Democratic Sen. Phillip Puckett is in the midst of a heated race with Republican Adam Light for Virginia's 38th District Senate seat. Both candidates say they would serve coal's best interests in the General Assembly.
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TRANSCRIPT:
BILL CHRISTIAN, anchor:
It's shaping up to be one of the races to watch in Virginia's off-year legislative elections. The 38th Senatorial District pits Democratic incumbent Phillip Puckett against Republican newcomer Adam Light. 11 Connects Reporter George Jackson profiles both candidates tonight, and finds this race could come down to one word: coal.
REPORT:
Phillip Puckett says -- in his 13 years as a state senator -- he helped to improve broadband access, education, and safe drinking water in Southwest Virginia.
PUCKETT: "I'm proud of that record. I've said more than once, I'm willing to run on that record. I just wish people would tell the truth about it."
Adam Light started his political career in 2008. It's based on two simple concepts -- energy advocacy and the founding principles of the United States.
LIGHT: "That led us to be the most prosperous union ever."
Both men say, concerning coal, they're the best man for the job.
PUCKETT: "If you look at my voting record in the Senate of Virginia I have a 100-percent voting record for both coal miners and coal companies."
LIGHT: "The experience of a man who has put on a set of knee pads, who has crawled around in a coal mine, and who has done that for a living is an experience I think is missing at the General Assembly."
President Barack Obama has also played a central role in this campaign. Puckett, a lifelong Democrat, says billboards like this one distort the truth.
PUCKETT: "He doesn't listen to me, and quite frankly he wasn't my choice for the Democratic nomination."
LIGHT: "I don't know how it would be unfair to link you to a man you opened campaign offices for, openly endorsed, and campaigned for."
PUCKETT: "It's very clear to me that the administration does not support the coal industry in a way that's beneficial to our area. So, I don't plan to support President Obama for re-election."
In June, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reviewed this race for a series called "PolitiFact." They found the following statement on the Republican Party of Virginia's website to be an outright lie.
"Phil voted no on sending the EPA a message that they've gone too far, not once, but twice."
Three months later, the "News" section of Light's campaign website still had a link to that erroneous statement. I asked Light about it during our interview tonight. To his credit, he admitted the link should have been removed. I checked his site again after my 90-minute drive back to Johnson City. The link is gone.
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