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.
March 6, 2024 - Political Potpourri
I hope you all voted in the primaries yesterday. You have an advantage on me in that I have to go to press with my column before Wednesday, my publication date. Therefore, you know the results. However, I doubt there are any surprises.
We do not have any good state races this year. We have four open seats on our State Supreme Court. However, three of the four are held by popular incumbents, none of which received even token opposition from either Republicans or Democrats. Justices Will Sellers, Jay Mitchell, and Tommy Bryan won reelection to new six-year terms on the State’s high tribunal, yesterday. Winning the Republican nomination is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie. All nine of our Supreme Court posts are held by Republicans.
Another very popular jurist, Chris McCool of Pickens County lore, is moving up to one of the four open seats on the Supreme Court. Judge McCool is moving up from the Court of Criminal Appeals to the Seat being vacated by Sarah Stewart who is running for Chief Justice.
Speaking of popular State Judges, my friend Bill Thompson has retired from the Court of Civil Appeals effective February 1, 2024. William “Bill” Thompson served 27 years as a Judge on this Appellate Court including the last 17 years as the presiding judge. Bill Thompson is the longest serving judge in the Court of Civil Appeals, and the longest serving presiding judge in the history of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. He was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020. Hopefully, he will have an enjoyable retirement. Judge Thompson grew up in Autauga and Elmore counties. He and his wife, Melinda, live in Homewood where they raised their three children. Governor Kay Ivey made an excellent appointment to this plum vacant appellate court seat by selecting Elmore County Circuit Judge Bill Lewis. He is a fantastic appointee.
My friend Tom Parker will be retiring as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court at the end of the year. Alabama has an antiquated law that requires judges to retire after age 70. Tom and I went to Boys State together in 1969. He is from Montgomery, me from Troy. We became friends there and have remained so over the years. He and his wife Dottie are high minded and quality people.
Fortunately, the newspapers in the state do not have a mandatory age 70 retirement mandate so I will keep writing this column for a few more years.
One of my favorite political legends in state history is former Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor Bill Baxley. Bill is now in his 80’s and remains one of Alabama’s premier defense attorneys. Back in December the presiding judges and Bar in Houston/Henry counties honored Bill with a portrait unveiling in the Dothan Courthouse. The portrait was hung in the courtroom that Bill grew up in watching court as a boy in Dothan. His daddy was Presiding Judge Keener Baxley. He and his daddy would walk home together to have lunch with his mama Mrs. Leema. Bill became District Attorney of the Houston/Henry Circuit at the ripe age of 24. He was elected Attorney General of Alabama four years later at 28. Bill moved to Birmingham to practice law after politics. His brother, Wade Baxley, remained one of the most prominent lawyers in Dothan until he succumbed to cancer. The portrait and ceremony meant a lot to ole Bill.
While we are on the subject of old friends and Alabama political legends, my peer and lifetime friend George Wallace, Jr. has penned a marvelous book about his daddy, Governor George Wallace, Sr. The book came out last year. It is entitled simply, George Wallace, from Segregation to Salvation. George tells the story of his growing up the son of one of the most well-known and controversial figures in American’s 20th Century. He talks about how his father truly changed and had the courage to ask for forgiveness and how he meant it. Obviously, Black Alabamians believed him, because Black Alabama voters elected George Wallace to his final term as Governor in 1982.
George Wallace, Jr. is truly a very genuine, good guy. He has the same quiet, humble, and unassuming manner as his mother, Governor Lurleen Wallace. He had a successful career in politics himself. George, Jr. served two terms as Treasurer of the State of Alabama, as well as two terms as Alabama Public Service Commissioner. George and his wife, Elizabeth, live in a suburban Shelby County, Highway 280 neighborhood and very much enjoy their peaceful life together.
See you next week.
February 28, 2024 - Primary Next Week
This coming Tuesday, March 5, is Primary Election Day in Alabama. Your vote next week is probably as important this Tuesday as it will be in the November general election because winning the Republican nomination for a statewide position in Alabama is tantamount to election.
We have an early primary election this year because we are part of the Super Tuesday GOP Presidential Primary caravan.
We do not have any close or interesting Alabama statewide races this year. The four Supreme Court seats up for election are held by popular incumbents, who are unopposed. The only contested Supreme Court race is for Chief Justice. Current Supreme Court Associate Justice Sarah Stewart is favored to win this race. She is imminently more qualified than her opposition. Justice Stewart has been on the Supreme Court a decade, and prior to that was a Circuit Court judge in Mobile for 16 years.
There is an open seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals where two assistant Attorney Generals, Thomas Govan and Rich Anderson, are running. Govan received most of the business and conservative groups’ endorsements and has worked the state diligently.
Republican Civil Court of Appeals Judge Chad Hanson is up for reelection next week. He is doing a good job.
Popular conservative PSC President, Twinkle Cavanaugh, is up for reelection this year. She will win overwhelmingly as she should. She is the glue that keeps the PSC running smoothly.
One of the best races on the ballot next week will be for the newly drawn 2nd congressional district. This new seat was drawn by the federal courts to create a second majority minority district. When the federal courts drew the new lines, they strived to make sure that the new district would favor a Democrat. The proof in the pudding was an index attached to the plan presented by the Special Master selected by the Court, which revealed that in 16 of the last 17 General Elections a Democrat would have won this seat had it been on the ballot.
The new 2nd district includes all of Montgomery and extends through the Black Belt and gathers most of the Black voters in Mobile. There are 12 Democratic candidates vying for this seat. Therefore, there will more than likely be a runoff for the Democratic nomination on April 16. There is no telling who will be in the runoff. Few, if any of the candidates, live in the district.
There are seven Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in the new 2nd district. There will more than likely be a runoff in this race, also. The three favorites to get one of the two runoff posts are former Montgomery State Senator Dick Brewbaker, current Escambia County State Senator Greg Albritton and Montgomery Attorney and Monroe County native Caroleene Dobson.
By virtue of redrawing the 2nd district, the federal courts have made the revised 1st district one of the most conservative and Republican in the nation. They combined the Wiregrass with the upscale, growing, suburban enclaves of Baldwin and Mobile Counties. Two incumbent Republican Congressmen, Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) and Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), were placed into the same district and are pitted against each other.
Jerry Carl should be favored because two thirds of the voters in the new 1st district are in his current Baldwin County district. Baldwin County is one of, if not the most populous counties in the state. It has 246,000 people and comprises 1/3 of the population of the new 1st district. Half the votes cast in next Tuesday’s Republican Primary will be cast by Baldwin County residents. Thus, Baldwin County is the battleground for this congressional election.
Almost every voter in Baldwin County is a Republican and very conservative. Barry Moore, who hails from the Wiregrass, faced an uphill battle when attempting to convince Baldwin County voters that he was more conservative than their own Jerry Carl. However, despite Carl’s perceived advantage over Moore, current polling reveals this is a close race. The winner of the Carl vs. Moore race next Tuesday wins it all because there are no Democratic candidates in this super Republican district.
Should Moore prevail, he owes his soul to the rightwing, anti-Trump, “Daddy Warbucks,” Club for Growth PAC. It is expected that this PAC is playing big for Moore like they did four years ago when they elected him to the old 2nd district.
Our two most popular and powerful Republican Congressmen, Robert Aderholt and Gary Palmer, are up for reelection this Tuesday. They both have token opposition. To lose either of these congressmen would be devastating for Alabama.
If you want your vote to count in this 2024 Presential Election year, then you need to go to the polls next Tuesday, March 5.
See you next week.
February 21, 2024 - It Appears the Qualification to Run in the Democratic Primary for the New 2nd Congressional District is You Should Not Live in the District.
“Friends and Neighbors” politics and “all politics is local” has gone by the wayside. Instead, we are a state and nation divided along partisan and racial lines. In Alabama almost all White voters are Republican and almost all Black voters are Democrats. Most folks vote lockstep along party lines.
The federal courts have picked up on this and decided to plow new ground and create a second minority district for us here in Alabama by taking redistricting out of the constitutionally designated power of drawing lines away from the legislature and using the Voting Rights Act as precedent to draw their own lines. When they drew the new lines for a second Black/Democratic district, they strived to make sure that the new district would favor a Democrat. The new district includes all of Montgomery and the counties surrounding Montgomery and extends through the Black Belt and gathers most of the Black voters in Mobile. It has attracted a host of aspiring, ambitious, Black politicians from every corner of the state.
Federal law does not require a candidate to be a resident of the Congressional District to be elected to it. Believe you me, these Democratic aspirants have taken full advantage of that loophole. It appears that the best qualification to run in this new 2nd District Democratic Primary is you should not live in the district.
This race is chaotic and it is impossible to tell who is leading or who will win. It is a real comedy show.
You might assume that a sitting legislator might be the favorite, even though all of those legislators running live outside the district. For example, the three highest profile Democrats are Representative Anthony Daniels, Senator Merika Coleman, and Representative Juandalyn Givan and they live in Huntsville, Bessemer, and Birmingham, respectively, and represent those locales in the legislature. Thus, they cannot even make a pretense of moving into the Congressional District they are running for. They cannot even vote for themselves.
Two other legislators, Jeremy Gray of Opelika and Napoleon Bracy of Saraland live close to the lines but are not quite in the Congressional District. However, Jeremy Gray has made a concerted effort to move his residence a few miles over to Phenix City, which is in his legislative district. I was told this by a young lady working for his campaign who had a Tampa, Florida telephone number. By the way, I do not know how people ascertain your private cell phone number, but she got it and called me at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning to explain Jeremy’s move. I told her she should not tell people that because it would appear odd he actually lived in the district.
I had mistakenly said that Napoleon Bracy lives in Prichard, which is in his legislative district and actually in the new Congressional District. I received a barrage of emails explaining that Napoleon lives in Saraland, which is not in the district. Thus, Napoleon is complying with the requirement that to run successfully you should not live in the District.
The most pronounced candidate to correct me on his residence is Mobile candidate Shomari Figures. Young Mr. Figures’s claim to fame, and qualifications are that he is the son of veteran state Senator Vivian Figures and the late Senator Michael Figures. Up until a few months ago, he worked in Washington which I mentioned in my previous column, and which I thought was good publicity for him. He called me at 7:00 a.m. one morning on my private cell phone number and was adamant that he had moved home to Mobile and had gotten a Mobile residence. He continued to barrage me with emails demanding to say that he now officially lived in Mobile. My advice to him was that if he wants to be considered a credible candidate that is not the best route to becoming a viable candidate in this District. To the contrary, it appears it is better to not live in the District.
I will give the same advice to the other six Democratic primary candidates, if you happen to live in the district, do not admit it. You will be automatically dispelled as an odd ball and loser because you may very well be the only one running who lives in the district.
This one is fun to watch, a real novelty.
See you next week.
February 14, 2024 - State Senate Leaders
Last week we discussed the Alabama House of Representatives and highlighted the leaders in the House.
This week we will talk about the prominent members of the very powerful Alabama State Senate.
To begin with, the State Senate is made up of 35 members. The body is overwhelmingly Republican. There are 27 Republicans and a mere eight Democrats. This qualifies for what is called a super majority Republican State Senate.
Our Alabama Constitution is very antiquated and rests all power, even local power, in the legislature. That means that an inordinate amount of legislative time is spent on local legislation. Passing local legislation is not a major problem for legislators from rural and smaller counties. However, that is not the case for Alabama’s most populous county, imperial Jefferson.
The state’s largest county is very diverse and therefore this legislative delegation is diverse and divisive. It has been my observation over the last 60 years that Jefferson County has had internal fights over their local issues, and it spills over onto the floors of the House and Senate. During my 16 years in the legislature, it was not unusual for an entire legislative day to be consumed while we watched Jefferson County legislators embroiled in an intense debate over whether alcohol could be served on Sunday in their county, while very important state issues languished.
For the first time in my memory, two legendary Jefferson County State Senators, Jabo Waggoner, and Rodger Smitherman, have forged a bipartisan working relationship that has made for a harmonious working partnership for the good of Jefferson County and the state.
State Senator Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia) is the Dean of the Senate. He is one of the most respected and accomplished state Senators in Alabama history. Indeed, he has the longest tenure of legislative service in the history of the state, 50 years. Jabo Waggoner also chairs the Senate Rules Committee, which sets the agenda for the Senate.
Jabo is in an elite leadership group of the Senate, which includes President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper), Education Budget Chairman Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), and General Fund Budget Chairman Greg Albritton (R-Escambia). The new majority leader of the Alabama Senate is Senator Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro). He is well respected and meshes well with Pro Tem Greg Reed.
State Senator April Weaver (R-Bibb/Shelby is doing an excellent job as Chair of the Health Committee. Senator Tom Butler (R-Huntsville) is a veteran legislator and is looked to on health issues, along with Senator Weaver.
Senator Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) is doing excellent work as Chairman of Judiciary. Senator Dan Roberts (R-Jefferson) has become the go to leader on business issues and is a workhorse senator. Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) is a medical doctor, who is very well liked and respected. He is effective and a good team player.
Senator Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) is doing an excellent job. He is young and has a bright future. Senator Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) is a quiet, effective leader who does not seek glamor, but gets things done. He is head of the Legislative Council for the entire legislature. Senator Andrew Jones (R-Cherokee/Etowah) and Senator Randy Price (R-Lee County) are workhorses for their districts.
Senator Clyde Chambliss (R-Autauga) is a stellar leader in the Senate. He is a favorite of Governor Kay Ivey. Chambliss has been the Sponsor of most of the major legislation including Prisons and Roads over the past few years. Senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) continues to be a strong conservative voice for Tuscaloosa. Senator Donnie Chesteen (R-Geneva/Houston) is an outstanding senator. He, like, Givhan is quietly effective. He gets things done for the Wiregrass.
Freshman Republicans Josh Carnley (R-Coffee), Jay Hovey (R-Auburn), and Keith Kelly (R-Anniston) are fast studies and well-liked team players.
Senator Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) is a very likeable and effective minority leader. He is aided by the aforementioned Senator Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) as well as respected and revered senate leaders, Senator Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) and Senator Billy Beasley (D-Barbour).
Newcomers to the Senate Merika Coleman (D-Bessemer) and Kirk Hatcher (D-Montgomery) have become immediately effective having served previously in the House. The State Senate is full of leaders.
See you next week.