PICAYUNE — With less than a week to go to the GOP primary on June 1, Fourth Congressional Republican congressional candidate Steven Palazzo campaigned in Picayune on Tuesday, stopping by the Rotary Club noon luncheon and in an interview said that he “has a proven conservative leadership” that recommends him above GOP opponent Joe Tegerdine of Hattiesburg.

In an interview with the Item, Palazzo, who represents the 116th district in the State House of Representtives and is a Biloxi CPA, said, “If we have an ace in the hole, it is that we have a proven conservative voting record in Jackson. We’ve been there for four years, and have established a fiscally and socially conservative record.”

Palazzo was accompanied on his tour by Picayune attorney Buddy McDonald.

Tegerdine has been campaigning for almost a year, and Palazzo waited close to the March 1 deadline before filing to run as Tegerdine’s only opponent. Palazzo said Tuesday that the late filing was because of a pressing legislative session that carried over the usual end of the session.

“I represent 25,000 constituents as a House member, and I have clients who had to be served in my personal business, so I got into the race as soon as possible,” he said. “I also felt that we needed someone from the Fourth District who will stand up to Pelosi and Obama and that’s what I plan to do.”

Palazzo also pointed to his strong support for 2nd and 10th Amendment issues and maintains that he actually fought harder against “Obamacare” as a state legislator than 4th District incumbent Gene Taylor did in Congress.

Said Palazzo, “I fought harder against ‘Obamacare’ as a state legislator than our current congressman fought against it in D.C. Before anyone, I wrote a letter to Jim Hood (Mississippi’s attorney general), asking him to challenge Nancy Pelosi’s takeover of the healthcare system as unconstitutional, to get ready for a challenge. Now we will have a ballot initiative on it.”

Palazzo also continued to press home that he is a native of the district, born and reared on the Gulf Coast. “I own a small business. I have created jobs for the local economy. My opponent (Tegerdine) has created no jobs.”

He added, “And being from here is extremely important. You can’t really understand the concerns and issues of South Mississippi unless you have roots here and you haven’t lived here during the good times and bad times of South Mississippi.”

Pressed on what some of Tegerdine’s people have charged as Palazzo playing the “homeboy” card, Palazzo did not back down. “I think that issue is extremely important,” he said.

“My grandparents were born in Hattiesburg. My dad’s people go back four generations here; my mom’s six; my wife’s people are from Wayne and Green counties; and I have family and friends throughout the Fourth district. So these roots are important to me,” he said.

“And something that ties into this is that so many people are tired of our current congressman (Taylor) solely representing the Coast. Yes, shipbuilding is important; tourism is important; but what is also just as important is farming and agriculture, oil and gas, the timber industry, USM, our medical facilities and our roads and infrastructure. I am going to represent all 15 counties equally and fairly,” added Palazzo.

Palazzo continued to maintain that his decision not to debate Tegerdine on WLOX television was not because he was afraid of him but a “genuine scheduling problem.”

 Said Palazzo, “We had just wrapped up the legislative session and on April 20 the oil spill hit, and I told WLOX I would debate Tegerdine if my schedule allowed it. I have been consumed by the oil spill crisis. That comes first. I am not going to rearrange my campaign to fit into his schedule. We have debated a number of times previously, but in the next several days I plan to be in about 10 other counties campaigning up until Monday night.”

Asked how the GOP nominee will take on someone as entrenched and powerful as Taylor, Palazzo said that he believes Taylor is ineffective.

“He did not even go to the well and fight the healthcare proposal. Yes, we in the fourth district have become complacent, but Taylor has become ineffective. He will not be able to shake the albatross of Nancy Palosi that hangs around his neck. South Mississippi wants somebody who will fight for them and come back home with some scares on them that will show they have been in the fight.”

Besides being a member of the State House and touting his native image, Palazzo points out that he is a combat veteran, serving as a Marine in the Gulf War. He served with the 3rd Force Recon on the front lines in Operation Desert Storm.

He was born in Gulfport but now lives and works in Biloxi.

Palazzo said that he has sponsored legislation to ban ‘Obamacare’ in Mississippi, took on big insurance to bring relief to local homeowners and voted consistently against higher taxes and wasteful spending.

He says if he is named a congressman he will fight to slash government spending, cut taxes and reduce debt; honor our obligation to our veterans; protect traditional American values; and repeal and replace ‘Obamacare.’

Palazzo said he is a Christian and said he is also “pro-life.”

His wife is Lisa and they have three children, Barrett, Aubrey and Bennett.