Robert D. "Bob" Tuke, 60, of Nashville, an attorney who is the former chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Lamar Alexander.

It is Tuke's first run for public office.

He provided the following biographical background information in response to a Greeneville Sun request:

"My wife, Susan, and I have been married for 39 years. We have two children -- Andrew is a teacher, and Sarah is a congressional legislative correspondent -- and our family dog, Luke.

"After graduating from college on a Navy ROTC Scholarship, I received a commission as a United States Marine officer.

"I was an active-duty Marine officer from 1969 to 1973 and served in Vietnam in 1971, where I was awarded a Cross of Gallantry in combat by the Republic of Vietnam, among other decorations. I served as a reserve duty Marine officer from 1973-1979.

"I am the former chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, having served from July 1, 2005, through Jan. 13, 2007. In addition, I served as treasurer of the Tennessee Democratic Party from January through June of 2005.

"I was the delegation whip of the Tennessee delegation to the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Most recently, I have been the Tennessee political director for Obama for America.

"I have practiced law in Nashville for 32 years, and I am currently a partner in the law firm of Trauger & Tuke in Nashville.

"I represent Meharry Medical College, among many other clients, and I am an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University School of Law, where I teach professional and ethical considerations in corporate practice."

Tuke provided the following responses to questions on a Greeneville Sun questionnaire:

Why are you running for Congress? When did you first think about a run?

"I am running because I believe Tennesseans deserve better from Washington, and I will take principled leadership to the Senate to bring common-sense solutions to create and maintain jobs in Tennessee, end high gas prices and our nation's addiction to foreign oil by supporting new energy policies, make quality health-care coverage more affordable and accessible to individuals, families, and small businesses, and bring a responsible end to the mismanaged war in Iraq.

"I also will work to end bad trade deals that have cost Tennessee over 43,000 manufacturing jobs since Lamar (Alexander) went to the Senate.

"I first thought about running for the U.S. Senate when I saw the direction our state and our nation were taking under the leadership of career politicians like Lamar Alexander -- politicians who are completely out of touch with working families back home. Washington has changed Lamar Alexander.

"He has voted for Big Oil, against providing much-needed tax relief for working families in Tennessee, against Medicare, against the G.I. Bill, and against ending corporate welfare to help pay for education funding. Lamar has let Tennessee down in Washington, and it's time for new leadership."

What in your background would you most like voters to consider when making their choice in this election?

"I am a Marine who fought in Vietnam, so I understand the challenges of fighting an insurgency and the sacrifices made by our fighting men and women and their families.

"I also understand the need to end the war in Iraq with honor while protecting our troops and honoring our veterans.

"As an attorney, I have practiced adoption law, health-care law, finance law, energy law, and business law. I have represented hospitals, doctors and patients, banks and investors, big corporations and small-business owners, so I have a working knowledge of how these sectors operate to work for the American people.

"I helped rewrite Tennessee's adoption code and helped found and was president of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys."

Gasoline prices and food prices have risen to levels that concern most Americans. What kinds of congressional actions, if any, would you support on these two apparently-related fronts?

"The first thing I would do in the Senate is work to end our addiction to foreign oil by redirecting more support to alternative energy production, relieving our dependence on foreign oil, while creating thousands of green-collar jobs in strong manufacturing and agriculture states like Tennessee.

"Tennessee could become a leader in achieving energy security through wind power, solar power, and advanced biofuels made from non-food crops. We should not pit food against fuel in the development of ethanol. I would support only non-food crops for biofuels use, such as cellulosic ethanol made from switchgrass and hybrid poplar trees.

"I have toured Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where this research is nearing fruition. We soon will be producing clean, renewable energy while allowing more of our nation's farmers to continue doing the good work of feeding our nation and the rest of the world."

A financial crisis that apparently began with the "subprime mortgage" problem in this country has now spread to credit markets and to stock markets here and overseas. The current Congress has passed a $700 billion bill variously described as a "rescue package" and a bailout. If you had been in Congress this term, how would you have voted on the rescue/bailout? How serious is this situation, in your view? What other steps, if any, would you propose to deal with the financial crisis, if elected?

"If I had been in Congress this term, I would have voted against the $700 billion 'Wall Street Welfare' bailout bill. From day one, I would have demanded a thorough debate of every possible option to help keep our economy stable as we worked to free up the credit markets, keeping taxpayer protection as my number one priority, which my opponent, Sen. Alexander, failed to do ...

"Now it seems that the Treasury Department would permit banks to use their bailout funds for dividends, compensation and acquisitions and mergers, instead of using the capital to increase lending to stimulate the credit markets. This is simply unacceptable, and Sen. Alexander must be held responsible for contributing to this fiasco.

"Our current economic crisis warrants action to help protect, above all else, working families who need to be able to borrow money through home loans, student loans, and car loans, and small businesses which require loans to aid them in this troubled economy.

"During the week preceding the bailout vote, I spoke with several supporters who wanted Congress to consider an 'Economic Rescue Bonds' program, which would create bonds similar to the War Bonds of World War II to protect taxpayers and abide by the principle of fiscal responsibility while protecting our financial services market. Why didn't Congress take the time to consider this option and so many other ideas from taxpaying citizens?

"I believe we should fire Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and refocus our efforts to help middle-class Americans through tax cuts for working families, increased support for small businesses, and re-regulation of banks and other financial institutions to prevent another market crisis.

"I also support pay-as-you-go budgeting in our federal government to protect our economy and return our nation to a state of fiscal responsibility to prevent a growing burden for taxpayers and for our children."

Illegal immigration concerns many Americans. Please explain what guides your thinking on this subject. With an estimated 12 million illegals already in this country, what approach to the illegal immigration issue will you take if elected to Congress?

"I can summarize my solution for illegal immigration in one word: 'enforcement.' Enforce border security. Enforce the laws on the books, and penalize businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers in order to protect American jobs.

"This can be accomplished with sophistication and effective electronic surveillance. It must include all our borders, including ports, where cargo ships must be subject to routine as well as unannounced inspections, and airports, where more effective screening techniques must be employed.

"We also must recognize that America indeed is 'a nation of immigrants.' Of course, we cannot reward illegal behavior. But we must find ways to bring the millions of undocumented workers and families here out of the shadows. We must identify them and require their compliance with our laws.

"Those who commit crimes should be subject to deportation. Those who wish to stay must pay taxes, pay fines for illegal entry, learn English, and get in line for permanent status behind those who are here legally if they wish to stay. Not amnesty; transparency."

Do you believe that English should be the official language of the United States? Why or why not?

"I believe that English is the national language of the United States, and encouraging immigrants in our country to learn English through meaningful legislation is a necessary tool to help them succeed in our society while helping our government work more efficiently to provide public services and enforce our laws. We have never had and we do not need an 'official language' in this country."

American troops are widely deployed around the world, and engaged in armed conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please explain your viewpoint on the "War on Terror" in general. Has the apparent success of the "surge" in Iraq affected your thinking on that front? Do you think U.S. policy on this subject is substantially correct at this time? If you think the U.S. should be doing something different from what we are doing, please explain what you think should be done at this time.

"The surge has been only moderately successful, in the generally confined area in and around Baghdad. Greater troop concentrations such as the surge inevitably create greater security, but only for so long as the troops are there. We have seen that time and again in Iraq.

"Our military is being misused in Iraq, providing security for that nation, while factions that have historically fought one another engage in civil war, and while the Iraqi government and military remain largely ineffectual.

"I agree with Senator (Barack) Obama that our military leaders need to be directed to establish a classified timetable for withdrawal from Iraq over the next 18 months or so.

"Then, our military, which is now stretched too thin, will be in a position to deploy in greater force to Afghanistan, where the heart of the terrorist movement has been and still remains."

Please explain your viewpoint on abortion and how you would approach abortion-related issues, should they come before Congress.

"Effectively reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in America is the first major step toward reducing the number of abortions in America.

"When a woman finds herself in an unplanned pregnancy, we should not turn our back on her or her child. I believe that we, as a society, should be doing everything possible to reduce the number of abortions that occur. This includes banning pregnancy as an exclusion from getting insurance and providing for contraception equity among health care plans.

"When abortions do occur, they must be as safe and medically sound as possible. I believe places of worship and social agencies should be encouraged to provide counseling to pregnant women, and I believe there should be more outreach programs directed toward unwed pregnant young women.

"Our schools and communities must be better equipped to educate students on the risks of premarital sex and the medical, emotional and financial results of unwanted pregnancies.

"Finally, I support providing financial, training and job assistance for young unmarried mothers so that economic hardship, which is by far the principal reason women choose abortions, is reduced.

"In the meantime, abortions should be kept legal and safely performed in the rare circumstances when they occur to help protect the lives of women everywhere."

Recent judicial and administrative decisions have made same-sex marriage easier in California, New York and Nevada. What is your view regarding same-sex marriage? Many supporters of traditional marriage fear that the federal courts might overturn the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and similar laws at the state level. Would you support the adoption of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to limit marriage to one man and one woman? Why or why not?

"As a Christian and a lay minister in my church, I believe that marriage is a sacrament and a union between one man and one woman.

"States should have the authority to determine their own marriage laws. I believe that state laws, not federal government action, should be used to foster and protect traditional marriage throughout the nation.

"I do not favor a U.S. constitutional amendment on this subject."

What is your view on proposals to make sexual orientation a protected status under federal law, similar to such categories as gender, race, age, religion, and national origin?

"I support giving sexual orientation equal protection status under law because our Constitution provides the guarantee that 'all men are created equal' and has been responsible for directing our society to treat disparate groups without discrimination in the United States since the birth of our nation.

"All law-abiding citizens deserve equal treatment under the law, without limitations based on bigotry or discrimination, regardless of who they are, where they are from, and what they believe."

What is your position on the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 (HR 980, SB 2123)? Backers say this act would give firefighters and police officers basic collective bargaining rights and establish federal minimum standards for state collective bargaining laws. Opponents say the bill would force municipalities and counties to negotiate the whole subject of merit-based pay, and force states and localities to recognize public sector unions as their employees' exclusive representatives. Please explain your position.

"Law enforcement officers and firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect our lives, and they deserve the same right to discuss workplace issues with their employer that the federal government grants to most other workers, including federal government employees and private sector employees.

"The bill explicitly permits right-to-work laws and prohibits public safety officers from striking. It would produce measurable staffing, training, and safety improvements for our nation's first responders and improved local emergency response capabilities.

"I support this law."

What would be your view on reinstating the "fairness doctrine," which required broadcasters to provide equal time for opposing views on controversial issues? Opponents say this would have the practical effect of abolishing nearly all "talk radio." Backers say it would make political commentary more balanced and fair.

"Our radio airwaves belong to the public, and a license to operate on a radio frequency is not a license to monopolize and skew information that is delivered to the public.

"Our citizens depend on the truth to act with civic responsibility, and as long as our airwaves are saturated with propaganda, the idea of truly 'fair and balanced' information will only be a myth.

"Therefore, I favor the fairness doctrine."

Additional Comment

"I will work to scrap the 'No Child Left Behind' law and program introduced by the Bush administration so that we can return the responsibility for the education of our children to teachers and schools, and away from the federal government."