U.S. Senate Hopeful Hagerty visits Sevierville
The Mountain Press
Thad Mitchell
January 15, 2020
The Sevierville Chamber of Commerce played host to Bill Hagerty on Monday, as the Republican continues his bid for a U.S. Senate seat.
Community leaders from across Sevier County attended the event to meet and ask questions of Hagerty as he attempts to garner support in East Tennessee.
A native of Gallatin, Hagerty called himself a Tennessean at heart and says his campaign for U.S. Senate is based on conservative Christian values.
“I love Tennessee and I believe I can make a positive impact on this state if elected to the Senate,” he said. “I am a fourth generation Tennessean and I developed a strong ethic as a young boy working with my father to raise pigs and cattle, bale hay and shovel asphalt. I gained insight into the educational system from my mother who was a school teacher. Both my mother and father instilled the value of hard work into me.”
Politically, Hagerty has stood with President Donald Trump both literally and figuratively, serving as Trump’s Tennessee Victory Chairman and as a senior member of the President’s transition team. Most recently, President Trump tapped Hagerty to serve as United States Ambassador to Japan and endorsed his senate campaign.
“I believe in what President Trump has accomplished and will accomplish in the future, and I am thankful for his support,” Hagerty said. “When I saw the threat to Tennessee and our country from the Democrats liberal socialist agenda, I felt called to act. I will work with President Trump to build the wall and ensure that existing immigration laws are fully enforced.”
Hagerty’s father was a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. Hagerty says much is owed to service men and women who sacrificed everything for their country.
“Our most important national security asset isn’t technology or infrastructure, it’s the men and women of our armed forces,” he said. “While we can never repay the debt of service, we can take care of our military and their families.”
While answering questions and engaging in conversation with Sevier County leaders, Hagerty also expressed his desire to defend the Second Amendment, protect the right to life, stand with Israel, tackle the opioid epidemic and grow Tennessee’s economy by encouraging companies to do business in Tennessee and “getting government out of the way.”
“Tennesseans deserve a conservative senator who will work with President Donald Trump to drain the swamp, confirm constitutionalist judges, keep our economy growing, and build the wall,” he said. “I believe I am the candidate to accomplish these things.”