Here’s Alabama’s 50 delegates at the Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention kicked off Monday in Cleveland, and 36 of Alabama’s delegates are bound to support Donald Trump as the presidential nominee on a first ballot. The delegates — 50 total from the Yellowhammer State — are a mix of party officials and elected officials as well as rank-and-file Republicans. The Republican National Convention runs July 18-21 and Trump is slated to be named the Republican nominee. In the wake of police violence across the nation, Alabama’s delegation will wear blue ribbons in support of law enforcement. Many delegates, as well as attendees from across the state, are hopeful Trump will address national unity in his Thursday night acceptance speech. Among those attending is Alabama Today Publisher and Vice President of the 60 Plus Foundation, Apryl Marie Fogel. “I believe the only message that’s going to resonate across the board for all Americans regardless of party is one of unity,” Fogel said to AL.com. “We have to face the troubles we come across as a nation together … be it the safety of law enforcement or Black Lives Matter protesters and supporters. Americans have to tackle these tough conventions together in a way that doesn’t alienate one another.” While not centerstage, Alabama’s delegates have a prime seating spot at the Convention, situated front and center directly to the left of the convention stage with an unobstructed view of the stage. Here’s the full list of Alabama’s Convention delegates: Trump At Large Place 1 Delegate: Jim Bonner Alternate Delegate: Terry L. Butts Place 2 Delegate: Jim Carns Alternate Delegate: J.T. “Jabo” Waggoner Place 3 Delegate: Judy Carns Alternate Delegate: Pat M. Wilson Place 4 Delegate: Ed Henry Alternate Delegate: Jim Wilson Place 5 Delegate: Shaun McCutcheon Alternate Delegate: Deanna K. Frankowski Place 6 Delegate: James Mathews Alternate Delegate: Sallie Bryant Place 7 Delegate: Bob Baccus Alternate Delegate: Will Sellers Place 8 Delegate: Perry O. Hooper Alternate Delegate: Rebecca L. Chambliss Place 9 Delegate: Will Mathews Alternate Delegate: Phyllis Davis Place 10 Delegate: Barry Moore Alternate Delegate: Jonathan O. Barbee Place 11 Delegate: Catherine Crosby Long Alternate Delegate: Trey Garner Place 12 Delegate: James Henderson Alternate Delegate: Britney Garner Place 13 Delegate: Chess Bedsole Alternate Delegate: Grady H. Thornton Place 14 Delegate: Dennis H. Beavers Alternate Delegate: Patsy W. Vines Place 15 Delegate: Bob Clayton Alternate Delegate: Taylor Means Place 16 Delegate: Laura E. Payne Alternate Delegate: Gina Dearborn Place 17 Delegate: W. Brent Woodall Alternate Delegate: Beth Clayton Place 18 Delegate: Frank H. Long, Jr. Alternate Delegate: Tom Davis Place 19 Delegate: Terry Lathan (No alternate delegate position available.) Place 20 Delegate: Paul Reynolds (No alternate delegate position available.) Cruz At Large Place 1 Delegate: Tom Parker Alternate Delegate: Alex Fox Place 2 Delegate: Bonnie Sachs Alternate Delegate: Judy Owens Motlow Place 3 Delegate: David Wilson Alternate Delegate: Joan Reynolds Place 4 Delegate: Tom Ford Alternate Delegate: Cheryl Mathews Place 5 Delegate: Chad Mathis Alternate Delegate: Sue Alexander Place 6 Delegate: Arnold Mooney Alternate Delegate: Cam Ward Place 7 Delegate: Carla S. King Alternate Delegate: Suzelle Josey Place 8 Delegate: David Pinkleton Alternate Delegate: Andrew Sorrell Place 9 Delegate: Vicki Drummond (No alternate delegate position available.) District 1 Trump 3 Place 1 Delegate: Frank Burt, Jr. Alternate Delegate: Jacquelyn “Jackie” Gay Place 2 Delegate: Jeff Sessions Alternate Delegate: Jerry Lathan Place 3 Delegate: Candace Cooksey Alternate Delegate: Stephanie K. Alexander District 2 Trump 2 Place 1 Delegate: Jeana Boggs Alternate Delegate: Alva M. Lambert Place 2 Delegate: Bill Rayborn Alternate Delegate: Lee Sellers Cruz 1 Place 1 Delegate: Mike Holmes Alternate Delegate: Darlene Hutchinson Biehl District 3 Trump 2 Place 1 Delegate: Charles Whatley Alternate Delegate: Tom Whatley Place 2 Delegate: Kathleen Moore Alternate Delegate: Joseph R. Fuller Cruz 1 Place 1 Delegate: Michael McCabe Alternate Delegate: Denise Bates District 4 Trump 3 Place 1 Delegate: Bradley L. Williams Alternate Delegate: J. Holland Place 2 Delegate: Mack N. Butler Alternate Delegate: Caroline Aderholt Place 3 Delegate: Tim Wadsworth Alternate Delegate: District 5 Trump 2 Place 1 Delegate: Jim Peters Alternate Delegate: Tom Fredricks Place 2 Delegate: Shannon Matthew Moore Alternate Delegate: Christopher Drensek Rubio 1 Place 1 Delegate: Dean Brandon Alternate Delegate: Matthew Sorrell District 6 Trump 2 Place 1 Delegate: Joe Freeman Alternate Delegate: Renee Gentle Powers Place 2 Delegate: Jef Freeman Alternate Delegate: Swaid N. Swaid Cruz 1 Place 1 Delegate: Colin Luke Alternate Delegate: Charles Knight District 7 Trump 2 Place 1 Delegate: Teresa I. Beeker Alternate Delegate: Margie George Place 2 Delegate: Chris Beeker III Alternate Delegate: Edmon H. McKinley Cruz 1 Place 1 Delegate: Ann C. Eubank Alternate Delegate: Jamey Clements
Meet the four Republicans running for Mike Hubbard’s legislative seat
Four Republicans are vying for former House Speaker Mike Hubbard‘s legislative seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. Hubbard was immediately removed from office in June when he was found guilty on 12 counts of public corruption. Following the jury’s decision, Gov. Robert Bentley set the timeline for special election, indicating major party candidates had to qualify with their respective parties by Thursday, July 14. Friday, the Alabama Republican Party announced Jay Conner, Joe Lovvorn, Brett Smith and Sandy Toomer all qualified to run for the Lee County District 79 seat. No Democrats choose to run in the special election. Here’s an look at the four candidates who have qualified to run for Hubbard’s vacant seat: Jay Conner Conner has been a leader in the Auburn community for over 30 years, serving in leadership positions such as chairman of the Lee County Board of Equalization, member of the Lee/Russell Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Conner has also served on task force committees with the city of Auburn in the areas of green space, watershed and downtown development. He is a licensed real estate broker and development manager. “I’m running for the Alabama House of Representatives in District 79 because we need true, honest, and genuine representation,” Conner said in a news release. “The people of District 79 should speak for themselves through a representative who will craft legislation and vote in accordance with our residents’ will, not for the benefit of those gaming the system.” Joe Lovvorn A veteran firefighter and businessman, Lovvorn earned both his undergraduate degree and his MBA from Auburn University, and is currently a Realtor and the owner/franchisee of Two Men and a Truck. “I have spent my life working to make our community a better place to live and raise a family,’’ Lovvorn said. “That goal will not change, and I have the experience to make it happen. I’m asking the voters for this opportunity, and I won’t disappoint.’’ Brett Smith A founding partner of Auburn-based Huff Smith Law Firm, Smith is a member of both the Alabama and Florida State Bars. His practice areas include small business, nonprofit and charitable organizations law. “I enter this race today with the specific intent to be an alternative to the tired and bland politician we have all grown so accustomed to in politics,” Smith said in the release. “As the Bible says, we are useless if we are lukewarm, better off discarded if we lose our saltiness.” Sandy Toomer Former Ecuadorian missionary, Toomer is currently the owner of Toomer’s Coffee Roasters in Auburn. Toomer previously challenged Hubbard for the District 79 seat in 2014. “We’ve been given a gift, and a second opportunity earlier than expected to start some change, and I think it needs to start right here in Lee County in District 79,” Toomer said of Hubbard’s removal from office. The primary election will be held Sept. 13. If a primary runoff is needed, it will take place Nov. 29 and the special general election will be Feb. 7, 2017.
Ethics panel wants Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore removed from office
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore should be immediately removed from office for a second time, a state ethics commission argued Friday. The Judicial Inquiry Committee (JIC), an appointed body that oversees the state’s judges, asked the Court of Judiciary to immediately remove Moore for abusing his office by urging the state’s probate judges to defy the federal courts on gay marriage despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affirming same-sex marriage six months prior in Obergefell v. Hodges. Last month, Moore and his legal team filed a motion to request all charges against him be dismissed. Moore argued he was not telling probate judges what to do, but rather responding to questions regarding the status of a case. The JIC dubbed his explanation “semantic gamesmanship.” “Moreover, because he has proven — and promised — that given the opportunity he would ignore our nation’s founding principals and flout the rule of law again, the only sanction that will adequately protect the Alabama judicial system, and the citizens who depend on it for justice, is an order from [the Court of the Judiciary] removing Roy S. Moore from the office of Chief Justice of Alabama,” the JIC said in their Friday afternoon response. The Obergefell decision effectively legalized same-sex marriage across the United States, thus solidifying the unconstitutionality of Alabama’s same-sex marriage ban. “Reduced to its essentials, the Complaint contains six charges alleging that the Chief Justice’s January 6th Order not only constituted flagrant disregard of federal law by directing every subordinate probate judge in Alabama to ignore a federal injunction and clear federal law,” the JIC said. “But also represented an abuse of his administrative authority, and placed his impartiality into question on a matter pending before the Alabama Supreme Court — all of which violate the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics.” In June, the Court of the Judiciary agreed to hear oral arguments from Moore regarding his motion for dismissal. The hearing was set for Aug. 8 by Chief Judge Mike Joiner.
Alabama sheriff’s deputies refused service at Phenix City Taco Bell
Two sheriff’s deputies were allegedly refused service at a Taco Bell in Alabama, simply for being police officers. The deputies were at a Taco Bell Saturday night in Phenix City when a cashier denied the officer’s service because of the uniforms they were wearing. News of the situation surfaced when the wife of a fellow deputy on the same shift, Tammy Bush Mayo, took to Facebook to describe the situation. “This really disturbs me that people have started treating law enforcement professionals in this manner when these same law enforcement professionals put their lives on the line every day to protect all people, including this woman with a very bad attitude at Taco Bell,” Mayo posted. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones confirmed the incident with multiple sources on his staff, finding that a 9:40 p.m. the two LCSO deputies were told by a counter cashier they would not serve law enforcement and that they needed to leave. Jones released a statement, saying: I’m very disappointed that simply because they were uniformed law enforcement officers that our deputies were treated in such negative fashion. We pride ourselves in giving people basic respect and only ask the same in return. I am inclined to believe that this was the attitude of one employee and not the policy of the management. The fair thing is to give them an opportunity to respond. We won’t base our opinion of Taco Bell on one employee’s negative action any more than the general public should base their opinion of law enforcement on the negative action of one officer. Following an investigation, Taco Bell said the employee had been terminated and the restaurant chain issued an apology to the Alabama deputies. “We are deeply appreciative of the men and women who have taken the oath to serve and protect our communities,” the company said in a statement.
For “blue-collar billionaire” Donald Trump, money’s an asset
A handful of vacation homes. A car elevator for his four-car garage. A wife whose hobbies included show horses. When Mitt Romney ran for president four years ago, his estimated $250 million fortune was quickly turned into a liability by Democrats, who painted the former Bain Capital chief as out of touch with Americans still struggling to recover from the Great Recession. Four years later, Donald Trump‘s much-bigger pile of money is a central character of his campaign. And far from seeing it as a liability, the candidate flaunts it. “I’m the most successful person ever to run for president,” the billionaire businessman has bragged, noting that he’s “really rich.” On the stump, he vows to “make our country rich again.” Trump will officially become his party’s nominee at this week’s Republican convention, powered by white, working-class voters drawn to his populist message. The billionaire lives an opulent life on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, worlds away from the day-to-day reality of most supporters. Yet many nonetheless believe he understands their problems in ways other politicians do not. Some dub him the “blue-collar billionaire.” “You might say because he lives in the ivory tower he doesn’t see what people are doing down below. He honestly does,” said Claude Thompson, 59, a Trump supporter who lives in Fresno, Calif. Thompson, who runs a property maintenance business, cited Trump’s employment of people through his companies as proof of his working class connections. “He knows that these people are blue-collar people, they’re middle income. … So he understands America,” he said. The difference between the perception of Trump’s and Romney’s money, Trump supporters say, comes down to attitude. While some felt that Romney tried to downplay his wealth, Trump has embraced it — even mocking, at times, Romney’s smaller net worth. The candidate jets around the country on his private plane, adorned with plush leather seats and gold-plated seatbelts. He sometimes holds rallies in open airplane hangars, landing triumphantly in front of screaming crowds. His campaign has doubled as a tour of his gilded properties, from Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. “Trump’s like, screw it, you know? I’m rich, I don’t care,” said Aspen Trevino of Carrollton, Texas. “He flaunts it. He makes it known.” Trevino, 25, said he views Trump as someone to look up to. “He makes it the America Dream, so people will say, ‘I can do that.’ I want to follow a president that I can look up to.” As the campaign moves toward the general election, Democrats have begun to paint Trump as an out-of-touch billionaire who has trampled the little guy to build his fortune. Among Democrats’ evidence: contractors and vendors who suffered during company bankruptcies when Trump emerged just fine. Whether that reputation will stick remains to be seen. But there’s no question that Trump’s regular Joe habits — including his penchant for fast food — have helped him connect. His campaign has actively worked to cultivate the image, tweeting out photos of him digging into a Big Mac on his plane and publicizing his campaign stays at Holiday Inn Express hotels. Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. has recalled expecting a stuffy ride with “champagne and caviar” ahead of his first ride on Trump’s plane. Instead, Trump treated the group to Wendy’s cheeseburgers and fries. Conservative radio host Howie Carr, another Trump backer, shared a similar story: Trump, he said, ordered lunch for the crew: “McDonald’s all the way. … He travels in an easy chair in front of a large TV screen turned to Fox.” “He’s one of us,” said Diane Priolo, 65, a social worker who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “I don’t care if he’s in a plane with 24 karat gold. He talks like us. He gets us. He’s a guy from Queens who’s not too big for his britches.” Indeed, Trump’s supporters often credit his upbringing in Queens despite the fact that he was raised in a mansion by a millionaire real estate developer father who helped him get started with a $1 million loan. Trump himself credits the summers he spent working on his father’s construction sites for his ability to connect with blue-collar voters. “I know them better than anybody will ever know them,” he said during a recent phone interview. “I grew up on construction sites. … I got to know the construction workers, the sheet rockers and the plumbers and the electrician and all of ’em. I worked with them. They were friends of mine.” “And frankly,” Trump added, “I like them better than the rich people.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Suspected Baton Rouge shooter was former University of Alabama Dean’s list student
The gunman who shot and killed three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers and wounded three others Sunday morning has a tie to Alabama. University of Alabama spokesperson Chris Bryant confirms Gavin Long attended the school in 2012 for one semester. He was named to the school’s Dean’s List that spring. Bryant said the UAPD never had any interactions with Long while he attended the school. Long, a former Marine from Kansas City, Missouri, turned 29 on Sunday, the same day he opened fire on the police officers. He was shot and killed at the scene of the shooting.
Republican Convention: what to watch for on day 1
The Republican National Convention — a four-day event where presidential hopeful Donald Trump is expected to be officially selected as the party’s presidential nominee — kicks off in Cleveland Monday. The convention officially begins at 1 p.m. ET. The RNC’s first-day theme will be “Make America Safe Again,” — a play off of Trump’s campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again” and plays well with Trump’s emphasis on a strong military presence. Monday night’s speeches will emphasize immigration, national defense, and counterterrorism policy and speakers will include survivors of the Benghazi attack and family members of those killed by undocumented immigrants. Trump’s wife, Melania, and Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions are also scheduled to speak. The main session will begin at 8 p.m. The full list of Monday’s speakers: Willie Robertson: chief executive of Duck Commander and Buck Commander, and star of “Duck Dynasty.” Rick Perry: former Governor or Texas Scott Baio: actor and television producer best known for his roles in “Happy Days,” “Joanie Loves Chachi,” and “Charles In Charge.” Pat Smith: mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith Mark Geist: U.S. Marine Corps veteran, served in Benghazi, Libya John Tiegen: U.S. Marine Corps veteran, served in Benghazi Kent Terry and Kelly Terry-Willis: whose brother, a Border Patrol agent, was killed under a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives effort to track AK- 47 style rifles being smuggled across the border Antonio Sabato, Jr.: soap opera actor Mary Ann Mendoza: whose son was killed by an unauthorized immigrant driving drunk Sabine Durden: whose son was killed by an unauthorized immigrant who was driving without a license and without insurance Jamiel Shaw: whose son was killed by an unauthorized immigrant Michael McCaul: Texas Republican Congressman and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman David Clarke: Milwaukee Sheriff Sean Duffy: Wisconsin Republican Congressman and former star of MTV’s “The Real World.” Rachel Campos Duffy: spokeswoman for the Libre Initiative, a Hispanic outreach group funded by energy executives Charles and David Koch. Darryl Glenn: El Paso County Commissioner Tom Cotton: Republican U.S. Senator from Arkansas Karen Vaughn: whose son, a Navy SEAL, was killed in Afghanistan. Jeff Sessions: Republican U.S. Senator from Alabama Rudy Giuliani: Former mayor of New York City Melania Trump: Donald Trump’s wife Michael Flynn: Retired Army Lt. Gen. Joni Ernst: Republican U.S. Senator from Iowa Jason Beardsley: Concerned Veterans for America Ryan Zinke: Republican Congressman from Montana Watch the Convention live below: [Live video provided by the Republican National Convention]
Joe Henderson: With Donald Trump, perhaps the beginning of a movement
When Donald Trump formally announced his intention to run for president, comedians everywhere fell to their knees in praise for the heaven-sent gift of a nonstop laugh track. That was one year, one month and two days ago when no one seriously entertained the notion of Trump heading to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland as the presumptive nominee. But here he is, about to formally accept the GOP nomination. He accomplished this by defying everything anyone thought they knew about big-time politics. At times it seemed he was running for president of his middle-school class instead of the most powerful office in the world. He ran on a platform of insults, bullying and name-calling. He ignored fact-checkers. Bad manners didn’t stop him. Condemnation from some world leaders bounced off his hide like bb’s against a battleship. He could not be shamed. Trump did it without a Super PAC and without the support of most mainline Republican leaders. He wouldn’t even release his income tax records, which raises questions whether he is as “really rich” as he claims to be. The GOP establishment didn’t realize until it was too late that its disgust toward Trump helped propel him. Millions of his supporters don’t give a hoot about any of the traditional things that are supposed to be the bedrock for national campaigns. This is a populist revolution, and its champion is a twice-divorced, often-sued tycoon with four bankruptcies. Many Republican members of Congress will skip the festivities in Cleveland, but his supporters won’t care. Several large corporations have either backed out completely or greatly reduced their commitment to the convention, now that Trump will be the nominee. It forced organizers to plead with billionaire conservative Sheldon Adelson for a $6 million check to cover Cleveland’s expected shortfall for expenses. These conventions are supposed to be heavily scripted celebratory rollouts with an eye toward the White House. Instead, the stage is set for the formal collapse of the Republican Party as we know it. Perhaps we are even seeing a movement that will lead to the creation of a viable third party going forward. If Trump loses in November, it’s hard to see his most fervent supporters willingly returning to a party they no longer believe cares about them. The reverse is true if Trump wins, though. Those who have been the mainstay of the GOP now look with dismay at what has been wrought by the barbarians at the gate. It’s unsure how many would want to be part of that going forward. In an op-ed in The Washington Post, former Florida Governor and failed presidential candidate Jeb Bush wrote, “Call it a tipping point, a time of choosing or testing. Whatever you call it, it is clear that this election will have far-reaching consequences for both the Republican Party and our exceptional country. “While he has no doubt tapped into the anxiety so prevalent in the United States today, I do not believe Donald Trump reflects the principles or inclusive legacy of the Republican Party. And I sincerely hope he doesn’t represent its future.” Trump represents the immediate future; that much is sure. Whether enough Americans buy into his malarkey to make him president is uncertain, but win or lose Trump gave voice to those who see politics as benefiting everyone but them. Whatever happens with Trump in charge, they figure, would have to be an improvement. ___ Joe Henderson has had a 45-year career in newspapers, including the last nearly 42 years at The Tampa Tribune. He has covered a large variety of things, primarily in sports but also hard news. The two intertwined in the decadelong search to bring Major League Baseball to the area. Henderson was also City Hall reporter for two years and covered all sides of the sales tax issue that ultimately led to the construction of Raymond James Stadium. He served as a full-time sports columnist for about 10 years before moving to the metro news columnist for the last 4 ½ years. Henderson has numerous local, state and national writing awards. He has been married to his wife, Elaine, for nearly 35 years and has two grown sons — Ben and Patrick.
