May 15, 2024 - Democrat Wins a House Seat in Alabama
The national media has been keenly interested that a Democrat has been elected to an Alabama House of Representatives seat. I have had several inquiries from national news and political publications asking me to explain and analyze this phenomenon. They are particularly interested in the fact that women’s reproductive rights was a central focus of this special election in Huntsville.
Democrat Marilyn Lands indeed won a resounding victory in House District 10, a Madison County seat, in a special election last month. She made woman’s reproductive rights the primary issue of her campaign.
Alabama is without a doubt one of the most Republican states in America. Every statewide elected office is held by a Republican, and the Republican dominance in the Alabama Legislature is categorized as being a super-Republican majority. Therefore, the lines are drawn to favor Republican incumbents.
However, I might add, that Democratic incumbents are complicit, and very happily go along with Republicans when drawing heavily favored partisan districts because they entrench them in their seats also. This gerrymandering drawing of Alabama legislative seats is more to protect incumbents, than to help a party. When the dust settled after the last reapportionment, it was recognized and acknowledged that there were only two competitive, swing purple House seats in the state – one in Montgomery and the one in Huntsville, which Marilyn Lands won as a Democrat in last month’s special election.
This Huntsville district is really an anomaly. It is more reflective of the nation than Alabama. Huntsville itself is really like a different state. It is as though the people in the research triangle of North Carolina and the Silicon Valley of California, were plucked up and placed in North Alabama in the super high-tech aerospace City of Huntsville. Ms. Lands’ House District 10 seat sits in the center of the Redstone Arsenal and has the highest percentage of Ph.D.’s in the nation. In fact, a few years ago, I spoke to the Huntsville Rotary Club. It was the largest Rotary Club I had ever seen, probably 300. They met in the Von Braun Civic Center. As I was getting up to speak, my observation was that I was looking at one of the most intellectual and sophisticated Rotary Clubs I had ever seen. So, I posed this question to the group, as I began my talk, “How many of you have an advanced degree, master’s, or doctorate, in aerospace engineering?” Almost half raised their hand. When I began to regale them with past Alabama political stories and legends, they looked at me as though I was talking about politics on Mars. In short, Ms. Marilyn Lands’ district is truly a purple, nationally reflective district. In the 2020 Presidential Election, it split almost evenly between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
A special election also blurs the distinction between party labels. There are no heavyweight GOP standard bearers, like Trump and Governor Ivey, on top of the ticket to steer voters to simply voting a straight lever-pulling party vote. It becomes a local vote for the person running the race, similar to a mayor’s race, which is nonpartisan.
Marilyn Lands was a better candidate and campaigner than her Republican opponent. She was an experienced campaigner. She lost a narrow race to her GOP opponent in 2022. She outworked her opponent, significantly. She did run a one-issue campaign. She ran on women’s reproductive rights, and it worked and resonated.
So, in answer to the national media’s inquiry, “Is this a bad sign for the Republican Party, nationally, in this year’s election,” my answer is a resounding, “Yes.” The abortion issue is a losing issue for Republicans. It has been since Roe v. Wade was overturned almost two years ago in June 2022. The proof is in the pudding, Republicans have lost every election since then, when they should have won. That issue was defeated two to one by voters in the most conservative state in America – Kansas. Trump is wise enough to avoid this issue, it is an Achilles Heel to the Republican Party come November. Mainstream women voters, Democrats, Independents, and yes, Republican women want the right to make that choice when it comes to reproductive rights.
Marilyn Lands might have won this Special Election closely because she was a better candidate. However, she would not have won this purple swing national seat with a 62 to 38 landslide, if she had not run on the reproductive issue.
See you next week.
May 8, 2024 - Senator “Coach” Tuberville Quietly Effective
As the end of 2023 was approaching, the U.S. Senate had ignored the custom to adjourn around Thanksgiving for a month-long Christmas break. Instead, they were working right up to Christmas. Our Senior Senator Tommy Tuberville was quietly and effectively maneuvering to get things accomplished with an adroitness exhibited by U.S. Senate veterans.
Alabama’s senior United States Senator has become an adept political operator during his three and a half years in the upper chamber of Congress. Political observers did not know what to expect when a man, who prefers the title “Coach” to “Senator” came to Washington, and he has surprised many with his ability to get his priorities accomplished.
A good example of the Coach’s savvy occurred in the days leading up to Christmas, as the Senate worked to craft an end-of-year nominations package. These packages often come together at the close of the year and approve multiple presidential nominees for senior executive branch positions in the final days of the congressional session. Leadership and the Senate’s most senior members control which nominations make it into the package.
Senator Tuberville collaborated with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure his friend and fellow Alabamian, former 11-term Congressman Spencer Bachus, was included in the package in the final hours of the 2023 session. The Senate operates on the rule of unanimous consent, meaning that a single Senator can throw a wrench into its operations and bring the entire body to a standstill. The Coach has established credibility in the Senate, and his colleagues have come to learn that when he threatens to hold up a legislative package, they had better take him at his word. This credibility has given him the ability to get things done.
As a result of Senator Tuberville’s efforts, Congressman Bachus was included in the yearend package and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate for a second term on the Board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Originally appointed by President Trump, Bachus’ senior leadership role at America’s leading Development finance bank has allowed him to provide financing to strategically important United State companies and industries to ensure the United States remains competitive with adversaries like China.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed supply chain vulnerabilities in the United States, and the Export-Import Bank has played a key role in helping to fortify domestic supply lines for industries vital to national security. Thanks to Senator Tuberville’s efforts, Alabama will continue to have a voice at this powerful federal agency in Spencer Bachus.
This yearend coup by Senator Tuberville, to get the revered Jefferson County, former Congressman Spencer Bachus reappointed to the Export-Import Bank, was expedited with the assistance of Coach’s brilliant young assistant Emory Cox. Folks should not underestimate Coach Tuberville. He is used to working in the trenches.
Alabamians should also not underestimate how close Senator “Coach” Tuberville and former President Donald Trump are. If Trump is reelected, Tuberville will be Trump’s closest ally and friend in the U.S. Senate. Alabama will be in the catbird seat in a Trump administration because of Tuberville.
Former Congressman Spencer Bachus had a successful 22-year run as the 6th district’s congressman. However, his successor, Gary Palmer is doing a Yeoman’s job in this seat. The 6th congressional district is an affluent district, which includes the upscale suburbs of Jefferson County as well as burgeoning upscale Shelby County.
Congressman Gary Palmer is beginning his 11th year in the U.S. Congress. He disposed of two opponents in the just ended March GOP Primary and should have clear sailing for as long as he wants to stay in this 6th congressional district seat.
Palmer has become a player among the Republican congressional ranks. Prior to going to congress, he founded and ran the very conservative “think tank” – The Alabama Policy Institute. Therefore, he is viewed as an expert on policy issues. He is a leader in the GOP steering committee that sets policy and the agenda for the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also serves on the very important House Energy and Transportation Committee.
See you next week.
May 1, 2024 - You Do Not Want to Offer the Rebuttal to the State of the Union
Without question, you do not want to be the political sacrificial lamb selected by your party hierarchy to give the rebuttal address in opposition to the Presidential State of the Union address. It does not matter if it is a Democratic stalwart responding to a Republican president or a Republican future rising star responding to a Democratic president. The responder is scorned and ridiculed. This is the rule without deviation.
Our own junior Senator Katie Britt was the subject of this national abuse in February when she was chosen to give the Republican response to Democratic President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. By the way, the president is generally subjected to the same ridicule as the responder, if not worse. However, most of the slings and arrows hurled at the president and responder are partisan driven.
Our national political stage has degenerated to nothing more than a totally partisan, philosophically driven, theatrical show. We are distinctly two nations, divided almost evenly, between left-wing liberal Democrats, who watch CNN, MSNBC, and Rachel Maddow, and right-wing, ultra conservative Republicans, who watch Fox News and Hannity.
Very few Americans, much less Alabamians, watch these State of the Union political addresses and rebuttal speeches. They are aware that these are merely political speeches that disrupt their favorite evening television shows. The only reason I tuned in was because as Alabama’s primary political columnist and commentator, I had an obligation to watch so I could intelligently comment on and analyze both speeches when asked to do so by my primary network affiliation.
The next day the entire left-wing liberal Democratic leaning pundits massacred poor Katie. Even the liberal media writers in Alabama jumped on the bandwagon, although they have minuscule readership. Contrary to the national media, I gave both Biden and Katie glowing reviews. However, in retrospect, I was shocked Biden had the stamina to make it through the hour-long teleprompter political delivery, and Katie was a little over-the-top with melodramatic theatrical expressions.
In the days and weeks following the rebuttal address, more than a few of my liberal readers wrote me and asked why I did not elaborate on Katie’s performance and accused me of being prejudiced in favor of Katie. They said you have always written good things about her and played a major part in helping her get elected. To all of that I plead guilty. I am a Katie Britt fan and always have been. She is the real thing. She is a shining star for Alabama’s future. She exudes leadership, character, and integrity.
Katie has always been a superstar, dating as far back as to when she was Alabama’s Junior Miss. She excelled in everything – including academics, leadership, and dancing – although maybe not acting. I vividly remember the first time I saw Katie on a political stage. It was 24 years ago, when she was an 18-year-old high school student. I was a speaker at Alabama’s Girls State and I witnessed her be elected Governor. The next week I called my old friend, our former Senior Senator Richard Shelby, and told him, “Shelby, I have just met a young lady named Katie Boyd from Enterprise, who has just been elected Governor of Girls State, and she has Governor or U.S. Senator written all over her.”
Katie went on to be President of the Student Government Association at the University of Alabama, graduated from law school, practiced law, became Shelby’s Chief of Staff, headed the Business Council of Alabama, then became the youngest female Republican U.S. Senator in history. She arrived in the U.S. Senate at age 40 and the national media seized on her and anointed her a national superstar. Thus, the GOP hierarchy thrust her on the national stage and gave her the dubious task of being the GOP responder to Biden’s State of the Union address.
None of this liberal media buzz about Katie’s appearance affects her popularity in Alabama one iota. She remains destined to be our U.S. Senator for the next three to four decades. Hopefully, this episode will deter the national GOP from striving to place her on the Trump ticket in the fall. That path would be devastating for not only Katie’s political future, but Alabama’s as well.
I also watched the Saturday Night Live spoof of Katie’s rebuttal address. Scarlett Johansson’s impression of Katie was spot on. She was more like Katie than Katie herself. It is no wonder that she is a famous actress. Katie was actually flattered they selected Johansson to portray her.
In closing, Katie’s response was exactly what a real Republican from Alabama would stand for and applaud. If anyone had listened to her speech on the radio and you are a Conservative Christian Alabamian, you would have said, “hallelujah!”
See you next week.
April 24, 2024 - Nathaniel Ledbetter Is a Very Powerful Speaker of the Alabama House
As the 2024 Regular Legislative Session began about three months ago, I had a column entitled “2024 Legislative Session Begins Next Week.”
In that column I highlighted the leadership of the Alabama House and Senate. I said there were three primary leaders, Senator Greg Reed, Senator Arthur Orr, and Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter. I went on to say the new kid on the block in this triumvirate of power is first term Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter. Speaker Ledbetter may very well be the most powerful person in the Alabama Legislature.
My prognosis of Mr. Ledbetter was confirmed, emphatically, in the first two weeks of the session, when he shepherded the comprehensive gambling, lottery, and regulation of gaming out of the House of Representatives like gangbusters. This legislation was essentially the same package that Governor Kay Ivey proposed two years ago but was unable to garner the votes for passage. It is a Constitutional Amendment, which requires 21 votes in the Senate and 63 votes in the House. In 2022, Governor Ivey got 23 votes for passage in the Senate, but could not muster the votes in the House under Speaker Mac McCutcheon.
The gentleman from Dekalb County, Mr. Ledbetter, became Speaker of the House at the beginning of this quadrennium in January 2023. He has molded the House around him. He was instrumental in electing most of the new members. He has become the leader of the House, not through intimidation or strongarm tactics. The House members just like him, trust him, and consider him their friend.
Ledbetter has close allies that hail from his neck of the woods that have become power players around him. Three, in particular, are Andy Whitt (R-Huntsville), Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), who is the Chairman of the General Fund Ways and Means Committee, and Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen (R-Decatur). Representative Stadthagen has become a real leader as the Republican Majority Leader. He is young and savvy, and has a bright future – maybe statewide.
Ledbetter has won the support and trust of the House Democrats, also. I have not seen this kind of bipartisan cooperation and harmony in the lower chamber in a long time, if ever. Ledbetter’s down home, quiet, honest, and compassionate leadership is paying big dividends for the success of the legislature.
His leadership on this gaming issue is one of the most remarkable performances of any Speaker I have ever seen, and I have seen some strong ones in my day. Speaker Joe McCorquodale was strong. He hailed from Clarke County in the southern part of the Black Belt. Ultimately, McCorquodale took his marching orders from Governor George Wallace.
I served in the House under the leadership of another Black Belt Speaker, Jimmy Clark. He was a power and was known as the “Bear from Barbour.” He called most of the shots in the House.
Dekalb County actually had a Speaker of the House before Ledbetter. William Beck, a Fort Payne Lawyer, was Speaker under Governor Big Jim Folsom from 1946 to 1949.
Nathaniel Ledbetter is his own man. He and his fellow House members are representing the vast majority of average Alabamians. They are listening to their constituents, who overwhelmingly want to vote on a lottery. They also know gambling exists everywhere in Alabama, and they believe it needs regulating, and they are also sick and tired of their dollars going to Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida to educate their children and pave their roads.
Ledbetter dispatched his lieutenants, Andy Whitt and Chris Blackshear (R-Russell), to travel the state and get input from every angle, especially law enforcement. They talked with all 105 House members and got their input. Most importantly, they left all the lobbyists out of the crafting of their package. They omitted the Indian casino gambling lobbyists from the discussions. This group has a monopoly on gambling in Alabama and is the reason the lottery never gets to a vote of the people.
When Ledbetter’s gaming, lottery, regulation package hit the floor of the House, it passed 70 to 32. This was an amazing feat, given the fact that the Governor could not even get it out of Committee in the House two years ago. This is one of the most impressive displays of leadership I have ever seen from the Speaker of the House. Make no mistake about it, if Alabamians get the much sought after right-to-vote on a lottery, and regulate gambling in the state, it is because of Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter.
See you next week.
April 17, 2024 - State Leaders all aboard on “Working for Alabama” Plan
Anyone who follows the Legislative Session each year in Montgomery, knows that it is never short of controversy.
The House has its priorities, the Senate has its own, and governors have theirs. And it is fair to say that those priorities are not always the same. You can take gaming this session as an example.
However, in this session there is one major push that has brought all our state’s top elected leaders together – an ambitious workforce, economic and community development package called, “Working for Alabama.”
At an announcement event in Montgomery last month, we saw a rare occurrence: Governor Kay Ivey joining with Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth and the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate to unveil the seven bills that make up the Working for Alabama legislative package.
So, what will Working for Alabama do? Let’s start with the workforce development piece. Currently, Alabama has one of the worst labor force participation rates in the nation. Anyone with decent eyesight knows this by seeing the countless “now hiring” signs on the front windows of businesses across our state.
The jobs are there, we just do not have the people trained and equipped to take those jobs. This is an Achilles heel for our state’s economic growth. A company cannot and will not set up shop in a place that does not have the workers needed to operate.
This is a real problem, but our legislative leaders have accepted this challenge. Through the Commission on 21st Century Workforce and years of effort, research and study, this commission came out with a report that outlined some commonsense ways that will help create a workforce in Alabama that is second to none.
The Alabama Workforce Transformation Act would consolidate duplicative state agencies that are currently operating in silos when it comes to workforce, thereby improving efficiency and reducing government waste. The Secretary of Labor would become the Secretary of Workforce and serve as a sort of “quarterback” to make sure these entities are doing their jobs and achieving results.
You can think of this like a building project. If you have a bunch of independent contractors without a general contractor overseeing them to make sure they are all working efficiently together, that is going to be a pretty sloppy job with mixed results. The same is true for workforce development.
Working for Alabama also recognizes that a significant number of high school students do not plan to go to a four-year college. Honestly, many of them do not need to. There are high paying, high demand jobs available that do not require a four-year college degree. This is where Alabama’s outstanding Community College System will have a major impact on the success of this plan. This package would allow high school students to take full advantage of this valuable state resource to obtain credentials and training while in school, so they are able to get a good job as soon as they graduate. This will allow more of our young people to start strong careers through which they can provide for their families and contribute to their communities.
This package aims to eliminate barriers to employment through a childcare tax credit, so parents do not have to stay at home due to unaffordable childcare services. This has been a priority for House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and will help countless families.
Working for Alabama will also make impressive improvements to our state’s current economic development efforts. It will require our state to create an economic development plan that will be regularly updated and receive input from an industry board. A good thing about this piece of the plan is that it will measure success, so our state’s economic development leaders can see if what they are doing is actually working, and if it is not, they will change what they are doing. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed is leading the charge on this effort. He has been a leader in economic development throughout his tenure in the legislature.
This bipartisan plan will also invest in communities through key resources, such as funding for highspeed internet expansion, industrial site development for industry recruitment, and other key areas. Between the leadership of Governor Kay Ivey, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, President Pro Tem Greg Reed, Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels and others all working together to get this done, the result will truly supercharge Alabama’s economy and workforce for years to come.
It is good to see all of our state’s top elected leaders coming together and Working for Alabama.
See you next week.
April 10, 2024 - 2nd District Primary Runoffs This Week
Those of you who live in the new 2nd congressional district have runoffs this coming Tuesday, April 16. This is the most interesting and entertaining political contest in Alabama this year.
This new seat is comprised of all of Montgomery County, as well as most of the more rural counties surrounding Montgomery, including Macon, Lowndes, Bullock, Pike, Butler, Crenshaw, Barbour, and Russell. It continues through rural Black Belt counties like an arrow towards Mobile and gathers most of the Black voters in Mobile.
This gerrymandered new district was created by the federal courts to implement a new Democratic Black District in the Heart of Dixie. Currently, we have six Republican congressmen and one Democrat. If the court plan succeeds with the election of a new Black congressman to join our lone Democrat, Terri Sewell, then we will have two Democrats and five Republicans representing us on the Potomac. The Democrat will be favored to win this seat come November.
Alabama has a super majority Republican legislature, which diligently fought the court, to make it a less Democratic district. However, their arguments to the court were very lame. The argument that because Mobile County had never been split in half and the county needed to be together because of a “community of interest” flew in the face of what the court was asking for and actually made the plaintiffs’ case for them. If you know that area of the state, you also know that those seven aforementioned counties surrounding Montgomery have more of a “community of interest” with Montgomery than Black voters in Mobile/Pritchard have with White flight Baldwin County Republicans.
Half of the folks in the counties south of Montgomery have kinfolks, brothers, cousins, and grandchildren that live in Montgomery. Most of those people have moved from those counties to Montgomery to work or still live there and commute. They have shopped and gone to the doctor in Montgomery and watched Montgomery television stations for generations.
Bless the folks in Macon County’s heart. The most historic Black city in the country, Tuskegee, along with the rich HBCU Tuskegee University legacy have been stuck in the bottom of the gerrymandered Republican 3rd district for decades with a White Republican congressman from Anniston supposedly representing them. You cannot tell me that the good folks of Macon County will not be more at home with and better taken care of by having a congressman of their persuasion who knows their interests.
The Democratic runoff will be between Mobilian Shomari Figures and Huntsville State Representative Anthony Daniels. Some of you may be scratching your head and asking how in the world a Representative from Huntsville is running for Congress in South Alabama. Federal law does not require a person to live in the district to run for Congress.
A host of Anthony’s legislative colleagues attempted to use this carpetbagging loophole to capture this new open perceived Democratic seat, but it did not work out too well for them. The homegrown boy Shomari Figures trounced them, especially in his home county of Mobile. It did not hurt that Shomari’s mother, Vivian Figures, is probably one of the most popular Democratic State Senators in the history of the Port City.
One of the more remarkable victories for Figures in the March 5 primary, was the amazing vote he received in Montgomery. Figures campaigned extensively in the two urban vote centers of Mobile and Montgomery and it paid dividends. He got a whopping 50% of the vote in Mobile. That means he outdistanced all 10 of his opponents combined. His 40% of the vote in Montgomery was even more amazing. He crushed Joe Reed’s vaunted ADC machine, who backed Mobile State Representative Napoleon Bracy.
Bracy finished a distant third in the race with 15%. It stands to reason that Bracy’s votes will accrue to this fellow Mobilian on Tuesday. Shomari Figures has a substantial lead going into next week and his lead is probably insurmountable.
In the Republican primary, former Montgomery State Senator Dick Brewbaker led young Attorney Caroleene Dobson 39% to 27%. Brewbaker won most of his votes in his home county of Montgomery where he garnered an impressive 67% of the vote. If Caroleene is to overtake him, she will have to do it in Mobile and the southern portion of the new district.
See you next week.
April 3, 2024 - Presidential Race Looks Like a Biden/Trump Rematch
We Americans are going to the polls in seven months, to elect the next President of the United States. Election day is November 5.
We are getting set for a rematch between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Americans are not too enthused to see this replay. I have never seen two candidates with as high negative polling numbers in my lifetime. The old political truism that more people vote against someone than for someone will definitely come into play in this presidential race.
If indeed Biden and Trump are the nominees, you will see the lowest percentage voter turnout in American history come November. Several television pundits have referred to it as a three-way race between Trump, Biden and the couch and the couch is going to win.
The Republican National Convention is July 15 through18 in Milwaukee, and they will officially nominate Trump, the 78-year-old, as their nominee for President for the third time. The Democrats will coronate Joe Biden, the 82-year-old octogenarian, as their nominee at their convention in Chicago August 19 through 22. The only competitive betting odds are not whether Biden will be the nominee, but it is probably 50/50 as to whether he makes it to August 22.
To say that Biden and Trump are the two oldest people running against each other for President is a bygone conclusion. Probably second place competitors would be decades younger at least. People age differently in life. Biden appears to be the one affected the most adversely by his advanced age. He is obviously the one who looks and acts his age. In fact, his age and diminished capacity are the underlying reason he is underwater in the polls. When you look at his policies or issues, or at least those of his handlers, his administration has embraced the actions a liberal deficit spending Democratic President is expected to enact. His Achilles’ heel, among his own Democratic base, which are younger than the Republican base, are his demeanor and senility. Democratic voters like “old Joe,” but do not want to see him in the White House supposedly leading the Country. They think to themselves, “Bless his heart, old Joe looks like my great-grandfather that should be running for President of his Delaware nursing home, rather than President of the United States.”
I really do not think he knows where he is or what meeting or country they have taken him to. It would be comical, but other nations and world leaders see this and chuckle at our nation’s decrepit leadership. The senility of Biden would not be so devastating if we did not have a nuclear bomb capability. I am afraid he will roll out of bed from his afternoon nap and hit the button by accident. As one senator recently quipped, “I wouldn’t trust Biden with my TV remote control, much less the red button that could trigger Armageddon.”
Trump is better cognitively than Biden, but most independent voters have thought he was crazy all along. A good many Republican voters think he is, too. They just like his policies as a very Republican President. Trump is considered a clown by most Americans. They still see him as a reality TV show celebrity actor. Recent scenes of him on the golf course reveal that he has a girth similar to William Howard Taft. Therefore, his actuarial timetable might not be much better than that of Biden.
This race will be a real comedy show. It will be fun to watch two octogenarians perform. It will be like a circus. It will be interspersed with kangaroo courts in Democratic venues, in Democratic bastions, in Democratic courthouses, in New York, Washington D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. If the side show in Atlanta actually occurs, it will really be something to behold and will help Trump be elected.
These silly indictments are so transparently, politically orchestrated, that it has angered the Republican base to rally behind Trump. This Democratic ploy has backfired. Every time one of these cases occurs, it explodes the enthusiasm of the Republican base. Remember, more people vote against someone than for someone. The GOP base is more enthused with Trump than Biden’s base is for him.
It will be a fun show. Biden may not make it through the show, but his handlers will keep him hidden and probably not tell us if he makes it. How many of you have seen the movie, Weekend at Bernie’s?
See you next week.
March 27, 2024 - Population and Political Power Now Rests in North Alabama
Growing up as a teenager in the 1960’s, I served as a Page in the Alabama Legislature. One day when I was around 13 years old, I was looking around the House of Representatives and it occurred to me that North Alabama, as well as the state’s largest county, Jefferson, was vastly underrepresented. Even at that early age I knew that the U.S. Constitution required that all people be represented equally, and that the U.S. Constitution superseded our state Constitution. Both Constitutions clearly state that the U.S. House of Representatives and the Alabama House of Representatives must be reapportioned every 10 years,and the representation should be based on one man, one vote. In other words, all districts should be equally apportioned. That is why the census is taken every ten years.
As a boy, I knew that the Birmingham area was home to about 20% of the state’s population, but certainly did not have a fifth of the House members. The same was true of Huntsville and the other large cities in North Alabama.
My county of Pike had 28,000 people and two representatives, while Madison and the City of Huntsville had 186,000 people yet they also had two representatives. The most glaring malapportionment example would have to be in the late 1950s when Lowndes County with 2,000 voters and had one state senator. Well folks, that ain’t quite fair.
Rural and Black Belt counties like Lowndes, which were overwhelmingly Black in population had no Black voters and were represented by white legislators, which were determined to keep Black people from voting and north Alabamians from gaining their fair share of representation. Alabama’s archaic 1901 Constitution had written into law the malapportionment of North Alabama. The Constitution was written by Black Belters and was very narrowly passed. In fact, history reveals that it probably did not pass, as north Alabamians voted against it. The south Alabamians essentially stole the election with fraudulent ballots. It was so flagrant that in the aforementioned Lowndes County there were 2,000 registered voters yet 10,000 votes were recorded in favor of the 1901 Constitution.
The state was malapportioned at that time and enshrined into the Act. However, with the population growth already occurring in Huntsville and north Alabama, it had grown severely imbalanced over the years. The legislature had simply ignored the constitutional mandate to reapportion itself every 10 years. It was not until 1974 that the courts finally intervened and made the legislature reapportion. That occurred because of the unconstitutional underrepresentation of Black voters.
I thought during that time why in the world would North Alabama white voters allow this travesty of misrepresentation to continue to exist. My hypothesis is that the south Alabama Black Belters would use the race issue and demagogue so that the rural north Alabamians would be more interested in keeping Black people from voting than allowing their cousins and neighbors to vote.
Well, folks, I’m here to tell you the power advantage that South Alabama had in the Alabama legislature and state politics for over 100 years is gone. The political power in Alabama is all in North Alabama and rightfully so because that is where the population is in the state. With the explosive growth of Huntsville and North Alabama, it is where all the money, roads, and power are going. They may as well move the Capitol back to Huntsville where it was in the early days of statehood.
The proof is in the pudding. Look at the realm of power in the legislature. Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter is from Dekalb County. Budget Chairmen Danny Garrett and Rex Reynolds are from Trussville and Huntsville, respectively. Minority Leader Anthony Daniels is from Huntsville.
In the Senate, the powerful Education Budget Chairman Arthur Orr is from Decatur. The President Pro Tem of the Senate Greg Reed is from Jasper. The Rules Chairman Jabo Waggoner is from Vestavia. The Republican Majority Leader Steve Livingston is from Scottsboro.
All eight of the most powerful members of the legislature are from Birmingham north. The political power in Alabama is in North Alabama because the population is in North Alabama.
See you next week.
March 20, 2024 - Runoffs Set for New 2nd District Congressional Primary Races
The most interesting and paramount race on the ballot in the March 5th primaries was the one for the new open 2nd Congressional District.
This gerrymandered new district was created by the Federal Courts to implement a new Democratic/Black District in the Heart of Dixie. The Democratic nominee will be favored to win this seat in November. When the plaintiffs proposed their new district plan to the Court, they attached a chart, which illustrated that had there been a Democratic vs. Republican congressional race on the ballot the Democrat would have won in 16 of the 17 races. Washington insiders are handicapping this race as a Democratic pickup.
However, the Republican Party is not going to give this seat up without a major fight. There will be an avalanche of campaign money flowing from Washington into this race in the fall. This seat could be the deciding factor into which party has the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
With it being an open seat, both parties had a plethora of candidates. There were seven GOP aspirants and 11 Democratic hopefuls. Many of the Democrats were legislators, who lived outside the district. The ones who had no ties to the district faired rather poorly.
From the beginning, the front runner for the Republican nomination was former Montgomery State Senator Dick Brewbaker. He indeed led the ticket on March 5 with 39% of the vote. He will be joined by political newcomer Caroleene Dobson, who received 27%. She ran a perfect campaign and edged State Senator Greg Albritton out of the runoff. Albritton, who did very little campaigning got 25% of the vote, mostly from the southern part of the district.
Brewbaker got the bulk of his votes in Montgomery. He received 67% of the vote in his home county. He was a very accomplished and diligent State Representative and State Senator, and his family owned a very well known and respected car dealership for generations. He enjoys immense name identification in the Montgomery River Region.
Caroleene Dobson is a young mother and Montgomery attorney with an undergraduate degree from Harvard and law degree from Baylor. She grew up in Monroe County, the daughter of a prominent cattle family. She did well in the rural counties of the district, probably bolstered by her being endorsed by Alfa. She defeated Brewbaker in Mobile and the southern part of the district. She has a chance to prevail in the April 16 runoff. However, with over a 12-point lead, Brewbaker will be favored to emerge as the Republican standard bearer for the fall battle royale.
Shomari Figures emerged as the new superstar in the Democratic Party with his very impressive performance in the Democratic primary on March 5. He garnered a whopping 44% of the vote against 11 opponents, including five sitting Democratic State Legislators. The 2nd place finisher was Huntsville State Representative Anthony Daniels who finished with 23%. Representative Daniels is the State House of Representatives Minority Leader and began the race as the presumptive favorite.
Shomari Figures is the son of the very popular and prominent Mobile State Senator, Vivian Figures. His father, Michael Figures, was in this Mobile State Senate Seat prior to Vivian. He was a well-known Civil Rights Leader and State Senate Leader but died early in life. Shomari benefitted from his Mobile roots. He has also had a stellar career in Washington politics, working for the Obama Administration and more recently, Attorney General Merrick Garland. He also brought a boatload of Washington insider campaign money home with him, which helped propel him to an overwhelming and probably insurmountable lead going into the April 16 Democratic runoff.
Shomari garnered nearly 50% of the vote in his native Mobile County. However, the big story is that he received 40% of the vote in the second most populous county, Montgomery. He carried Montgomery overwhelmingly despite veteran Montgomery Democratic Kingpin Joe Reed endorsing Mobile State Representative Napoleon Bracy.
Young Mr. Figures’ smashing victory in Montgomery may very well mark the political death of Joe Reed and his Alabama Democratic Conference control of Montgomery. Poetically, Shomari’s father, Michael Figures, split with Joe Reed’s ADC 40 years ago and formed the New South Coalition. Shomari may have settled this score for his father.
Mobile State Representative Napoleon Bracy finished third with 15% of the vote. Most of his voters came from Mobile. Most of those votes will accrue to Shomari Figures, who will be the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic runoff on April 16.
See you next week.
March 13, 2024 - Few Surprises in March 5th Primary Results
There were very few surprises in our March 5 primary results. Since we are essentially a one-party Republican state when it comes to presidential, national, and statewide politics, most of the action was in the GOP Primary.
The big winners were Donald Trump, Barry Moore and Sarah Stewart.
As expected, Donald Trump trounced all his GOP “would be” challengers in the Heart of Dixie. The former president received 84% of the vote in our Alabama Primary and will probably win our state by around a 63% to 37% margin in the November General Election rematch against the hapless Joe Biden, if indeed Biden makes it to the fall contest.
The biggest surprise was Congressman Barry Moore’s upset victory over fellow GOP Congressman Jerry Carl in the newly drawn 1st Congressional District. These two conservative U.S. House members were thrown into the same district with the federal courts decision to redraw our congressional lines in an attempt to create a new majority minority district.
When the new 1st Congressional District was dictated, it was assumed by casual observers, pundits, and Washington insiders that Jerry Carl would easily win reelection because on paper he was the incumbent. He was the sitting congressman in the old 1st district and two-thirds of the people in that House seat were his constituents. The other one-third of the new district is comprised of the Wiregrass counties of Houston, Henry, Geneva, Coffee, Dale, and Covington.
When you corral this conservative Wiregrass region with the very conservative, populous Baldwin County, you have created one of the most conservative Republican congressional districts in the nation. The key to Moore’s slim victory was his ability to penetrate some of the large Baldwin County vote and convince them that he was more conservative than Carl. However, the essential key was that Moore rode a tremendous wave of “friends and neighbors” support from his home folks in the Wiregrass.
He ran through the Wiregrass like a scalded dog. He got a whopping 74% in Covington County, 78% in Houston and Dale counties, 82% in Geneva, and racked up 84% of the vote in his home county of Coffee. Looks like the folks in the Wiregrass stood up and said, “Not so fast Mobile, we would like to have a congressman from our neighborhood if you don’t mind.” Moore beat Carl 52% to 48% and will go back to Washington as the Congressman from the 1st Congressional District of Alabama rather than the 2nd Congressional District.
Our other three seniority laden and thus powerful Republican Congressman are Robert Aderholt, Mike Rogers, and Gary Palmer. All coasted to landslide reelection victories.
Robert Aderholt, a veteran of 28 years in the U.S. House, won with 87% of the vote in his 4th Congressional District.
Mike Rogers, the current Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee who hails from Calhoun County and is closing in on 20 years in the U.S. House beat back two opponents with 81% of the vote.
Jefferson-Shelby County Congressman Gary Palmer garnered a very impressive 84% of the vote against two viable opponents in his reelection to his sixth two-year term. He is moving up in power and prestige in the U.S. House.
Justice Sarah Stewart won an impressive 61% to 39%, stomping of her opponent Bryan Taylor in her race to become Alabama’s Supreme Court Chief Justice. She is imminently qualified for this very important position in Alabama government. The Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court not only renders important judicial decisions, along with the eight other members, they are also the administrator of the entire state judicial system. Sarah has served six years as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and prior to that was a Circuit Judge in Mobile for 16 years.
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh was reelected to her fourth four-year term as President of the Alabama Public Commission with the same 61% to 39% margin of victory as Sarah Stewart.
Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Judge Chad Hanson won reelection to his second term with a 56% to 44% margin of victory.
Rich Anderson defeated fellow Assistant Attorney General Thomas Govan by a similar 56% to 44% margin in a race for a place on the Court of Criminal Appeals. This was an open seat being vacated by popular jurist Chris McCool who is moving up to the State Supreme Court.
Next week, we will discuss the most hotly contested race this year, the contest for the new 2nd Congressional District.
See you next week.