GRAVETTE, Ark. (April 29, 2010) — Although not responsible for the small earthquake this morning in Benton County, Kurt Maddox is shaking things up by calling on his congressional opponents to make a term-limits pledge, to take America back and serve the people of Arkansas’ Third District.

“All eight of us pretty much agree on the major issues. What’s wrong with America has little to do with campaign promises and more to do with whether a candidate possesses a true heart of service,” Maddox said.

That’s why Maddox, a small businessman, husband and father of six, is asking his opponents to join him and accept his Razorback Challenge. The challenge is simple, really. It addresses each candidate’s motive for running for Congress.

“Are you going to be a career politician serving special interests? Or will you be the citizen legislator our Founding Fathers intended you to be? Will you go to Washington, D.C., to represent your neighbors and then come home to live under the laws you created?”

That’s what Maddox has pledged and what he’s asking of his opponents by certified mail. The Razorback Challenge, being sent to all Republican primary candidates today, has four points.

1.  Self-impose an eight-year term limit.

2.  Pledge not to take any special interest or lobbyist financing for your campaign.

3.  Donate half of your congressional salary to charities benefiting the Third District of Arkansas.

4.  Have more congressional staff in the Third District than in Washington, D.C., and keep staff expenses in the lowest 20 percent of Congress.

Maddox said this straightforward pledge would ensure that the winner of the election would be beholden to no one but the voters of the Third District.

“Too many well-meaning Republicans go to our nation’s Capitol and end up becoming part of the problem instead of staying true to their convictions and being part of the solution.

“Politicians shouldn’t treat Congress as a retirement plan; they should realize their office exists to serve the people. A self-imposed term limit helps keep representatives true to their values,” Maddox said.

“It is unseemly for politicians to accept money from the special interests and lobbyists they will be tasked with regulating in Congress. Instead of accepting this easy money, I challenge my opponents to raise money from the people they seek to represent: the voters of the Third District,” Maddox said.

Maddox said he believes Americans are being shortchanged by the career politicians in Washington, D.C.

“They put little or no staff in their district so they can be served by an oversized staff at the Capitol. And once elected, that’s often where the congressman stays, Washington, D.C.”

Maddox also criticized the large salaries that members of Congress enjoy.

“With so many Americans out of work, congressional salaries have become out of step with Main Street, America, and they should be willing to give back to the taxpayers during difficult times,” Maddox said. “By contributing half my salary for my first term, charities in the Third District will see $174,000 over the next two years. I hope my opponents agree that it’s time for our leaders to give back to the people they represent.”

Maddox pledges to come home to the Third District as often as possible and to make sure the office phones in his district are answered by someone who lives in the district and understands it.

“I don’t want to be a part of the insider culture and I don’t want a big home in Georgetown. Instead, I want to come home to my family and my people and stay true to the community that I come from,” he said.

Maddox said he would go a step further and call on voters in the Third District to cast their ballots for an outsider.

“Pledge to no longer vote for someone in the herd, for the brown cows. Look for a razorback, for an outsider to politics, for someone who is different,” Maddox said.

“Vote for someone who accepts and embraces all aspects of the Razorback Challenge.”

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