See also the AL - 05 Big List.
Welcome to the AL - 02 Big List.
This list has been an attempt to keep up with everyone in either political party who has been credibly mentioned (in public or private) as a potential candidate for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District since Rep. Terry Everett (R - Rehobeth) announced that he will not run for re-election.
Both parties’ qualifying period ended April 4, 2008. Three Democrats and six Republicans qualified for the primary race, and they are listed below. The primary is June 3.
The Political Parlor will update the Alabama Line (found in the sidebar) for the race, though perhaps not as fast as you like since input from a wide array of people is sought.
| Democrats |
Republicans |
IN
Bobby Bright, Montgomery Mayor
Cendie Crawley, Dentist, Troy native
Cheryl Sabel, Alabama NOW President
OUT
William Boyd, Montgomery Mayoral Candidate
Seth Hammett, Speaker of the House
Jimmy Holley, State Senator
Jimmy Lunsford, Troy Mayor
Gary McAliley, Pike/Coffee Co. DA
Wendell Mitchell, State Senator
Scott Ninesling
James Perdue, Crenshaw Co Probate Judge
Cooper Rutland, Union Springs Atty
Ron Sparks, Agricultural Commissioner
Terry Spicer, State Representative
Glen Zorn, former Florala Mayor
|
IN
David Grimes, State Representative
Jay Love, State Representative
John W. Martin, Retired Army (Dothan)
Craig Schmidtke, Dothan oral surgeon
Harri Anne Smith, State Senator
David Woods, President, WCOV-TV (Montgomery)
OUT
Greg Albritton, former state Representative
Wes Allen, former candidate for Auditor
Kenneth Boswell, Enterprise Mayor
Bobby Bright, Montgomery Mayor
Terry Butts, former Supreme Court Justice
Jim Byard, Prattville Mayor
Steve Clouse, State Representative
Mark Culver, Houston County Commissioner
Larry Dixon, State Senator
John Giles, former Christian Coalition of AL President
Jack Hawkins, Troy Univ. Chancellor
Jimmy Holley, State Senator
Tim James, Greenville businessman
Troy King, Attorney General
Ben Lewis, State Representative
Barry Mask, State Representative
Charles Nailen, Dothan businessman
Steve Pelham, former Everett staffer
Jim Sullivan, PSC President
George Wallace, Jr., former PSC Commissioner
Dot Waller, Autauga County Bd. of Ed.
Greg Wren, State Representative
|
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Comment by MH — April 26, 2008 @ 3:41 pm
MH, you are an idiot! You are all over the place! Harri Anne may likely get the GOP nomination but if she does Bright will eat her lunch. Love can beat Bright. Gonna be quite interesting. I am sure hoping Smith gets beat in June so MH will quit the endless defense of Smith. I am off to do something productive and quit wasting my time reading MH’s nonsense.
Comment by Seriously — April 26, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
I have heard the same thing over and over about Bright and his election numbers as mayor. Folks can’t get in their brains that there are two very big differences in this race. (1) The City of Montgomery is not all within district 2. In fact, a large portion of its voters are in District 3. (2) Most importantly, when Bright runs this time there will be a big “D” by his name. In the past he has run in non partisan elections. This time, he will run as a D in a very republican district. So all this crap thrown around about his past numbers within the City of Montgomery when running in a non partisan election need to be taken with a HUGE grain of salt as the circumstances this time are very different. In terms of Smith being the best candidate against Bright….let’s just say Bright certainly hopes it is her. He will make her look like she doesn’t have a clue. And apparently, that is not very hard to do. I agree with other bloggers here, Smith is flat out not up to the job. She would be over her head. Who would be the best candidate other than her? Not sure yet.
Comment by PikeCountyguy — April 26, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
Interesting discusson below on who can beat Bopbby Bright. It looks, however, that it turned into advocacy politics with no real connection to reality.
The Montgomery candidates - Woods, Love, Grimes - are at an undeniable disadvantage against Bright. Bright will most likely carry the tricounties based on his strong defeat of Scott Simmons in Montgomery in the mosr recent mayoral election (60%-30%). I had one of the very same people pushing Jay Love right now tell me that Simmons would force a runoff with Bright “for sure” in that election . . .and Bright won 2-to-1. So take everything Love’s people say about winning the tri-counties against Bright with an enormous grain of salt . . .
The race - if the GOP wins - will be in the Wiregrass. Demographically Smith is stronger for this sole reason. That’s why the money is being donated to her. She has flaws and lots of them, but she is simply the most viable candidate to win in November against the strongest Democrat in this district in 44 years. And all the screaming by consultants and’or supporters of various campaigns on here doesn’t change the basic demographics of this disatrict which favor her or any other viable Wiregrass-based Republican. I didn’t mention Schmidtke as he is not viable - look at his donations from others.
Comment by Used to do this — April 26, 2008 @ 11:05 am
The other two counties that allow electronic bingo only did so after the people voted for it. Smith was trying to give the people of Dothan the same opportunity. Unfortunately, the developer behind the project spun it in the news that if they didn’t get instant approval (IOW, if it went to a vote), they would pull out. The people of Dothan didn’t realize that the developer would run into the exact same situation in Florida or Georgia, where the developer was threatening to take the project. I knw that in Florida, electronic gambling is only allowed at paramutual betting facilites…dog tracks, horse tracks, etc…anything else would have required a legislative bill that would allow the people to vote on the project. Just as Smith tried to do here. Most people just know what they read in the Dothan Eagle…which, typical of its liberal leanings, followed the developers ’spin’.
If people took the time to look things up on the internet, and research the topic, they would have realized that the developer’s best shot was to sit tight. But most people don’t research stuff. They read the paper and they talk to their friends (who also get their information from the paper), and they develop an opinion on that limited and biased information.
As far as Smith ‘knowing’ that the electorate was for the project, how was she supposed to know that, when in the past, the people have voted overwhelmingly against gambling, even though it would benefit the schools? Why should gambling that would bring in mostly minimum wage paying jobs, be any more beneficial to the area than a lotto which would bring in money to assist education? The lotto would have been a state run project that required public information as to where all the funds went. A private project has no such requirements.
Heck, there were people writing that the Country Crossings project was supposed to benefit education and they were mad as wet hens and saying Smith was hurting local students who had aspirations of going to college without the means to do so. The people only knew what the Dothan Eagle wanted them to know…and the Dothan Eagle was for the project, so they only told the people what they thought would get the project passed, with the least amount of interference from some of the more conservative residents.
As for my stance on the subject, I think you guys know that I think that gambling is gambling and it rus in the face of the good, clean, honest Christian community we try to maintain here. I think there is a lot about this project that doesn’t make sense, and no one seems to be asking why.
And, yes, now that you mention it, I do think that the county commissioners overstepped their authority. If the other counties in the state needed to vote on the issue, why does the Houston County commissioners have the authority to approve what the other counties didn’t?????? Why does ‘charity’ gambling, which on the surface would not line the pockets of the developer; either make the project a go or no go? Is the project on such shaky ground that it can’t make it without gambling? Where is the money from that gambling going to go? It sounds to me like the bulk of it is going into the developers’ pockets.
The whole project stinks like a dirty locker room and I think someone needs to look below the surface and see what putrid morass is boiling under the developers ’spin’. I’ve seen what legalized gambling did to the beautiful community of Gulfport, Mississippi…and I don’t want to see the same thing happen here. But then, that is just my opinion…and we all know about opinions, don’t we?
Comment by MH — April 26, 2008 @ 10:54 am
MH,
You make me laugh! You claim that Smith did what she was elected to do; what ever the people want. You know who and what that reminds me of? G.C. Wallace and the civil rights issues in the 60’s. He was only “doing what the people wanted,” too, and you see what great things transpired because of that. Am I’m saying that Harri Anne and Wallace or segregation and gambling are the same things? No.
What I am saying is that if I wanted someone to just do the will of the people, I could easily vote on every issue and have a robot count all the votes and then vote accordingly. No, I don’t want that. I want someone with character, purpose and integrity, not just someone who can read the results from a poll!
Futhermore, 751 is right. If she really cared about what the people wanted then she wouldn’t have pulled the bill. I my opinion, she recognized that she was going to lose a large portion of her base and quickly went into damage control mode. Again, her actions were strictly political, but hey, that’s what I expect from someone who… How can I say this kindly… is trying to make the transition from AA baseball to the major leagues.
Also, if you have any real content that would illustrate that she could lead the entire district in a positive way, please feel free to enlighten me! Before you try to do that, though, please don’t bring the tired, she was mayor, a state senator, and got a few endorsements. I want tangible examples.
Comment by Ego Sum Veritas — April 26, 2008 @ 10:38 am
I have known David Grimes and his wife, Barbara, for 35 yrs, going back to our college days at Troy University. I just want to say to all of you who don’t know them on a personal level, people don’t come any finer. I completely trust David to make the right decisions for this district and for our state. We, as the people of this fine state, should feel very blessed. If you don’t know David you should make an effort to meet him. Check out his website asap, before making your final decision and I am sure you will cast your vote for him. He will be there for us…
Comment by Trust DG — April 26, 2008 @ 10:33 am
Smith would get eaten alive in Congress. She has zero conviction. I rather have Bright than Smith.
Comment by GOPer — April 26, 2008 @ 9:31 am
MH, you are completely wrong about Smith. She absolutely knew the people were overwhelmingly in favor of the Country Crossing project well before she introduced that sham of a bill. Those damn money grubbers Watson, Saliba, Flowers, and Downs can’t stand it when someone does not ask their opinion on something. Those guys rule Dothan like dictators. This is one of the major reasons the Dothan area has gotten the shaft on economic development projects. Those guys first and foremost want to keep wages as low as possible so they can put as much money in their pockets as possible. Second, they want a piece of the action if something comes in but they don’t want to buy into a project. They want the project people to give them a percentage of the deal to go away and be quiet. This is the type of extortion they have practiced for years. Now for good ole Harri Anne who wants to play so innocent on this whole political disaster. If she wanted to really let the people vote she would have presented a bill that would have been an up or down vote on charitable electronic bingo the way it was approved by the commission rather than issue a slap in the face to the commission and suggest with her bill that they did something way beyond the law. Smith knew better but could not say no to the power brokers who threatened to pull the money on her. This shows Harri Anne will gave to that group when they ask her to. As for the developer blackmailing the public and misleading the public as you suggested, nothing could be further from the truth. The Watson and Flowers group have stated time and time again the project is going to involve a casino. Casino are not legal in the state first of all. Second, if you or any of that high brow group would simply look at the plans, the same ones shared with over 500 people at the recent pro-CC rally in Dothan, you will see how modest the bingo facility will be in comparison to the rest of the entire project. MH, you can give us all that bs about Harri Anne protecting the public and wanting to let them have a vote, but it is a bunch of excuses and cover ups. She did not have enough wherewithal to say no to the Dothan bosses and then it got so bad when she introduced the bill she had no choice but to pull it. What the average person does not understand it both her bill and Rep. Lewis’ were completely dead on arrival. Neither bill would have made it out of the house it was introduced into. Harri Anne realized this after she introduced the bills and did not want to look weak because as you know she has not had success passing legislation and this would once again showcase how incredibly weak and ineffective she is in the Alabama senate. As you probably know, the senate only have 35 members and she is at the very bottom of that small number when it comes to actually getting things done. Can you imagine just how far at the bottom she will be when she gets into Congress where there are over 400? Harri Anne is not tough. She will getting eaten alive in Congress and things like Ft. Rucker, the I-10 connector, and so on will suffer which means we all collectively will suffer. MH you need to get real and quit trying to come up with excuses for Smith. She screwed up on the Country Crossing project issue and it has only highlighted her many negatives. I am sure you will attempt to respond to this message and once again come up with excuse after excuse for Smith. Please save us the torture and get real.
Comment by Seriously — April 26, 2008 @ 8:35 am
MH - How did Smith represent the people by pulling a bill that would have given them the right to vote on gambling? How did she determine that the majority of the people wanted her to deny them the opportunity to determine their own future? From the surface it seems more likely that she was told that in order to receive financial support from certain sources for her congressional bid, that she needed to pull the plug on her constituents right to self-determinantion.
Comment by Consider This — April 26, 2008 @ 7:39 am
There are more than enough people on here beating up Smith, usually for no apparent reason and with twisted logic, she doesn’t need me to jump on the bandwagon. Smith has represented the people of her Senate district well over the years, and she will do the same thing in Congress.
I’m sure it can’t be easy to represent this district. Elected officials are supposed to represent the majority of the people. When, historically, the majority of the people have voted overwhelmingly against something, it stands to reason that the elected official would continue to take the stand that the people have shown they want. So, what is an elected official to do when the majority change their mind about how they feel on an issue? The elected official can hold their ground (in management, this is called sunk costs…you keep doing the same thing no matter what, because you are afraid of looking weak), or the official can backtrack and tell the people, “I hear what you are saying, and since I represent you, I will do what you want.”
Personally, I thought that Smith’s introduction of a bill allowing people to vote on whether or not they wanted gambling was the right way to go. The people complained about being taxed and not having a voice, so you would think that allowing them to vote on whether or not to allow gambling would be the thing to do. Unfortunately, the people behind the gambling project were able to spin the whole thing so that the people of the area thought that by giving the voters a say in the matter, Smith was killing the project.
Smith did what an elected official ought to do…she did what the majority of the people she represents wanted. I’m sure it took a lot of strength on her part to go in front of the people and say, “I made a mistake…I thought this was what you wanted. But since it isn’t, I’ll back off.”
Did she end up with egg on her face? Yes…and it must have been mortifying. But she took her lumps because she was elected to represent the majority of the people in the district.
Personally, I thought that her indtroduction of the bill allowing people to vote on the project was the right thing to do. But the people either misunderstood that she was giving them a voice, or they really believed that by letting them vote on the issue, it would cause the developer to back out of it. IMHO, the developer is blackmailing the people of Houston County. And I still think there is something really hinky, if not outright shady, about the whole project (but then, gambling and shady usually seem to go hand in hand, so why should I be surprised?).
However, gambling is no longer the issue here. The issue is whether Smith did the right thing or not. She did what she was elected to do….she represented the majority of the people of her district. That is her job. Unfortunately, just as the people of Houston County didn’t seem to get that she was trying to give them a voice, there are a lot of people who won’t get that she pulled the bill because she represents the people, and the people she represents have changed their mind on the subject of gambling.
And that , folks, is the bottom line. Smith did what she did because it was what she is paid to do….represent the people.
Comment by MH — April 26, 2008 @ 1:26 am
Damn I hate to admit it but post 748 makes a good point on all of them. Correction though, Schmidtke is an oral surgeon not an eye surgeon.
The Republican field has it faults for sure. But I rather have Woods (maybe he will improve on his speaking skills…I rather have a guy with principles and good business sense that a smooth talking snake in the grass). Or I rather have Love (smooth talker and I don’t think..I said think…that the Business Council controls him 100%). Or I rather have, oh wait, no, I can’t have Smith. I rather have Bright. DAMN - WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO??? (and no, Grimes and Martin have no shot, I agree with the previous poster).
I guess I should move to District 1. Jo Bonner is a Congressman to be proud of!
Comment by BadField? — April 25, 2008 @ 9:36 pm
I agree. We should worry about Bright, but I want to worry about the first election before I worry about the third election. If we don’t have a viable Republican candidate, we might as well congratulate Congressman Bobby Bright (man, that hurt!) right now.
That being said, and this is just my honest opinion, Schmidtke is a good guy but he doesn’t have a snowballs chance in hell. Here’s why: 1. He’s a carpetbagger, plain and simple. 2. I rolled on the floor laughing when he started talking about how he understands the militry and its needs because he got accepted into the Navy Academy (which he turned down!). The guy might know how to perform lasik eye surgery, but he doesn’t know squat about the military. 3. He was bragging about understanding how to lower health care costs after he rented a limo to drive from Dothan to Montgomery for part of his formal announcement… I wonder if he got that money by overcharging people for his services? I guess he really does understand how to lower costs! 4. He’s a yankee carpetbagger! ! !
Now, on to David Woods; what is that guys problem? I feel sorry for him. He must have Terry Everett syndrome because he cannot deliver a speech in public to save some poor little underprivileged kid’s life! I mean, he may be a good man with values, but if he can’t tell people about them, what chance does he have!
Jay Love = puppet! Don’t believe me? Next time you get a chance to speak with him ask him who Mr. Canary is? (hint: he’s the guy pulling the strings)
Who am I forgeting? Oh yeah, Harri Anne!…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Why am I laughing you ask? Simple; to keep from crying! If she gets nominated I’m moving… No, I’ll just vote for Bobby Bright. I’d rather have a semi intelligent Dem. than an idiotic Rep. as my Representative. After all, this person IS GOING TO BE REPRESENTING US! On top that, she’s just as much a puppet (or maybe I should say muffet) as Love. So, she’s that much more of a concern or liability. I’m sure if she takes an opinion poll she’ll find out that the public agrees with me.
You know, the only two guys that are almost good candidates are Grimes and Martin, and neither one of those two have a legitimate shot either.
So, to give us the best opportunity to beat Bright, we can nominate a guy that’s a yankee carpetbagger, a guy that can’t speak in public, a puppet that has a hand up is @$$, or a blathering idiot who personifies the Peter Principle!
Maybe we should have let the boys and girls down in Montgomery do a little redistricting afterall?
Comment by Ego Sum Veritas — April 25, 2008 @ 8:36 pm
MH, I have tried to give you every benefit of the doubt but the fact of the matter is you are pro HAS regardless. How much is she paying you to defend her on this blog. You have lost all credibility. I can understand you being for her but you have to admit the press conference was awful. There is NO way to spin that positively. MH, you would be much better off to be somewhat critical of HAS and admit she has some shortcomings. If we elect her to Congress we ought to lose every base we have and get screwed on every Farm Bill if we are stupid enough to elect someone who has essentially passed no legislation in the state senate..
Comment by Seriously — April 25, 2008 @ 8:19 pm
Go Woods!
Comment by Lava Flow — April 25, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
I AGREE! This is why Smith is not the best candidate. Not just the job she did at the press event but the way she handled the whole “I was against it before I was for it” gambling issue. Principles are a good thing…so get some Hillary Anne Smith. Bright would beat here like a drum.
http://www.mydothan.com/Bingo/041408HASbingoBillStopped.wmv
Comment by Ski08 — April 25, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
Post 743 - you cite all the reasons I fear Bright could do well. So he is exactly what we need to fear. I just hope the GOP will nominate the best candidate to defeat him. And, in my opinion, that is either Love, Woods or Schmidtke in no particular order. Bright will for sure win his nomination on the Dem side.
Comment by WiregrassVoter — April 25, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
We, as Repulicans, are in for a rough ride this year. I believe if the Fed declares that our economy is in recession we will face 4 years, possibly 8 years of Dem control in the Exec and Legis Branch. As gas and food prices rise due to the slumping dollar, the easier it will be for the Dems to cast blame on the Repubs and sell the Dem candidates as the saviors of the country. We have a lot more to worry about than Bright!
Comment by Consider This — April 25, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
True enough JT. The top priority should be the candidate with the strongest odds of beating Bright. I would hasten to add that after that priority it is also necessary to nominate the candidate who 1) holds real core Republican beliefs and 2)will protect the interests of the district best in congress.
Comment by Anonymous — April 25, 2008 @ 11:50 am
We should be talking about the real issue here…making sure Bobby Bright is NOT elected to Congress.
Comment by JT — April 25, 2008 @ 10:31 am