House Breaking the Republicans’ Way

Blue Donkey and Red Elephant

It almost feels like we’ve seen this movie before. Alabama Republicans poised to take the legislature! Coming to a theater near you…. Fall 1998!…. Make that 2006! This time for real… 2010!

Of course Republicans have talked up their chances in each of the past several cycles… as well they should have. But [...]

Remembering Lea Fite

Lea Fite

Alabama politics is increasingly reflective of what we’ve seen at the national level for decades. While politics used to be dominated by the charismatic and the colorful, such local color has been bred out of politics as the television and internet age seems to favor the cautious and bland over the brash and bold. [...]

An Unnecessarily Early Look at SD 22

Alabama Senate Map 2001

The Alabama political world has taken a brief and uncharacteristic moment of silence to remember the late Pat Lindsey. Many of the state’s leading figures gathered in Butler, Alabama yesterday to pay their respects to the legislative institution from Choctaw County. But the pace of politics never tarries long, and Pat Lindsey appreciated [...]

Considering the Court of Criminal Appeals

Clockwise from top left - Jim Main, Chris Mixon, Leura Canary, Alice Martin

The 2008 election cycle saw more action than recent presidential election years, including three legitimately competitive congressional elections for the first time in a decade, as well as razor close margins in the Supreme Court and PSC races. Most of the political activity in 2009 will consist of posturing with an eye toward the [...]

Today’s Election Predictions

Update: The section below on the races for the Courts of Criminal Appeals has been edited.

Let’s take a quick look at some of today’s races…

AL-02

Republican

This has been the most competitive and expensive race of the primary cycle with four of the Republican candidates spending several hundred thousand dollars, each digging in their own pocket for [...]

The Candid Consultant

Parker Griffith announces his candidacy for AL-05

Huntsville political consultant and Parker Griffith guru, Joey Ceci, was recently quoted in an interesting Rollcall article about a potential Artur Davis run for governor (more on that later):

In a 2010 gubernatorial race, Davis could face popular Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. in the Democratic primary. Folsom stepped in as governor in 1993 following the [...]

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Jay Love

The conventional wisdom on the Republican side of the 2nd Congressional Race is that there are too many viable candidates for anyone to receive a majority of the vote in the June 3rd primary. So with two tickets out of the primary, it’s pretty clear that the regional split between the Wiregrass and Montgomery [...]

Looks at Books

Elom book cover

Two Alabama Political Blasts from the Pasts have released new books. While both pols were once at the top of the state’s political heap, the books could not be more different.

The more traditional release is a biography of former Alabama Governor John Patterson. The book Nobody But the People is actually written [...]

Rogers’ Rank Disappointment

The recent independent rankings of congressional influence had to be unsettling for Mike Rogers (R – Saks).

Rogers not only has the least influence of any Alabama Republican, but of the 46 House members elected in 2002, Rogers comes in 44th. Rogers would be next to last if one his fellow Republicans (Rick [...]

Early Look at AL-05 Field

Alabama

In politics, genuine surprises are rare. But last week we saw a real one as Rep. Bud Cramer (D – Huntsville) announced he would not be running for re-election. Insiders and outsiders alike were stunned by the nine-term incumbent’s announcement. Usually smooth, calculating pols were sent back on their heels, trying to [...]

Winners & Losers in Alabama Primary

Seal of Alabama

Winners

  1. U.S. Rep. Artur Davis – he endorsed the right guy, deserves some credit for the Obama win, and bested Joe Reed and much of the AL Dem establishment (both white and black) who supported Hillary. This primary is not a perfect proxy for a Folsom / Davis gubernatorial primary, but it’s the closest we’ve [...]

Reviewing Alabama Cort Case

A flying pig

What is the over/under on GOP candidate Hugh Cort today? .99%?

Update: See a TV commercial for him on YouTube.

Related Articles:

The Most Important Legislative Special Election in the History of Alabama

HD 12

The broadest and most striking storyline about tomorrow’s special election between James Fields (D) and Wayne Willingham (R) is whether or not a black man can win an election in an almost entirely white district.  While this is the most obvious element to the race for some, it is not the most interesting or immediately [...]

Why Alabama Republicans Should Vote for McCain

GOP Logo

Danny was nice enough to give me some space yesterday to make my strategic argument for why Barack Obama is the smart choice for Alabama Democrats. My argument was based on the premise that Democrats need to do something to change the rules of a game they’ve been losing a lot more often [...]

Why Alabama Democrats Should Vote for Obama

Democratic Party logo

Note from Doc: Always glad to hear from Chauncey Sparks when he can stop by. Watch for an upcoming companion piece looking at the GOP side.

Most of the Alabama Democratic power structure have aligned behind Hillary Clinton. Jim Folsom, Ron Sparks, Susan Parker, Joe Turnham, Joe Reed, Patricia Todd, and many of the [...]

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Legislative Dispatch

Change

I wish my friend Hinton Mitchem godspeed and good luck after his retirement from public service. Hinton, on Monday, announced what many had suspected — he will not seek re-election. I remember meeting Hinton for the first time while I was a student at Auburn University. He served the people of his [...]

Ten Minutes in the House, Senate Moves On

Riley and her friend Caroline joined Julie on the campaign trail in Isabella this past weekend.

Here is a quick preview of the upcoming week in Montgomery. This week will be a standard legislative schedule for the House. We will be in session on Tuesday and Thursday with committee meetings scheduled for Wednesday.
The House will take up a ten minute calendar this week. A ten minute calendar is [...]

Purple Dot Connection

HAPPY FEBRUARY

Under the “B” … June 1 

                 I’ve tried to follow BINGO rules and BINGO raids.  I’m not sure I understand the law, nor do I get the motives of many of the principal players.  I bet many of you know a heck of a lot more about this than I.  But one thing I am [...]


Back in the Day...

Noble Street at Night, Anniston, 1944

Vintage postcard