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Houston County Republicans are wanting to find a strong local candidate to support for the AL-02 seat opening up next year with Terry Everett’s retirement, according to my email:
…thought you might want to know that Mayor Kenneth Boswell [of Enterprise] met Friday morning at 7:00am in Dothan with County Chairman Mark Culver, several members of the Chamber of Commerce, Charles Coggins, and other highly placed Repub’s to interview for a possible Dist. 2 race. The big dogs in Houston County are afraid that if Everett’s seat goes to someone from Mont., or Elmore Co. the dollars will dry up. There is also a fear of what will happen at Ft. Rucker. Local Taco Bell/KFC franchisee Charles Nailen is next to meet with the “Boys”, he is also Chairman of “The Friends of Ft. Rucker”, a group of business leaders that work to support the Fort.
Charles Nailen is expected to meet with the group in the next week or so, according to the source.
See also The AL-02 Big List.
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Well good for the Houston County Republicans. I tell ya, where would we be without them?
This is old news. This is an effort by the Houston “Naileners” to get him knighted before others come to take the 2nd throne.
This will come back to bite the Wiregrass GOP. The smart thing to do is to allow the process to work naturally and not
hand pick a GOP nominee prematurely. Seems like the former BCA Chairman is putting alot of pressure on his old executive
William Canary to give him the nomination. Somebody better engage ALFA and others at the conservative table. They might have
a different idea than the BCA. This dumb
move by Nailen is going to backfire.
As for small time Mayor Ken Boswell. I have it from a good source Boswell all but begged to get an invitation to meet with
Dothan republicans. Now here is a guy who will take every available opportunity to get his name in ink. Remember his shameless
PR plays with the Enterprise school disaster. Boswell for the 2nd? What a freaking joke! Even Barry Mask or David Grimes
would stand a better chance than Boswell. If Boswell were the nominee it would all but guarantee a Demcrat win. Who next
is scheduled to kiss the BCA ring of George Flowers? Anxiously awaiting this breaking news.
Ken Boswell? You have got to be kidding. Isn’t he a used car salesman or something?
Mayor Boswell will not run nor will “the committee” believe that he should. This is far from a Nailen committee as someone noted and it is also far from a BCA encouraged group. No one seems to be talking about Harri Anne being invloved in this as well…..SHE IS.
The story is not correct. It is not the Houston County GOP. I understand that the group involves many Wiregrass counties. Yes, it involves business people but also includes local mayors and those involved in agriculture. It is not a BCA group set to endorse Charles Nailen, Harri Anne Smith, Kenneth Boswell, or any other specific candidate. No one has the inside track. It doesn’t matter anyway, whatever they may decide is not binding. Anyone can run and voters will decide in the end.
Anonymous in comment #5,
The story is essentially correct (I have multiple sources that attest to it), though no doubt there are details that could be quibbled over. I could tell you the names of many of the people present. Some folks in the Dothan area call them “the slate.” My understanding is that the group does not include “local mayors and those involved in agriculture.”
Regardless, these folks would like to see that the next representative for AL-02 is a Republican from Houston County or perhaps from elsewhere in the Wiregrass.
Of course, you are correct that “anyone can run and voters will decide in the end,” but this group would like to throw its considerable weight behind one Wiregrass candidate in the GOP primary and would prefer not to have more than one Wiregrass candidate in the race to dilute the Wiregrass vote. Many potential candidates know the value of the support of the slate, and would not run without its support knowing that another candidate had its support.
I have heard that three local mayors and county commission chairman Mark Culver are involved in the group you are speaking about. In addition, agri business is invloved, including an individual in Geneva County. It is correct that they will have influence over who runs, although anyone is free to do so. But this is not just a group of Dothan business men as previously noted.
Anonymous in post #7 is right on that there are some local Mayors invloved in this group.
Mayors of Ozark ,Dothan, Daleville and ??? This is not a kiss the BCA’s ring committee limited to Dothan GOP loyalists.
Thank you, Elba Tony and Anonymous in #7, for filling in the gaps of my understanding about the group involved. I think we are clear on the essence that there are some concerns in the Wiregrass that the next representative might not be from the Wiregrass, and that there is a group doing what it can proactively to encourage one strong Wiregrass candidate that will not dilute the Wiregrass vote.
And I appreciate the clarifications that this is not strictly a business/BCA type group. I guess perhaps that is in response to comment #2, as I never passed on that this was a business/BCA group.
Thanks again.
I believe it will only get more interesting.
“Pueblo” started the BCA rumor mill about the group. Danny is very correct though that the group seems to want to stand behind one candidate that they hope has the best shot and hope that a group of Montgomery area candidates will all be in the race and split votes resulting in a primary victory for a sole Wiregrass candidate. Good strategy…I don’t blame them.
[...] Lance Griffin’s story in the Dothan Eagle confirms a story reported here in the Parlor that a Wiregrass group is interviewing potential candidates for the 2nd Congressional District race next year. The group, who may have been characterized too narrowly in the earlier post as “Houston County GOP,” hopes other potential Wiregrass candidates will choose not to run once the group throws its support behind a chosen candidate. The plan is to better the chances that the next representative is from the Wiregrass rather than the Montgomery area. [...]
I have a tip that Bobby Bright may be in the race.Don’t know what party yet but, If he does he will be hard to beat.He has an excellent record in anything he does.He knows how to get things done and done right.
they all need a dose castor oil grandma is always right
district 2 lost best canidate for district 2 her honarable state senator smith.the greatest politician ever come out state of alabama,now for love and bright grandma is always right castor oil will solve both your problems bring plenty paper u goin need it