August 02, 2006
As we stroll through the dog days of summer the political scene is quiet. The opposing sides are girding up for battle in the fall. They are plotting strategy and raising money. The campaigns traditionally kickoff after Labor Day. Although it will be late September or early October when the airwaves become saturated with ads.
July 26, 2006
Now that the field has crystallized and the race for Governor is down to two people the bout will get down and dirty if recent elections are any indication. The fifteen week sprint to November 8th will be fun and interesting.
July 19, 2006
This week’s primary runoffs have very little luster. The Republican Lt. Governor nomination is the only marquee race yet to be decided. The Governor’s race is settled and the only drama stemming from the June 6th primary was the refusal of Roy Moore to endorse his fellow Republican Bob Riley. In fact, Moore flatly stated that he could not support Riley because Riley is inextricably tied to and beholden to special interests. Moore had just felt the sting of what it feels like to be on the short end of the stick where you have been outspent 10 to 1. That is a hard mountain to overcome.
July 12, 2006
In late May, two weeks prior to the primary, my column posed the question as to which primary, the Democratic or Republican, would attract the most voters. My belief was that for the first time in history the Republican primary would get the most primary participants. This did not materialize, even though the Republican primary overwhelmingly had the most attractive statewide races. All of the contested judicial races, as well as the hotly contested Lt. Governor’s race, were on the GOP side. However, the numbers were 465,000 Democratic ballots vs. 460,000 Republican voters, close indeed. The state appears exactly evenly divided in gubernatorial years, although, as I suggested earlier, the Democratic numbers were probably driven more by local races. Remember what Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local.”
July 05, 2006
An issue sidestepped this year, which will resurface in the future, is whether state judges should be appointed or elected. Alabama is currently one of only seven states in the country that elects judges.
June 28, 2006
This year’s Supreme Court races have been obscured by the more high profile Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s races. They generally are low profile even though they are extremely important and the justices who hold these positions wield substantial influence over public policy in Alabama. They probably are as insignificant as the secondary constitutional offices of Treasurer, Secretary of State and Auditor to the average Alabama voter. However, they are much more powerful and important than these administrative offices. If the truth be known, if you took a poll of Alabama voters one week after they had voted for Auditor or a Supreme Court seat not 5% of the voters could tell you who the Auditor or Justice was nor whether they had even voted for them or their opponent.
June 21, 2006
If there was one surprise race in the June 6th primaries it was in the Republican Lt. Governor’s contest. However, polls indicated three weeks earlier that an upset was in the making. George Wallace Jr. entered the race as the heavy favorite in a race where inherent name identification is very important. However, he did not foresee the Alabama business community giving a blank check to Big Luther Strange in that race. That money propelled Strange to a big vote. In fact he beat Wallace so badly that there was barely a runoff. Strange outdistanced Wallace 48% to 34% with Mo Brooks garnering 16%, mostly Tennessee Valley votes. This lead may be insurmountable for Wallace to overcome in the July 18 runoff, especially because Luther Strange has all the money and momentum. Wallace’s inability to raise money has been his Achilles heel in all of his major races. He has lost two previous contests one Lt. Governor and one for Congress where he was outspent.
June 14, 2006
The Primary results were very much exactly as expected. There were absolutely no surprises. The polling data projected was right on the mark. Gov. Bob Riley defeated Roy Moore 67% to 33%, the polls had pointed to a 70 to 30 margin. Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley outdistanced Don Siegelman 60% to 36%, about what the tracking polls foresaw. Therefore, as expected, you will have a Bob Riley vs. Lucy Baxley contest in November for the brass ring of Alabama politics, the Governor’s chair. Although their victories were predicted they were nevertheless both impressive winners on June 7th.
June 07, 2006
As you read this column you have the luxury of knowing the outcome of Tuesday’s primary contests. However, due to deadline requirements this column was written prior to June 6th. The results of the June 6th primary possibly will have whittled the race down to the two final candidates for the November brass ring Governor’s contest.
May 31, 2006
The Governor’s Race is on in Alabama. It is an every four year event that we cherish and enjoy immensely. Years ago it was the biggest entertainment that our grandfathers had to look forward to for that year. There was no television, no Atlanta Braves, nothing but the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. We had colorful politicians like Big Jim Folsom who came to our county squares and won our hearts with country bands, humorous speeches, and populist appeal. At 6’9” and unbelievably uninhibited and fun loving, Big Jim was better than the circus.