Alabama’s Presidential Candidate?

Folk are talking about Hugh McInnish’s “Draft Sessions for President” resolution that McInnish plans to introduce to the state GOP meeting next month. My take is that Sessions has almost zero chance of winning a national election, the GOP believes that, and so he would have almost zero chance of getting the nomination. For all these reasons and more, I would even be surprised if such a resolution passed, except perhaps as a courtesy.

If a presidential candidate is from Alabama, Riley is the more likely one. Stepping from the Governor’s mansion to the White House would be one more way he has modelled himself after Reagan. (He even has a bust of Reagan in his office.) A solid win over Baxley in November could demonstrate that he has some crossover appeal, and he would be sure to use Alabama’s fiscal U-turn from deficit to surplus under his watch to demonstrate that he is a problem-solver.

Alabama’s new early primary date would likely help an Alabama candidate jumpstart a campaign. The Democrats’ last three Presidents have been southerners, and a southern Republican candidate might help blunt the appeal of the Democrats’ nominee if they try that route again. He wouldn’t be the youngest candidate in the field (he’s older than W is now), but he would be younger than his model Ronald Reagan was when he was elected (who was the oldest man elected president at 69).

Another scenario if the GOP wins the Lt. Governor’s race is that Sen. Shelby would step down before the end of his term, Riley would appoint himself as successor, and the GOP Lt. Governor (Strange or Wallace) would assume the Governor’s chair. One insider I know really believes that this is a possibility.

If a whisper campaign is suggesting that either of these scenarios could play out (both involving Riley leaving his 2nd term early), then we may have an explanation as to why businesses are pouring so much money into Luther Strange’s campaign for Lt. Governor, a relatively powerless position in Alabama.