Mississippi Congressional Candidate Joe Tegerdine Signs the Patriot Pledge

Candidate Becomes 1st to Sign on to Patriot Pledge

BOERNE, Texas, April 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, PatriotPledge.org announced just over a week after its official launch that the 1st Congressional candidate has signed the Patriot Pledge. Joe Tegerdine, a Republican candidate in Mississippi's 4th Congressional district, signed the Patriot Pledge and vows to help fix Congress.  

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100323/PPLOGO)

The Patriot Pledge (www.patriotpledge.org) is an oath demanded by the people of all candidates running for elected office within the Congressional branch of the federal government. It is an oath each candidate signs committing him or her to the following:

• I will not serve within the Congressional branch of the federal government for more than 12 years.
• I will have a complete understanding of every provision of a bill prior to casting a vote in favor of it.
• I will spend the government's money as prudently as I would spend my own money, recognizing that each dollar the government spends was taken from a working citizen or borrowed against our future.
• I will not accept any health or retirement benefits after departing Congress provided to me as a member and will work to pass legislation ensuring Congress is part of the same social security and health benefits system provided to common working class Americans.
• I will record and post transcripts or videos on the internet of all meetings I or my staff hold with any lobbyist (or former congressmen) while serving in the Congress and I vow not to become a lobbyist following my tenure in Congress.

"I fully support the Patriot Pledge and the voters driving this movement. I hope other candidates interested in true service of their country will join me in signing," said Mr. Tegerdine. "The Patriot Pledge is a common sense roadmap which any public servant should be willing to follow and will weed out those who are more interested in serving their own ambitions and not the American people."

In a recent survey, 85% of Americans indicated they will vote for Patriot Pledge candidates in favor of non-Patriot Pledge candidates^*.  Citizens taking the Voter Pledge agree (www.patriotpledge.org/voter-pledge) to vote in all federal Congressional races in their district, and when afforded the opportunity, to only vote for Congressional candidates who have taken the Patriot Pledge oath. Candidates can sign the Patriot Pledge at www.patriotpledge.org.

"We are thrilled Mr. Tegerdine has signed onto the Patriot Pledge," said Rodney Rice, co-founder of PatriotPledge.org. "Americans want and deserve representatives that are committed to serving American's best interest.  Candidates who commit to selfless service offer a real solution to the current system that centers on re-election politics and special interests.  Mr. Tegerdine has raised the bar for all candidates and has committed to the values and integrity that voters desire."

PatriotPledge.org is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition of voters seeking to improve the quality of our representation in Congress. Visit www.patriotpledge.org or www.facebook.com/patriotpledge.

*QualVu (www.qualvu.com) survey of 644 Americans.

SOURCE PatriotPledge.org