Purgason urges return to GOP roots

A U.S. Senate candidate told the Pettis County Pachyderms on Friday a return to conservative roots would help Republicans regain majority control of Congress and reverse the country’s financial problems.

State Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-33, visited Sedalia on Friday to address the Pettis County Pachyderm Club at their weekly luncheon at Best Western State Fair Inn. Purgason is vying for the Senate seat that will be vacated when U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond retires at the end of his term.

Purgason said fiscal conservatism, the elimination of earmarks on federal legislation and accountable party leadership will be vital in reversing the country’s financial condition. The Republican Party’s lackluster performance in the 2008 election stemmed from party leaders’ neglecting the principles that define the GOP, he said.

While the party controlled Congress and the White House, the national deficit grew from $30 billion in 2002 to $617 billion in 2008.

“We forgot the principles we have as a party, and we lost our base of conservatives that believe in a balanced budget,” Purgason said. “I’m frustrated because of the direction our party is going.”

Purgason, who will be forced out of his state Senate seat in 2012 due to term limits, said his frustration with Washington politics prompted his campaign.

“If a person ran a business like that, we wouldn’t hire them back,” he said. “As a Republican, I believe in free market principles, and we need to get back to that.”

Purgason also railed against federal bailouts of Wall Street banks, legislative earmarks and programs such as Cash for Clunkers.

“Why encourage people to take on debt they can’t pay for? That is what happened to the housing market, and it is not a responsible government policy,” Purgason said.

Matt Boatright, who worked alongside Purgason in the Missouri House of Representatives, said Purgason’s character, moral conviction and effectiveness in office sets him apart from his opponents.

“Chuck showed how effective he was with his work and his work ethic,” Boatright said. “He understood budgeting, rules and state government.”

Boatright said Purgason knew how to balance spending and possessed an ability to connect with people he worked with as well as those he represented. After working to reform Medicaid in Missouri, Purgason is well-equipped to make difficult spending decisions, Boatright said.

With tax revenues slumping for local, state and national governments, Purgason already has an eye on where the federal government could be pared. Social services and the Department of Education would be among his priority targets for national spending cuts.

“I believe you should work for a living rather than relying on the government’s support ... and I don’t believe the role of education should be managed at the federal level,” he said.

Purgason is an underdog in the campaign against well-known state politicians, Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and Republican U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt. But Purgason said he has been in this position before, when he was elected to his first House term after losing out on the endorsement of the exiting 10-year incumbent.

“I’ve been in that situation before. I can only stand on my principles and see what happens,” he said.