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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Actually, it’s pretty easy to see that a lot of traditional Republicans in Montgomery are supporting the mayor — just look at his contribution lists.
Many moreso than support Jay Love. His amateur-hour pandering and wrong on the issues stances have turned off almost all voters to him.
Grimes might take more votes than he will in Montgomery - at least David is likable, and wears his heart on his sleeve.
Comment by Bright Republican — May 19, 2008 @ 11:49 am
little ole me - each of the incumbents/candidates in attendance at the Honor Flight return were there for the right reasons: Bright was representing Montgomery, Montg Cty Commissioners were representing Montg County, the Autagua County/Prattville politicians were representing their County/City. I don’t have a problem with any of the candidates/incumbents being in attendance. My only gripe is that Woods and family should have removed the campaign stickers before entering the airport. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it was accidental, maybe just political inexperience. Either way, it was shabby.
Comment by JRay — May 19, 2008 @ 11:24 am
pardon me for the error, that should have been “speech writing”
Comment by little ole me — May 19, 2008 @ 10:53 am
reply to #954
to answer your question, I received an email this morning and it was a confirmation that ALL of the candidates would be in attendance at Faulkner. Just in case you were still wondering.
Comment by little ole me — May 19, 2008 @ 10:52 am
in repy to 927 and a few others along the way…..
So sorry that you were having a bad Friday. Mine was GREAT!! It is sad that adults vent their frustrations like little children, and somehow find comfort in trying to ruin someone else’s day. You haven’t mine little man, you haven’t mine.
By the way, speaking of regurgitation, I do it every time I hear Love say “I’m running for four reasons”, and names his children…..then he comes off with a line about Pelosy, Kennedy, Obama, and Hillary. Who does his speach writing, Bozo the Clown? His sweet, innocent, PeeWee Herman act is making many sick, and from the mouths of many in the county executive committees, I have heard he doesn’t stand a chance. You may say that the Dr. doesn’t either, and you would be sadly mistaken on your part.
By the way, while all of the other candidates were dishonoring the Honor Flight, the good Dr. was in Pine Level at a forum. It appeared that all of the other candidates we either too good to go into the rural world or were “mistakenly” left off of the invite list. My personal opinion is that they all think the rural areas aren’t worth visiting so they just skipped it and went to the airport. I am sure that after they see the negativity they receive from dishonoring those vets, that they will wish they had gone to the country instead.
Keep up the good work Jay, Woods, and Smith. If you keep it up, there won’t be a need for a runoff….
by the way “Big ole me”, hope your Monday is better than your Friday.
Comment by little ole me — May 19, 2008 @ 10:44 am
Love’s Pre-primary FEC is up. He raised $84,018 from contributors/PACs and dropped another $49,000 of his own money. He’s at $349,000 in candidate loans.
Comment by JRay — May 19, 2008 @ 10:34 am
Will Harri Ann be at the forum at faulkner tomorrow night?
Comment by montgomery, al — May 19, 2008 @ 10:07 am
While all the other candidates were at major events to get publicity over the weekend; I was very humbled by the fact that Dr. Schmidtke attended a children’s rodeo in Montgomery County. He was very involved in all the events and will definately be recieving my vote along with many of my friends and family. All I can say is well don Doc. you showed us all what you are made of. We feel that for the first time a candidate is interesed in those of us who are not made of money. I was pleased with the fact that he took the time to sit and answer questions from anyone that had a question.
Comment by cowgirlup — May 19, 2008 @ 10:05 am
Any Candidate will take the opportunity to show up at a gathering of people to be seen. Even if not to hand out literature, but to shake hands and demonstrate support for the cause and a display of solidarity. Thank you MH for that insight.
If supporting cancer survivors is a qualifier, then put John Martin at the top of the list. He is a cancer survivor. The 2nd deadliest form of cancer at 40 years old. He had stage III carcinoma of the sigmoid colon followed by chemo therapy for 52 weeks. By the last couple months of chemo, his veins on both hands were so “worn out”, the nurse had to look for “good” veins between his fingers.
He has never stood in front of a microphone at a fund raiser, but he has talked to cancer patients one on one to offer support and encouragement. He has prayed with patients, cried with patients, laughed with patients, and attended funerals of cancer patients. He generally doesn’t talk openly about his experience with cancer because the memories most always return with a flow of tears to end the conversation.
However, the quiet remembrance of his experience gives him the courage and intestinal fortitude to stand firm as an advocate for patients’ rights. This is part of his experience in life that he wishes nobody had to endure, but it’s this experience that makes him strong.
Comment by Kahuna — May 19, 2008 @ 9:42 am
#947, Actually - Thank you for confirming that Woods was wearing campaign stickers. I saw at least 10 incumbents/candidates; Mayor Bright, Montgomery County Commissioners, Autagua County Commissioners and Prattville City Council members. However, Woods was the ONLY one wearing campaign stickers. Regarding where he was standing - he was near the end of the welcome line and taking photos of himself with several Vets. I am glad he was there, but very disappointed that he was campaigning.
Comment by JRay — May 19, 2008 @ 9:07 am
Incidentally, speaking of candidates’ behavior at events outside of the political realm, were any of you present at the Relay For Life in Dothan this weekend?
Smith spoke to the group…not as a candidate, but as someone whose life has been touched by cancer. She spoke of family members and friends who have either beaten this horrible disease, or lost the battle against it. Neither she, nor her supporters, wore campaign stickers or T-shirts. No one passed out literature or worked the crowd. She was there for those who battle cancer…on one front or another. At the end of her short speech, she said something to the effect that we were not there to hear her make a speech…we were there to walk against cancer.
As I walked the survivor’s lap, I was unable to hold back the tears that streamed down my face…partly because of the way my own life and family have been devastated by cancer…and partly because Smith took time out of her hectic schedule to set aside campaigning and to cheer us on.
Y’all want to know why I am so loyal to Smith? Her appearance and behavior at the Relay For Life pretty much said it all. She cares about people…and in that caring, she does everything she can to help them. And, what’s more, she doesn’t help people out of political aspirations. Rather, she is in politics so that she can help people.
Comment by MH — May 19, 2008 @ 12:26 am
Now there is a great example of delusional thinking!
Bobby (Isn’t Too) Bright can’t even win over the Republicans in Montgomery…he doesn’t have a chance of winning over the southern portion of the district. I have yet to meet a true conservative in Montgomery who can abide the man.
Rest assured, if the Democrats control the Presidency, the House and the Senate; this country will become the United Socialist States of America…it has slowly been happening for decades…and all it would take to send us over the top, would be for the Democrats to get a stranglehold on the Federal level. America cannot withstand four years of having a Democratic monopoly at the top level.
Anyone who thinks we need a ‘break from the Republican Party’ needs to go back and reread Atlas Shrugged….that is, if the Democrats have ever read it. Ayne Rand knew whereof she spoke when she wrote that book…she lived the social upheavel that created a country of ‘from each according to their ability, to each according to their need’. Socialism as a political experiment has consistently failed miserably in other countries. I can’t fathom why the Democratic Party seems to think it will work here….or would even want to try. But that is the direction they have been headed down for decades…and they have gotten progressively less subtle about it.
“Who is John Galt?”
Comment by MH — May 18, 2008 @ 11:53 pm
With Jay Love running ads saying “Christian Conservative Change” this leaves little doubt that he is a scumbag. All the top tier candidates are Christians and all are social conservatives. The fact that he is preying on religion to gain votes is disgusting. This kind of politicking has absolutely nothing to do with the current issues that face Alabama.
Politicians should not run on their Christian values rather they should run on their fiscal positions and with their social values. I mean, Bright is a deacon of a First Baptist Church and I’ll love to see Jay Love attack him on his Christian values. That is a fight that Jay Love will never win.
With a candidate like Bright a moderate, social conservative the Republicans will not be able to run on social issues alone. Many Republicans are leaning towards Bright’s campaign because they know how light headed HAS is and how dirty Jay Love is.
1994 may have been the “Republican Revolution” but 2008 is the year of the “Southern Democratic Revival” - off to a great start already due to the results of the special elections which were held in Republican states. This is the year that social issues fade to the background because both parties will have conservative candidates in this category. Since, the Bush administration has ruined all hope for Republicans to keep to their fiscal plans of old. You are already seeing and you will see Republicans, Moderates, Democrats (liberal, blue-dog, & yellow dog) joining camp behind these Populist Democrats.
Republicans are no longer on top and won’t be for quite some time. Alabama will not go blue in the Presidential election but there will be a swing in the congressional districts just like in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Comment by JC — May 18, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
Woods was there with his stickers on, but he stayed pretty far in the back. I never saw him up in the front trying to get his face on tv. Bobby Bright was there for the PRATTVILLE Honor Flight group and made sure he was seen all over. The elected officials (two are currently running for office) made a point to be right at the front door to greet the men and women then immediately ran over to Bryan Henry and Cody Holyoak. I applaud Woods for showing up and from where I was standing (the area he was in) he shook hands and said hello to people, but it was never a HEY LOOK AT ME attitude he had. I saw him saying hello and thank you to many of the vets.
Comment by Actually — May 18, 2008 @ 8:20 pm
That is poor judgement if Woods did that.
Comment by Anonymous — May 18, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
Many of you probably know about “Honor Flight”, a non-profit that provides a free flight to Wash DC for surviving WWII Vets who have yet to visit the WWII Memorial. Last night, a group of these Vets returned to Montgomery, and were greeted at the airport by a huge crowd of family, friends, civilian and military dignitaries, and well-wishers. As a fellow Vet, I was there to show my appreciation for their service. During this sacred and special celebration, I was appalled by the actions of one specific candidate, David Woods. The primary purpose of the gathering was to recognize the sacrifices and hardships these aged Vets made during WWII. Woods, and entourage, were there wearing campaign stickers and basically tried to turn the event into a campaign photo op. TACKY, TACKY, TACKY! Shame on you David Woods!
Comment by JRay — May 18, 2008 @ 11:00 am
If there aren’t changes to the tax code every year, then why is it that the forms change form year to year….and often some of the forms are not avialble till March or April, because the revisions can’t be made till Congress passes the budget?
And, then there are also Federal Excise taxes…ever buy tires? Pay a phone bill? A power bill? How about buy gas? And then there are Congress’ standby favorites, the so called Sin Tax on things like cigarettes and liquor. All of these things, and more, are hit with Federal Excise taxes. Sometimes you see them on a detailed bill…more often they are hidden in the cost of the products that you purchase.
Yeah, I believe that Congress raises our taxes by billions of dollars every year. If they didn’t, then they would not be able to keep up with the cost of living increases that also hit everything the government does, the same way it hits us. Just as an increase in the minimum wage ends up costing each of us more for the products we buy, therby increasing the cost of living…so does the cost of living end up costing us more in taxes. The ony alternative is to slash government programs…and with the Dems in charge of Congress, you can bet your income tax return, that the Democrats are not going to stand for cutting any social programs. So, where do you think the money for the COL increases, not to mention the increases in those social programs that the Dems love so much, are going to come from? You know the answer…it comes out of our pockets…one way or another.
I hope I explained this in a manner that you guys can understand. I’m not feling well today, so my verbal skills aren’t what they usually are.
Comment by MH — May 18, 2008 @ 10:20 am
And Jay Love’s aren’t misleading? He claims to be this super christian which he is not. He tells us he is a tax cutter, yet pushed for the LARGEST tax INCREASE in state history. Sounds like golden boy might be full of it.
Comment by Haha — May 18, 2008 @ 9:22 am
If you are saying congress changed the tax code last year then that would mean they increased taxes…i.e. increased them by billions of dollars as the ad states. That is totally false. Also, the annual budget does not change the tax code on an annual basis either. I can’t make sense out of the ad. I find it misleading.
Comment by Anonymous — May 18, 2008 @ 7:27 am
I have no idea what she meant by the comment, but I would assume that she meant that Congress has to pass the budget on which the tax code is based. IRS cannot raise taxes without Congress first passing a bill allowing them to do so. If the IRS could just tax us at whatever rate they wanted, there wouldn’t be much sense in having an elected body, would there? We might as well go back to King George and the stamp tax on tea…..at least, that is what I learned in school. Granted, it has been a long time since I was in school…maybe they have changed the laws since then and the IRS now has complete autonomy?
Comment by MH — May 18, 2008 @ 12:35 am