuke does not address energy policy at all on his website.

Democrats are going to have to bring their A game to compete with the GOP machine against Lamar Alexander.

That said, either Democrat will improve by an order of magnitude our current Tennessee Senate delegation, and help give us a fighting chance to start undoing eight years of catastrophic Bush/GOP/Big Oil energy policy.

Mike Padgett, Tennessee candidate for U.S. Senate, says "some Senate Republicans are playing a game of one-upmanship with the GI Bill’s educational benefits for veterans."

"They were called out for not supporting Senator Jim Webb’s bipartisan plan – which would guarantee veterans the college education they deserve," Padgett said. "Then, and only then, did a group of Republicans, including Senator John McCain and Senator Alexander, slap together a proposal.

"And it falls short of guaranteeing that veterans won’t have to worry about tuition costs if they want a college education after their active-duty service."

Senator Webb’s plan, co-sponsored by Republican Senator John Warner, would guarantee a veteran full tuition at a public college or university in his or her state following 36 months of active duty. The McCain proposal would only pay a fixed amount regardless of whether it covers full tuition.

Padgett praised the GOP bill’s provision that would allow a veteran to transfer his or her benefits to a spouse or child.

"But why not just get on board with Senator Webb and Senator Warner and work together to come up with what’s best for veterans and their families?

"I am offering Tennessee voters an alternative to this kind of political game-playing with the future of our veterans, our heroes. Stand with me, and I’ll work to solve problems, without the political marksmanship."