September 11, 2014
The 1986 Governor’s race will be remembered as one of Alabama’s most amazing political stories. In 1978 Fob James sent the Three B’s, Brewer, Beasley and Baxley packing. Brewer and Beasley had been permanently exiled to Buck’s Pocket, the mythical destination for defeated Alabama gubernatorial candidates. However, Bill Baxley resurrected his political career by bouncing back to be elected lt. governor in 1982, while George Wallace was winning his fifth and final term as governor. Another player arrived on the state political scene. Charlie Graddick was elected as a fiery tough lock ‘em up and throw away the key attorney general. Graddick had previously been a tough prosecuting district attorney in Mobile.
When Wallace bowed out from seeking reelection in 1986 it appeared the race was between Bill Baxley, the lt. governor, and Charlie Graddick, the attorney general. It also appeared there was a clear ideological divide. The moderates and liberals in Alabama were for Baxley and the arch conservatives were for Graddick. Baxley had the solid support of black voters, labor, and progressives. Graddick had the hard core conservatives, including most of the Republican voters in Alabama.Read more
September 04, 2014
As George Wallace presumably faded into the sunset, Fob James took the reigns of Alabama state government in January of 1979. Fob’s inauguration was a somewhat strange event as Alabamians were used to a Wallace being sworn in as governor every fourth January since 1963. It had been 20 years since someone other than George or Lurleen Wallace had taken the oath on the steps of the Capitol where Jefferson Davis had been sworn in as President of the Confederacy.
Fob’s quixotic journey and inauguration seemed out of place. It was as his slogan said, “a new beginning.” Alabamians were eager to find out what their new leader had on tap for Alabama. It reminds me of a movie made in the early 1970’s called “The Candidate.” Robert Redford starred as an unknown candidate that an expert political handler elected to a California senate seat. The candidate, Redford, came completely out of the blue. His greatest assets were he was unknown, inexperienced, and had no baggage. At the conclusion of the movie Redford wins but then looks at the genius campaign guru who had elected him and says, “What do I do now?”Read more
August 28, 2014
The 1978 Governor’s race between the three heavyweights, former Governor Albert Brewer, Attorney General Bill Baxley, and Lt. Governor Jere Beasley, was expected to be titanic. All three men had last names beginning with the letter “B.” The press coined the phrase “the three B’s.” The Republicans were relegated to insignificance on the gubernatorial stage. The winner of the Democratic Primary would be governor.
Meanwhile, over in east Alabama, a little known former Auburn halfback named Fob James strolled into the governor’s race. Fob’s entry evoked very little interest, only curiosity as to why he would want to enter the fray against three well known major players. Fob was exposed as a card carrying Republican whose only political experience had been as a member of the Lee County Republican executive committee, but even a political novice like Fob knew he could not win as a Republican so he qualified to run as a Democrat along with the three B’s.
Fob had become very wealthy by starting a successful barbell company in Opelika. When Fob signed up to run for governor, the press wrote him off as a rich gadfly who simply chose politics, rather than golf, as his pastime. Little did they know the fact he was rich and had a lot of time on his hands could spell trouble for the average political opponent who had to worry about fundraising and feeding their family while running a fulltime campaign.Read more
August 21, 2014
Albert Brewer began the writing of George Wallace’s political obituary by beating him in the first primary in 1970. However, Wallace arose from the grave by playing his ever present race card. He trumped Brewer with the race issue in the primary runoff and came from behind to win, thus, resurrecting his political career. Wallace would be governor again for a third time.
Brewer had mortally wounded Wallace with his slogan, “Alabama needs a fulltime governor.” It was a stake through the heart to the Wallace segregationist armor. Alabamians loved Wallace for fighting integration but they also knew he had not been working fulltime as their governor. Instead, he had been using the title to campaign for president although he was as about as likely to succeed as Don Quixote tilting at windmills. Brewer offered Alabamians the opportunity to have a fulltime, hands on, progressive governor.Read more
August 14, 2014
Upon Lurleen Wallace’s death in May of 1968, Lt. Governor Albert Brewer moved up to Governor. Brewer was no novice to state government. He came to the legislature from Morgan County at a very early age and rose quickly to become Speaker of the House during his second term. He won the 1966 Lt. Governor’s race against two state senators without a runoff.
Brewer was smart and articulate with a charming smile and winning personality. He had lots of friends in the legislature and seemed to have very few enemies. Brewer also had a good grasp of state politics. He smoothly took the reigns of state government and began to make improvements. His popularity and relationships with his fellow legislators gave his programs easy sailing. Brewer became a working governor.Read more
August 07, 2014
After Ryan De Graffenreid’s plane crash and death in February of 1966 the Governor’s race was wide open. De Graffenreid would have been governor in a cakewalk but it was now a new ballgame with less than ten weeks until the May election. George Wallace mulled it over for a few weeks, then the amazing story of his wife Lurleen Wallace running for governor came to fruition. George would be her number one advisor.
The idea of George Wallace running his wife, Lurleen, in his place had been tossed out by a few of his cronies as a joke. They never thought of it while De Graffenreid was alive and running. Lurleen would not have run if De Graffenreid had not tragically died but a real vacuum existed after that fateful February night and the Wallace name was magic. After a few weeks the idea grew on Wallace. He made calls to every county in the state and began to realize that dog might hunt.Read more
July 31, 2014
If race was a major issue in 1958, being the racist candidate in 1962 was the only way to be elected governor. With this issue in hand and Wallace’s love for campaigning and remembering names, he would have beaten anybody that year.
Big Jim was really no match for Wallace because Big Jim had always been soft on the race issue. He was a true progressive liberal who would not succumb to racial demagoging, but Big Jim had succumbed to alcohol. Leading up to the Governor’s race in 1962, while Wallace had been campaigning 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week for four years, Big Jim sat home. Wallace would have won even if Big Jim had not embarrassed himself on live TV the night before the election.
A secondary story developed during the 1962 campaign. A star was born. Ryan De Graffenreid was a smart, handsome, articulate, Tuscaloosa State Senator and lawyer. His family had been a prominent Tuscaloosa political family for generations but young Ryan De Graffenreid truly had the makings of an Alabama governor. However, when he entered the 1962 Governor’s race the pundits wrote him off as an also ran. They said it was a Folsom versus Wallace race, but De Graffenreid had charisma and captivated all the silk stocking voters who would be Republicans today. He was quietly moving up in popularity leading up to the May Democratic Primary.
July 24, 2014
The 1962 Governor’s Race really began in 1958. The Governor’s office and the race for it was the big show in Alabama politics in that era. Being a U.S. Senator was secondary in Alabama politics. Governor is still probably the most important and glamorous political position today, but it certainly was at that time.
Television had not come into its own. Most Alabamians did not own a television. There were no southern major league baseball teams to follow, such as the Atlanta Braves who were still in Milwaukee at that time. The closest team was the St. Louis Cardinals and they were miles away and not really in the south. The Grand Ole Opry was only on the radio on Saturday night. Therefore, southerners had to include politics as a prime source of their entertainment.Read more
July 17, 2014
As the 1958 Governor’s race dawned the shadow of Big Jim Folsom loomed over the scene. Even though Big Jim could not be on the ballot, because the Alabama Constitution prohibited a governor from succeeding himself, his larger than life presence was pervasive.
Although Big Jim was prohibited from seeking a record third term in 1958, the aspirants could not decide if they wanted his support or not. On one hand he was popular with rural Alabamians but, on the other hand, his second term had been as tumultuous and chaotic as his first and probably more scandalous and corrupt.
As was the custom, because you could not succeed yourself, the man who ran second became the frontrunner four years later. It was called running a get acquainted race. This pattern had been played out throughout the decades. The runner up to Big Jim in 1954 was Jimmy Faulkner, who was a State Senator from Bay Minette in Baldwin County. Faulkner was a successful businessman who owned a string of newspapers. He was sharp, handsome, and articulate with a little more polish than Big Jim but not nearly the charisma. However, having finished second in 1954, Faulkner emerged as the frontrunner when the 1958 Governor’s race began.Read more
July 10, 2014
If you think the turnout was low for the June 3 primary, “then you ain’t seen nothing yet.” The runoff primary is next Tuesday. The prognostication is for a paltry five percent statewide voter participation. Pundits and columnists should not chastise the average Alabama voter because, for the most part, he or she does not have much reason to vote on July 15.
Generally speaking, turnout for midsummer runoff voting is traditionally lower. You add to that the fact that the reason you are going out to vote on a sultry mid July Tuesday is to decide who is going to be Secretary of State. Lest you even know who is Alabama’s Secretary of State or much less what they do. Let me assure you that it is not the glamorous world traveling, peace making Henry Kissinger job that you see with the U.S. Secretary of State. It is basically a bureaucratic job that ensures the state’s records are properly kept.
However, having said that, Secretary of State is the best statewide race on the ballot next week. It is very difficult to raise money for this post. Therefore, neither candidate has been able to get any advantage.Read more