October 28, 2009
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,” thus the press coined the phrase “the three B’s.” The Republicans were relegated to insignificance on the gubernatorial stage. Therefore, 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.
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October 21, 2009
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. He resurrected 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.
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October 14, 2009
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.
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October 07, 2009
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.
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September 30, 2009
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.
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September 23, 2009
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 TV. 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.
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September 16, 2009
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.
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September 09, 2009
When talk turns to politics in Alabama it usually leads to the Governor’s race. It does not matter if the Governor’s race is four years away, political gossip starts early as to who will run for Governor. In Alabama politics the Governor’s office is the brass ring. As each new race approaches it is talked about more than ever around coffee clubs and kitchen tables from Sand Mountain to the Wiregrass. It is comparable to college football being the king of all sports in Alabama.
This infatuation with the Governor’s office is borne out in voting history. In most states the Presidential race sees the largest voter turnout, but that is not the case in Alabama where historically we have voted heavier in gubernatorial years. However the turnout has gotten closer in the last few decades ever since Alabama became a two party state. The emergence of the Republican Party in Alabama since 1964 has caused us to be more like the national norm. However, in the 40 years prior, the largest turnout in Alabama was in the Democratic Primary for Governor.
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September 02, 2009
With Labor Day approaching it signifies that the long hot summer will soon be coming to an end. This Monday is Labor Day. It usually does not cool off much, but we Alabamians seem to think that Labor Day marks the end of summer. For those of us who are political junkies Labor Day also marks the beginning of the political season.
In political years most campaigns for the November general election kick off on Labor Day. This year, being an odd numbered year, is not an election year but next year is a biggie because 2010 is the year of the Governor’s race. This big year in Alabama politics happens every four years. Beginning in two weeks I will start a fifteen week series on the history of Alabama Governor’s races beginning with 1958 and covering the fifty-year history of gubernatorial contests. I hope that you will enjoy the series.
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August 29, 2009
Alabama, from the time that Reconstruction ended in 1876 until the Goldwater landslide of 1964, was a one party state. For those 90 years we were such a Democratic state that there was essentially no Republican Party in the state. During the entire 90 year span no Republican was elected Governor, or to any other constitutional office for that matter. We never had a Republican U.S. Senator or Congressman. Every major elected official was a Democrat. All of our races were decided in the Democratic Primary, so winning the Democratic Primary was tantamount to election.
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