The Pacer

Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: lamaralexander.com Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., is a senior senator up for re-election this year. Alexander, 68, has released a television ad highlighting his career as Tennessee's governor and president of the University of Tennessee system. (Photo Courtesy Alexander Web site)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is launching a statewide television ad to reintroduce himself to Tennessee voters.

The minute-long ad features images of Alexander over the years, dubbing him Tennessee's "senior statesman."
The spot highlights the years Alexander, now 68, spent as the state's "young, enthusiastic, piano-playing governor," and the role he played in attracting the auto industry to Tennessee.

Alexander campaign officials say the ad will be broadcast in all Tennessee markets through Oct. 15, the first day of early voting. They won't divulge how much they are spending on the ad, though a statewide advertisement usually costs several hundred thousand dollars.

"Lamar doesn't really care if you're a Republican or a Democrat," the ad says. "He looks you in the eye, listens more than he talks, just tries to do something good each day."

The ad marks Alexander's first high profile campaign activity of the Senate race. Alexander's opponent is attorney Bob Tuke, a former state Democratic Party chairman who has struggled to raise campaign funds.
The Alexander spot is narrated by guitarist Steve Cropper, a founding member of Booker T. and the MGs, though he isn't identified in the ad.

The ad will "introduce him to new voters who might not be familiar with him from his time as governor," campaign manager Tom Ingram told reporters.

No debate has been scheduled between Alexander and Tuke, and Ingram said no outside group has sought to set one up.
"They're more interested when they think people will be watching," Ingram said.
Alexander made a name for himself with a populist walk across the state wearing his trademark plaid shirt in his first successful gubernatorial bid in 1978. He has twice run for president and served as the U.S. secretary of education and president of the University of Tennessee.

Alexander said after his last presidential bid in 2000 that he didn't think he would stand for election again. But when Sen. Fred Thompson, a fellow Republican, unexpectedly decided not to run for re-election in 2002, Alexander jumped in and won.

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