It’s been quite the week in Alabama politics. The primary election left us with some very clear winners and losers and even a few head scratchers. Here’s my take on some of what happened:
Winners: Kay Ivey and her campaign team
This one’s a no brainer. With favorable ratings that made her look untouchable Gov. Kay Ivey‘s campaign team managed to do exactly what they needed to in order to escape a run-off election; duck and cover. Ivey and her team played it safe by not debating the other candidates or jumping into the muck and it payed off. Tommy Battle was a formidable opponent but the strategy of making the general the only race that mattered worked for Ivey and her team. Add to that the retail politicking she did with base republican’s and all she has to do is turn them all back out for her in Nov. to secure a victory.
Losers: Sue Bell Cobb
Many would have thought Cobb could have at least run the Democratic primary into a runoff, but her bizarro-world defense of a rapist and subsequent stumbling statements failed both her and her campaign. Scott Maddox ran a high energy, well organized campaign but Cobb was responsible for her own undoing.
Jokers: Jim Bonner voters
I don’t want to call them “losers,” so we’ll go with “jokers,” because the people who voted for Jim Bonner after the hot mess he found himself in had to have been joking? The question their votes leaves me with, are people really not paying attention to the point of not knowing what was happening in that race? We need to do better as an electorate.
Winners: *Bonus edition* Alabama today readers
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