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| Sen. Hinton Mitchem hands in his resignation as Senate President pro tem in February, 2009 |
State Sen. Hinton Mitchem (D – Union Grove) has talked to Marshall County GOP Chair Jean Brewer about switching parties, Ms. Brewer confirmed to the Parlor today. “It’s not official [that he will switch],” she said.
The eight-term Senator was elected Senate President pro tempore at the start of the quadrennium in a deal brokered to keep the minority Republicans from organizing a majority caucus with so-called dissident Democrats. Two years later in February of this year, as a part of the deal, he stepped down as Senate President pro tem in favor of Rodger Smitherman (D – Birmingham).
Tomorrow night the Marshall County GOP is hosting a fundraiser for local candidates. We heard a rumor in the Parlor that Mitchem might attend that event. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Ms. Brewer said, but added, “I wouldn’t be too surprised if he showed up.” Governor Riley will be in attendance.
Marshall County has been turning strongly toward the GOP, having several elected officials at the local level switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in recent years. John Pudner, the Director of External Affairs for the Alabama Farmers Federation, has characterized the Senate district as the most Republican-leaning state Senate district held by a Democrat. Mitchem’s seat was one of seven Senate seats targeted in an internal GOP document, Alabama State Victory Plan – 2010.
Will he actually switch? Conflicting rumors abound. Some have indicated he will retire, others that he will switch parties, and still others that he will run again as a Democrat. He may not know himself. But at the least we know that he has talked to a county Republican official about the possibility of switching.
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Noooooooo!!! Not another Jimmy Holley!!!
Holley I can understand, but I don’t see how the GOP accepts this guy into the fold. Plus, I think they would lose a bit of credibility in their claim that this Legislature is full of corruption, etc.
2010 is looking like a train wreck for the Alabama Democratic Party.
Its about time he switched. If everyone was not always gossiping about this, he probably would have done this years ago.
he may actually switch. but folks like bobby bright will not – they just like to play the game and want voters to think they are “basically a Republican” and not part of the democrat run US Congress. But good for Mitchem – at least he is legit and sincere about his desire to party switch.
I thought ALFA was one of Mitchem’s big backers.
2010, you used a small d…are you suggesting you like the way things go in the democrat-run United States Congress? That’s great. What changed your mind over the weekend?
You should have said Democratically-controlled US Congress so people wouldn’t be confused. I guess that’s the hazard of using the Rush Limbaugh/Philip Bryan/Mike Hubbard/Twinkle Cavanaugh Democrat minus -ic way of talking about the Democratic Party.
Prediction: If Mitchem switches he gets beat by a Madison County based Republican in the primary.
This doesnt look good for Hubbert and Turnham. But the GOP is going to have to get these dems to follow through on their flirtation otherwise they will be the ones in the end with egg on their face. Btw it won’t happen but on the other hand you never can tell about pols. But wouldnt you love to see the reaction of the GOP leaders and activists if Lowell or Bedford told them they wanted to switch to the GOP as well.
The GOP won’t accept him.
All this “buzz” merely shows that the GOP leaked the “strategy memo” for the purpose of pressuring certain Dems to switch parties. They know they can’t win the seats to take control unless a number of Dems switch over. Notice, this is the GOP talking about these switches (see Ms. Brewer, above), and few of them sound confident about the switches. For example, Ms. Brewer’s response to the question of whether Sen. Mitchem would come to a County GOP fundraiser was the conspicuous “Oh, I wouldn’t know about that.” She should know about that, because she is organizing the event.
Many of these “targets” are on that list only to push the switch. See Steve Hurst. Mitchem won by 53%, but he is well known and well liked. People forget just how local these elections are. Remember, Obama may have lost his shirt in North Alabama, but people sent their Legislator to Washington. If the ALGOP isn counting on these solicited turncoats to gain control in the next quadrennium, they may be sorely disappointed in November 2010.
No one remembers Benedict Arnold for coming back into the fold late in the Revolution in some Battles in New York…they just remember him for being a Turncoat. Hmmmm….
Sen. Phil Poole (D – Moundville) switched his vote in the organizing session at the 11th hour (along with Rodger Smitherman, D – Birmingham) to give the Democratic caucus another Senate majority. Part of his payback was going to be $1 million in road projects for Tuscaloosa County. On the last day of the session, Republican Governor Riley dusted off the rarely used line-item veto and struck the earmark. (The $1 million remained in ADECA’s budget.)
After the veto was upheld in the House, Sen. Poole had his own payback by effectively killing in the Senate any bill by any House member who voted with the Governor.
Ugly politics all around.
Two Birmingham News editorials (”Riley’s remarkable roundhouse” and “Poole’s pound of flesh“) tell the story more fully.
The line-item veto is not “rarely used,” it’s just rare for either the House or Senate not to override it. Alabama governors have the weakest veto power in the country. All it takes is a simple majority in either chamber to override, and, obviously, if a bill has reached his desk in the first place, it has the support of at least a simple majority in each chamber.
Also, how can you say “ugly politics all around” about the Governor and Republicans saving $1 million of taxpayer money from being spent so obviously on political payback pork? I’d say that was one of the GOP’s best days ever.
Aren’t there any decent citizens in the Great State of Alabama that can run for state office. These folks that continually inhabit these seats are completely worthless and lack any integrity.
My idea is whomever switches parties, do so because they are lacking support from their prior party. You would think that the parties would support all of their candidates that pay these enomous fees to run.
The Republicans would be better off without him and more importantly Alabama would be better off with him out of politics.
Dorman Grace – who is running as a Repub for Ag Commissioner – is a Siegelman appointee to the Suirface Mining Commission. Riley actually tried to get his appointment thrown out. So RINOS are all over.
I guess Debbie Murphree that you are saying Ronald Reagan was not worthy to be Republican as he switched parties. I think it depends on the person and the timing.