Sen. Fred Smith says he's worked hard.

In response to criticism of his absences this past session, the Republican gubernatorial candidate noted that he's voted 90 percent of the time since taking office in 2002, casting 3,740 votes.

"An 'absentee' senator? Hardly," read a statement from Smith chief of staff Jonathan Hill. "The fact is that liberal Democrats will do 'whatever it takes' to manipulate the legislative process in order to advance their agenda of higher taxes, more spending, and bigger government."

He noted that Democratic leaders in the state Senate have sent Smith's bills to committee to die and "shut down debate" on constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and restrict annual budget growth.

As a result, Hill said, "Fred Smith said 'enough is enough'" and missed session to attend fundraisers, host barbecues around the state and build a grassroots network for his gubernatorial campaign.

Still, he said Smith kept in touch with Republican leaders and did not miss any days where his vote would have made a difference.