Smith Campaign Release on Staff Changes
Here is the release from the Harri Anne Smith campaign with the details of her campaign staff shake-up, first announced here at the Parlor. If you want to know who’s now handling polling, or media, or what-have-you, well, here you go.
For Immediate Release
June 10, 2008
HARRI ANNE SMITH
STRENGTHENS TEAM WITH NEW ADDITIONS
(Dothan, Alabama)–Senator Harri Anne Smith (R-Slocomb), candidate for Congress in Alabama’s Second Congressional District, today announced she has restructured her campaign, bringing in new team members.
Scott Beason, Republican State Senator from Gardendale is the new Senior Advisor, and has been involved with many campaigns across the state at every level. Senator Beason brings with him Southern Insights, the Birmingham based political consulting firm, owned by Chris Brown and Paul Glass. The two have a 20 year track record of political success across Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Rob Autry of the nationally recognized firm of Public Opinion Strategies of Virginia will conduct the polling, and Sonny Scott of Anthem Media in Nashville will advise and handle visual media.
Beason said he sees his new role as an opportunity to help his friend in the Alabama Senate. “Harri Anne is a stalwart for the conservatives in the Republican Party. She has stood time and again against taxes and wasteful spending. The mission of this team is to showcase the differences between the two candidates. Senator Smith is clearly the conservative in this contest, and she is the only candidate who can lead the Republicans to victory in the fall.”
Senator Smith stated, “Changes needed to be made to the campaign structure, and I made them. I am excited about the new team, but I am more excited about having the opportunity, now that the legislative session is over, to get out and talk with the people of my congressional district.”
Alabama’s Second Congressional District is comprised of all of the Wiregrass, part of Montgomery and all of Elmore and Autauga Counties.
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interesting how that release doesn’t note that some folks were flat out fired…instead there have been “new additions”
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 7:10 am
Doesn’t matter now. Beason is a warrior. Batten down the hatches.
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 7:38 am
This war between the hubbard-riley camp and the beason-smith camp is crazy. since when did hubbard or riley endorse anyone in this race? this run off tactic is nuts.
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 9:17 am
I’m new in politics, but it would seem that aligning yourself against the party chairman and a governor with nearly 70% statewide approval wouldn’t be the smartest idea in trying to win a primary. All it would take would be one headline or article discussing how Smith and her new leash handler were opposed to the governor and she would get trounced in the election.
Comment by onlyinalabama — June 11, 2008 @ 9:32 am
Riley openly endorsed Randy McKinney against Trip Pittman and that didnt work out too well…even though he was popular
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 9:34 am
If you don’t think Hubbard andRiley have endorsed Love, you aren’t paying attention.
There is no harm at all to Beason in recognizing the truth - that Mike Hubbard is actively involving himself in this primary and always has.
Mike Hubbrad isn’t going to help Harri Anne. Why not tell the truth? Besides, Jay Love is the liar candidate in this race . . . .Love has cornered the market on untruth as a campaign strategy.
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 10:03 am
get real post 6.
and i have yet to see an edorsement from riley or hubbard in this race. if they have - please show it.
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 10:33 am
You notice how so much attention is paid to who is consulting these Republican candidates, but none to who is running Bobby Bright’s campaign?
Bad sign for the Repubs - its about the candidate, not the man behind the curtain.
Comment by Bright will win — June 11, 2008 @ 10:44 am
The reason you haven’t seen an endorsement is because it is political cyanide when you get it. Riley is very popular but he has no coat tails. Everyone he supports gets beat cause people don’t want to support the Riley machine.
As other people said, ask McKinney how much that Riley endorsement helped him. Randy was a 20 point favorite in Baldwin County. A county that loves Riley by the way. And he did nothing but fall after Riley came down to Baldwin County and started telling people how to vote. People don’t want to feel like their governor is more King that public servant.
Comment by Tobie — June 11, 2008 @ 10:51 am
#8 unfortunately that is not true. Consultants create who the candidate is.
Comment by Tobie — June 11, 2008 @ 10:52 am
You are wrong Tobie - the candidate has the ultimate control over their own image - if HAS or Jay didn’t think that their goofy, over the top pandering ads wouldn’t work, they wouldn’t have aired them.
Comment by Bright will win — June 11, 2008 @ 10:55 am
Have Bright and Pelosi had dinner together yet? Or is he waiting on her check first? Amazing how he wants us to think he is a conservative.
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 11:53 am
Tobie, the people of Baldwin County don’t have much love for Riley, especially over the annual property appraisals. It was that and Alfa’s support of McKinney (with insurance companies dropping Baldwin policy holders after the hurricanes) that did him in.
Republican voters aren’t dumb. They can see a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Unless that wolf goes far right and parades to be more Christian than all the rest as Jay Love has done. That always gets you votes in a GOP-leaning district. He’s simply outflanked Harri Anne to the right.
Comment by Truthsleuth — June 11, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
Jay Love is a pseudo-conservative.
Comment by RunningBear — June 11, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
What happened to the Republican voters and their discernment when they voted Jay Love in this runoff .. Just curious …
Comment by Anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
# 13 What happened to the discernment of the Republican voters when they voted Jay Love in the runoff? Just curious …
Comment by anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
80% of voters said NO to Smith
Comment by anonymous — June 11, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
I think some clarifying definitions are in order here:
Clean Campaign 1 - The campaign you claim to be running.
Dirty Campaign 1 - The campaign you are actually running.
Dirty Campaign 2 - The campaign you accuse you opponent of running, even if you are opposed by Mother Teresa.
Clean Campaign 2 - The campaign you credit your defeated primary opponent with running when you need his/her supporters for the general.
No matter who we are supporting, most of us are rather transparent.
Comment by Onelife — June 11, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
Good call Onelife.
Comment by Earning their money — June 11, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
Jay Love ran a dirty campaign in the primary. Lying is always dirty.
Comment by Anonymous — June 12, 2008 @ 7:34 am
Name on thing Love did in the Congressional primary that was dirty. You can’t - so don’t throw out random accusations.
Comment by Anonymous — June 12, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
I believe Anon #20 did, they said “Lying is always dirty”. I’ve heard of selective hearing, but selective reading a new one.
Comment by Earning their money — June 12, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
Love didn’t lie. This gets so old.
Comment by Anonymous — June 12, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
remember though 23, these folks believe that if you say it a certain number of times, it automatically becomes the truth. by my count, jay’s detractors have 10 more comments left and he will officially be a liar, no matter what history or fact says.
Comment by Anonymous — June 12, 2008 @ 5:37 pm
I’m a tax cutter (I voted for amendment 1…biggest tax hike in state history) I believe that is a lie.
Comment by Earning their money — June 12, 2008 @ 8:37 pm
Voting for the Amend 1 package in the legislature was allowing the package to be put together and then for the citizens of alabama to vote it up or down. nothing wrong with putting a package together for the public to vote on folks.
Comment by Anonymous — June 13, 2008 @ 7:16 am
9 more times
Comment by Anonymous — June 13, 2008 @ 8:23 am
exactly - if they lie about it enough - they think folks will believe it. amend 1 is so old - think of something new kids….
Comment by Anonymous — June 13, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
[…] A lot of tongues are wagging this week about the changes in Sen. Harri Anne Smith’s campaign team as she competes in the runoff for the GOP nomination for the AL-02 seat. […]
Pingback by Behind the Scenes: The Smith Campaign Personnel Change » Doc’s Political Parlor — June 13, 2008 @ 2:09 pm
Everything that Jay has done in the past that is a negative is considered “Old” and the comment is to think of something new. When he adds to his list of negatives, we will find something new to bring up. With the legislature not in session he cannot raise taxes so we are stuck with his previous record.
Comment by Earning their money — June 13, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Jay is not a tax raiser. Earn your money someone else man…
Comment by Anonymous — June 13, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
You know what you are right, Jay doesn’t want to raise our taxes. The only reason he is such a “tax cutter” is because pushing for the biggest tax INCREASE in our state history blew up in his face. I believe if you look below the surface you will see that Jay Love is only for cutting taxes when he gets a picture in the paper.
Comment by Earning their money — June 15, 2008 @ 12:37 pm