As I head for the Cumberland County Democratic women’s event this evening, my thoughts and prayers and those of my family are with the folks at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville during this time of unthinkable pain.

Our minister, Dr. Bill Shiell, will open the doors at First Baptist’s sancutuary at 11:30 tomorrow for a noon prayer service that’ll be led by Knoxville’s downtown ministers.

I’ve spent the last couple of days meeting voters in Memphis, but today was special.

Big John Bratcher, our host with the most in Memphis, took us to meet the staff and residents over at C.E. Ware Towers, an assisted living facility. Any day you want to be humbled and inspired, stop by and visit with folks in assisted living and the dedicated people who take care of them.

These wonderful ladies and gentlemen – our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles – are the people who worked so hard to give us what we have. Now, in their twilight, they might need a little assistance (or a lot) with life’s routine, but their eyes are still bright and their hunger for someone to talk to so great. If you have a senior loved one, don’t forget them. With very little effort – a quick visit or a call – you can make their day.

When we left C.E. Ware, we stopped by the Ruth E. Tate Center in South Memphis, where I addressed a large group of seniors in the activities room. This crowd was very interested in political issues and even took a break from shooting pool and playing cards and chess to talk to me.

(Good thing I got Jake out of there. He thinks he’s something of a pool shark, but the fellows at the Tate Center would’ve embarrassed him.)

I’m headed to Gibson County to meet voters, then I’ll spend the night in Jackson. I’ll holler at you tomorrow after No Till Field Day in Milan…Mike

It was a huge weekend, starting Saturday in Memphis. Big John Bratcher and Commissioner Sidney Chism helped us put together a rally, and more than 200 folks showed up. The blues were cool, and the hot dogs were, well, hot. (Just ask Jake: I hear he wolfed down at least four.)

Enjoying the music with us were Sen. Reginald Tate and labor leaders Nate Jackson of the Teamsters Local 1196 and William Henderson, political liaison with the Teamsters Local 984. (Both the 1196 and the 984 joined my friend Henry Perry, head of the Teamsters local 667, in endorsing my candidacy.)

And big thanks to Cheyenne Johnson, who’s running for property assessor in Shelby County, for sending some of her volunteers over to the rally.

We drove back to Nashville Saturday night and headed up to Hendersonville Sunday afternoon, where Sumner County Democratic Chair Len Assante put on a great Yellow Dog Days of Summer picnic. More than 80 people turned out to enjoy the afternoon and the music of the Keg Belly Band.

I got a chance to talk about how I’m going to beat Senator Alexander in November, and a couple of other candidates, Jim Hawkins running for the state Senate and Andy Allman running for the state House, spoke to the crowd, too.

One fellow, a farmer, told me before I spoke that he “would consider me.”  When I finished my remarks, he found me in the crowd to let me know I had his vote. I left for Nashville, assured that Sumner County is Padgett Country.

It was good to put my feet up Sunday night and get some rest before talking to Mary Mancini and Freddie O’Connell on their Liberadio show on WRVU at Vanderbilt. What a beautiful campus and a treasured institution of learning. 

I am meeting directly with an old friend, Georgiana Vines, the revered political writer for my hometown paper, the Knoxville News Sentinel. I’ve cleared the schedule for her, so I will check back with you soon…Mike

Jake and I drove down to Memphis today to pay a visit to Henry Perry, President of Teamsters Local 667, and we left with his endorsement and assurance that he would do all he could to see that I am elected.

Endorsements like Henry’s mean a lot to me. This is a fellow who goes to bat everyday for the working man and woman, and he believes in me to take the same concerns to Washington.

With support in Memphis from folks like Henry Perry, Sidney Chism and Big John Bratcher, I feel optimistic and honored.

We then stopped by The Commercial Appeal, one of the South’s great old newspaper traditions. I met with Nashville native Blake Fontenay for a discussion of the issues before heading back up I-40.

Jake’s hungry (stop the presses!), so we are stopping in Jackson.

Then we’ll go back through Nashville and home to Knoxville. I’m going to  Loudon County in the morning, and I’ll check in with you…Mike

Main Street in Dickson was our first stop today, where we dropped in at the House Blend coffee shop for an interview with public radio’s Christine Buttorff. As I talked to her about what I’ve learned during my visits across Tennessee, I pointed to the lack of activity along this fine old street.

Dickson is part of the proud heart of Tennessee, where the old houses still stand, many as lovely as ever. But too many of the storefronts are empty, and the hometown opportunities for the young people are too few.

But there’s plenty of hope in Dickson County, as I learned tonight when I joined county Democrats for their annual Beans and Bull dinner. County Chairman Joe Jenkins brought together a lively group.

I enjoyed sitting with State Rep. John Tidwell, who drove over from New Johnsonville for the dinner. And I am looking forward to joining Warren Medley on his Dickson radio show, one of the longest running local broadcasts around.

Democrats at tonight’s dinner had a healthy appetite for all the good barbeque, beans and an array of desserts that had Jake’s mouth watering.

And one after another, folks talked to me about their appetite for change. One thing you can say about Tennessee Democrats this year: There is no shortage of optimism that we will turn things around in this country.

Whether it’s high gas prices or lagging schools or lack of good jobs, we aren’t willing to throw in the towel. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves, win in November and get to work putting the pieces of America back together…Mike

I was delighted to add the names today of Annie Hall and her daughter, Molly Cooper, both of Chattanooga, to my list of endorsements following my visit there Thursday.

Annie is an icon in Chattanooga civic circles. She has worked on behalf of the arts, the United Way, school reform and, of course, the Democratic Party. She and I served together on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s Tennessee steering committee. Molly is no less committed, and she gets a lot of credit for Sen. Andy Berke’s successful race for the legislature.

I am glad to welcome these two political dynamos on board.

Nashville’s Pat Nolan interviewed me this morning for his weekly Channel 50+ political broadcast. Election night TV watchers have long looked to Pat for political analysis as the returns roll in. In just a few weeks, he’ll be talking about the Padgett-Alexander matchup in November.

I’ll be going down to Dickson tomorrow afternoon. You’ll be hearing from me…Mike 

We finished up our East Tennessee “media tour” today with a visit to the newsroom of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. I also got together with my friends Annie Hall and her daughter, Molly Cooper, before Jake and I drove back to Nashville.

Tonight, I am attending an event honoring a great Tennessee gentleman and Democrat, Johnny Hayes.

Johnny is receiving the American Dream Award from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. I’ll be proud to be a part of this special night for a guy who has been a great friend as well as a supporter of my campaign.

More media tomorrow in Nashville. I’ll check back with you soon…Mike

Jake and I took the campaign to Virginia this morning. Well, we stopped by the Bristol newspaper, which happens to be on the Virginia side of the city that straddles the state line. Bristol is home to one of the crown jewels of Tennessee sports venues: NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway, though we heard no roar from the vicinity of the track this morning.

From Bristol, we drove down into the beautiful foothills around Kingsport, as part of a day of media visits in the Tri-Cities area. Then it was over to Johnson City, which sits in the shadow of Roan Mountain.

The drive south out of Johnson City on Highway 11E reminded me a lot of family vacations on old two-lane highways before we had today’s interstate system. Many of the once busy motels and motor courts, no longer on the beaten path, now are low-income housing or provide office space. But the distant silhouette of the mountains east of the highway stands as majestic as ever.

The road stretches past Jonesborough, the cradle of Tennessee history, across Jockey Creek and into Greene County – which buzzes with growth while remaining fiercely proud of its history and its most famous son – President Andrew Johnson.

The city is currently celebrating Johnson’s bicentennial birthday, but it has long boasted his name everywhere. So many things in Greeneville strike a pleasant contrast of old and new, including the bank named after Johnson, with its Handy Andy ATM.

I had a nice visit with Tom Yancey at The Greeneville Sun, one of those great old newspapers still owned by a family. John and Gregg Jones are keeping alive a great First Amendment tradition.

Jake and I particularly like to stop by the elegant and historic General Morgan Inn on Greeneville’s Main Street, with its comfortable Brumley’s restaurant. Again, that mix of old and new: Jake can get WiFi reception right in the restaurant. Best of both worlds.

We’re heading home for the night. Then it’s up and off to Chattanooga again in the morning. Talk to you then…Mike 

A group of retired Teamsters invited me to come talk to them this morning, and I have to tell you: These folks are such an inspiration to me. They are the ones who’ve fought to ensure that working Americans could earn a decent living. I know because Patty’s dad was a Teamster. And what they built is being eroded: Jobs are being oursourced overseas, blue-collar pay is stagnating and employees are bearing more and more of the staggering cost of health-care coverage.

But it fills me with hope to look in faces like the ones I saw today. It reminds me that it’s worth the fight to turn things around. And I know nobody will fight harder than I will.

Jake and I drove back to Knoxville this afternoon to get ready for an early day tomorrow, when we will head into the Tri-Cities area. Talk to you then…Mike

The very best of wishes to state Sen. Lowe Finney and his beautiful bride, Tiffany Staggs, who were wed earlier today at the chapel on the Lambuth University campus in Jackson.

Lowe has been a good friend both personally and politically. He has a big future ahead as a leader in Tennessee Democratic politics, and Tiffany will make a wonderful “first adviser.”

I am headed out to a picnic with the Williamson County Democrats on Old Smyrna Road. What a great night to enjoy some of Middle Tennessee’s prettiest countryside.

I’ll be in touch Monday, when we rev it up to head toward early voting on the 18^th…Mike