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The Political Parlor has confirmed that the vote of the Wiregrass’s “unofficial Congressional Selection Committee” was close. Sen. Harri Anne Smith (R – Slocomb) received the backing of the group by garnering 10 votes. Dothan businessman Charles Nailen received 7 votes, and Enterprise Mayor Ken Boswell received 3 votes. Committee members who were not present were not allowed to vote. There are about 26 members in all.
The group’s goal is to throw its considerable support behind one strong Wiregrass candidates in hopes that the next U. S. Representative from Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District will be from the Wiregrass. (Read more here in a previous post.)
You don’t have to think too hard to come up with scenarios where the vote could have gone differently considering that there were as many votes for others as for her, or considering that several voting members were not in attendance. On the other hand, she may have had it in her pocket all along. She had a favorable poll that showed she had a leg up on potential opponents, and those voting for other candidates did not organize into one anti-Smith bloc.
Charles Coggins (Governmental Affairs, Dothan Chamber) is the nominal chair of the group. Other members of the group include Enterprise banker Whit Armstrong, banker Lamar Brooks, Ozark Mayor Bob Bunting, Alan Clark of Dothan Security Inc. (and son of former Houston County sheriff A. B. Clark), County Commissioner Mark Culver, Mack Dove of AAA Cooper Transportation, Daleville Mayor Wes Etheredge, George Flowers, agribusinessman Jim Kelley, Dothan Chamber President Matt Parker, CPA David Parsons, Dothan Mayor Pat Thomas, insurance agent Velma Tribue, engineer John Watson, and developer Hugh Wheelless.
Smith’s campaign opponents may charge that she was handpicked as a candidate in a process that was not representative. There was a dearth of women and minorities involved, and critics will say that it smacked of machine politics and “smoke-filled rooms.” Smith will no doubt rebut that her candidacy welcomes all endorsements (like the one she recently picked up from the Geneva Co. Republican Executive Committee). One apologist acknowledged to the Parlor that this was “the epitome of the smoke-filled room,” but that this is really no different than what happens when a candidate seeks the endorsement of ALFA or AEA.
The National Peanut Festival is this week in Dothan, so we have a picture (above) of Sen. Smith taken another year at the Peanut Festival.
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Wow… good work.
How nice that this group made decision based on poll numbers. Refreshing!!!!!!!!!!!!
Educate yourself by looking at Smith’s real intentions. The group got fooled.
http://www.politicalparlor.net/wp/2007/08/29/harri-anne-smith-in-the-political-parlor
She wants to be Gov so what else is new. Jay Love should send a thank you note to the ten that voted to endorse Harri Anne Smith. Smith’s lack of depth on issues = a win for Jay.
I will go ahead and say what no one else will but many are thinking…..there is a real concern among some folks that Smith is getting in way over her head. The wiregrass “group” may have screwed up and sent forth a sitting duck into a pond of gators.
Ask her about immigration, energy policy, the war in iraq, national security, agricultural issues, trade, national debt, government spending, taxes, foreign policy or any serious domestic policy issue and you will get nothing subtantive as a response. Quack Quack Quack.
You will get a reply about what a swell Governor she will be OzarkObserve. Oh, I mean Representative…my bad.
Thanks Jay “L” Are you feeling the LOVE?
You guys crack me up. Is she a joke before she even announces??? Maybe so.
I love the pic Danny posted with this story. That sums Senator Smith up the best I can tell. A smile, a thumbs up and some sun glasses… “vote for me yall, I’m a State Senator”
That pretty much sums it up jake.
And the post about the wiregrass group having second thoughts about moving her forward may have more and more merit as the race progresses and her lack of grasping and taking positions on the issues may un fold. A lot of folks are concerned now about the chances of a wiregrass candidate actually surviving.
If she wants to be Governor she should stay in Alabama.
Jake in 10, I didn’t mean for the picture to reflect poorly on Sen. Smith. Seemed fun and especially relevant since it was also from the National Peanut Festival (another year).
PikeCountyguy in comment 2, I don’t know that we can say the group made its decision based on poll numbers. But I am pretty confident that it didn’t hurt. :)
I like the picture personally; it is better than the official photo. And poll numbers certainly didn’t hurt Smith when it came to the decision of the local group. In fact, it was by far the major factor. Sad but true.
No one has figured out yet it seems Smith is a lazy and unfocused politician. It will come out quick enough. I am no Jay Love fan but Love should be singing the praises of the Dothan mafia. They probably just elected Jay Love to Congress and guaranteed the 2nd to be controlled by Montgomery for the next 15 or so years. These Wiregrass “power brokers” can’t resist the temptation to tell everyone south of Troy how to vote. Big mistake Dothan group. Not to mention you have done a great job in the last election of building a cast of politicos who would not pull you out of a burning building. That committee has successfully managed to have Wiregrass democrats working to support Montgomery repubs just to teach George Flowers and this bunch a lesson.
B. Townsend is totally right. The group made a mistake. Harri Anne Smith only got ten votes out of a group of 26 but with some absent and the other votes split she got the nod. I hear folks in the wiregrass are worried for the exact reason B. Townsend noted in post 15. She knows nothing of the issues and if she is pressed to focus on them she will not be taken seriously as a candidate any longer. A mistake was made but there is still time to correct it and get a real candidate from the Wiregrass.
PS – I love the “quack quack quack” I agree she may be a sitting duck waiting for those that actually want to be in US Congress to gobble her up on the issues.