Gardenhire touts support for teacher pay hikes in first state Senate campaign ad

State Sen. Todd Gardenhire speaks to the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club.
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire speaks to the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club.
photo Khristy Wilkinson

NASVHILLE - State Sen. Todd Gardenhire began airing his first campaign ad on television Wednesday, as early voting kicked off in Tennessee for the Nov. 8 election.

Gardenhire, a Senate Education Committee vice chairman who faces Democrat Khristy Wilkinson of Chattanooga in his bid for a second four-year term, focuses on education in the 30-second spot.

"Some people say we can't afford great schools," Gardenhire says in the ad. "I say we can't afford not to have great schools."

The retired investment advisor said that in Tennessee "we manage our money. We've got over $100 million in teacher pay raises and we did it without raising any taxes. Now we're improving clasrooms' practices. Our kids deserve it."

The Senate District 10 ad began airing on WDEF-TV in a $7,925 buy, according to billing records in the CBS affiliate's online public file on the Federal Communications Commission website.

Republicans say it's part of a buy estimated to total at least $80,000 by election day. But as of Wednesday, public files for other Chattanooga television stations did not yet contain billing records of additional purchases.

Wilkinson has not aired any television ads.

The Gardenhire ad's reference to public teacher pay raises is based on Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's budget recommendation, later approved by the GOP-run General Assembly, to boost Tennessee teacher pay by $100 million.

A female announcer in the ad also notes that the Times Free Press endorsed Gardenhire "for working tirelessly on education." The ad later concludes "Chattanooga-born and raised. A principled dedicated state senator. Todd Gardenhire."

The Times Free Press has two editorial opinion pages, one conservative and one liberal. The conservative Free Press opinion page endorsed Gardenhire while the liberal Times' opinion page endorsed Wilkinson, a former adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Senate District 10 includes most of the city of Chattanooga, which is heavily Democratic, as well as East Ridge and Collegedale and extends east into heavily Republican sections of Bradley County.

Gardenhire's ad can be found online at bit.ly/ 2e8Z4un.

Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.

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