Tennessee U.S. Senate Candidate Willing To Sacrifice Senate Majority Leader Over Nuclear Power

By Kleinheider Posted on May 16, 2008 at 7:02 am

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett is apparently not afraid to take maverick stances and buck his own party when he needs to. According to Joe Lance, Padgett believes in nuclear power and also believes in taking on the Democratic Majority Leader in order to create workable plans for its expansion:

He also indicated a preference to keep nuclear power at the forefront of our ongoing plans—and not a little distaste for Nevada Senator Harry Reid’s efforts to keep radioactive by-products from being deposited under Yucca Mountain. “This issue is bigger than Harry Reid; it’s the nation. If it takes the (elimination) of a man of my own party [from the Senate],” he flatly declared, “then we don’t have a choice.”

Yucca Mountain, a ridge line in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Nevada, is located in a desert on federal land adjacent to the Nevada Test Site in Nye County, Nevada.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada opposes the Yucca Mountain Repository, a U.S. Department of Energy deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other radioactive waste, which sits on the land. Since he has become Majority Leader, Reid has used his considerable power to block any progress in nuclear waste storage at the Repository.

Mike Padgett, a former Knox County Clerk, is running against Former Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Bob Tuke and five other candidates in the Democratic primary in order to face off against Senator Lamar Alexander in the fall.

UPDATE: The Padgett campaign issues a clarifying statement on the candidate’s views regarding Yucca Mountain and Senator Harry Reid:

“Nuclear power is but one of our energy options, and it shouldn’t be ruled out as long as it is economical and safe, U.S. Senate Candidate Mike Padgett said Friday.

“But a big part of the safety question is how to dispose of the waste, and I don’t feel like Yucca Mountain should be off the table,” Padgett said. “I respectfully disagree with Leader Harry Reid on this, but that is a far cry from calling for his head.

“As we try to do what’s best for the American people, there’s always room for respectful debate among Democrats, and I look forward to being part of that debate and to working with Senator Reid.”

UPDATE II: Joe Lance posts video of the comments in question.

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Tags: Bob Tuke, Lamar Alexander, Mike Padgett, nuclear power, Yucca