Katie Britt tells reporters she is running to preserve American Dream for generations to come
Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Katie Britt was joined by her family when she voted Tuesday morning in Montgomery. Britt was greeted by a large crowd of children and parents showing their enthusiastic support. “Seeing so many children and parents come out to cheer us on this morning reinforced why we’re doing this — to preserve the American Dream for generations to come,” said Katie Britt. “We are blown away by the enthusiasm we’ve seen in every corner of our state. It is clear that Alabamians are ready to send a loud and clear message at the ballot box today, and we are truly grateful for the prayers, encouragement, volunteer work, and support from so many people across Alabama. I will work tirelessly every single day in the U.S. Senate to make Alabama proud. Please remind your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to get out the vote because our future is on the ballot. Together, we’ll save the country we know and love for our children and our children’s children.” Britt is an attorney and former President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama (BCA). She is a former Chief of Staff for Sen. Richard Shelby – whom she is running to replace. Shelby is retiring after 36 years in the U.S. Senate and has endorsed Britt. Britt is married to Wesley Britt, a former University of Alabama and New England Patriots football player. The Britts and their two children live in Montgomery. Britt has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a law degree from the University of Alabama. She is a native of Enterprise in Coffee County. Britt hopes that Republicans come out and vote today both in Alabama and across the country in a red wave so that she enters a Congress controlled by Republicans. Britt has urged voters to “elect Republicans up and down the ballot.” Democratic nominee Will Boyd and Libertarian nominee John Sophocleus are hoping to upset Britt in a race that has not generated a lot of national attention since the Republican primary runoff. Alabama voters will get to vote on races from Congress to Governor to State Auditor to county commissioner today. There are also ten proposed state constitutional amendments on the ballot and a proposed recompiled State Constitution. Polls will be open until 7:00 pm Tuesday night. Voters who are in line by 7:00 pm will be allowed to vote. Remember to vote at your assigned polling place and to bring a valid photo ID to the polls with you. There is no same-day voter registration in Alabama. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Republican Kay Ivey poised for re-election as Alabama governor
After surviving both a health scare and a full slate of Republican challengers in the primary, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is poised to win a second full term Tuesday against Democrat Yolanda Flowers, the first Black woman to win a major party’s gubernatorial nomination in the state, and a third candidate. While Flowers’ candidacy is an interesting historical footnote, it posed little threat to the GOP’s control of all three branches of government in a majority-white, conservative state where voting patterns typically break down by skin color. The only real question may be the size of Ivey’s victory in a race that included Flowers, an educator and political unknown who campaigned heavily on her Christian faith and justice issues, and Libertarian Jimmy Blake, a former Birmingham City Council member. Ivey, who turned 78 in October, avoided a runoff in the spring despite facing eight Republican challengers who forced her to the right. Ivey parroted former President Donald Trump’s lies about election theft and aired a campaign commercial in which she pulled a pistol out of her purse. After the primary, Ivey — who was diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer in 2019 and later said the disease was gone — was faced with questions about her health after she disappeared from public view for almost three weeks during the summer. She later refused to say whether she underwent any medical treatment. While Ivey’s absence made headlines, any doubts or concerns about her health haven’t seemed to have any effect on her chances of victory. In her re-election bid, Ivey has ignored her opponents and instead touted the state’s low unemployment rate and opposition to the policies of Democratic President Joe Biden. She had a campaign bank balance of more than $200,000 at the end of September compared to just $546 for Flowers, records showed. Ivey first became governor in April 2017, when she was elevated from the office of lieutenant governor following the resignation of Robert Bentley, who quit in a plea agreement following a scandal over his relationship with a female staffer. Ivey defeated an experienced, well-known Democratic challenger, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, by 20 percentage points in 2018 to claim her first full term. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama Democrat Party: Chaos has returned
The Alabama Democrat Party has had its share of turmoil in the past several years. Now the most recent event is happening just before this year’s mid-term Election Day. In August, Randy Kelley was elected chair of the Alabama Democratic Party in a victory for longtime powerbroker Joe Reed, who lost a battle over control three years ago. Kelley won with 104 votes out of the 202 cast by members of the state Democratic Executive Committee. Kelley is a former vice-chair of the party but lost the position during the 2019 power struggle when the Democratic National Committee ordered new elections. The change of power is not going as smoothly as planned. Randy Kelly sent out a letter expressing frustration with Vice-Chair Tabitha Isner and her refusal to recognize the results of the election. Isner has been public about her disapproval of the way Kelley is working, or not working. This follows the return of what many call the “old guard” of the party. This ongoing struggle has split the party’s executive committee into two factions. On one side is a reform group whose actions have been approved by the Democratic National Committee. On the other side are members aligned with the former chair, the late Nancy Worley and Joe Reed. Reed loyalists claimed victory winning control of the party with Kelley. Chaos has ensued. Scott Buttram wrote on Twitter, “Just when you thought the Alabama Democrats couldn’t possibly be any more dysfunctional, they rise to the occasion. Watching the @aldemocrats operate is like watching a dead body stab itself.” Even progressive AL.com columnist Kyle Whitmire wrote a column mocking the sad state of affairs. Whitmire wrote, “This is a column about the Alabama Democratic Party not holding Republicans accountable. Nor doing much of anything else. Zilch. Diddly squat.” It is worth noting, that the Alabama Democrat Party, in the 32 days since that story was published, has managed to update its website. We will follow the internal conflict of the party.
Katie Britt eyes Senate win in Alabama, faces Will Boyd, John Sophocleus
Republican Katie Britt is looking to become the first woman elected to the U.S Senate from Alabama as she seeks to capture the seat opened by the retirement of GOP Sen. Richard Shelby. Britt faces Democratic nominee Will Boyd and Libertarian John Sophocleus in Tuesday’s race for the rare open Senate seat in Alabama. Shelby, 88, is retiring after serving six terms in the U.S. Senate. Britt is Shelby’s former chief of staff and the former leader of the Business Council of Alabama, a business lobby. If elected, Britt will become the first woman to win election to the U.S. Senate from Alabama and will be the first Republican woman to hold one of the state’s Senate seats. The state’s previous female senators, both Democrats, had been appointed. Britt, who won the GOP nomination after a hard-fought primary, has raised more than $10 million in the course of her Senate campaign. Boyd has raised $105,000, and Sophocleus did not raise enough funds to require filing a campaign finance report. Boyd is the presiding bishop of Zion Ministries and pastor of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church —a 162-year-old church in Florence, Alabama. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor four years ago but lost to Republican Will Ainsworth. Boyd captured about 38% of the statewide vote in the 2018 lieutenant governor’s race. Boyd also ran for the Senate in 2017 but lost the Democratic primary to Doug Jones, who went on to become the first Alabama Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in a quarter of a century. Jones was the last Democrat to win statewide office in Alabama but lost his reelection bid in 2020 to Republican Tommy Tuberville. Sophocleus is a former economics instructor at Auburn University. The Libertarian candidate’s platform includes the abolishment of federal gun laws and expanded use of initiative and referendum. Libertarians are back on the ballot in Alabama after a 20-year-absence. Party leaders secured the needed signatures to get their candidates on the ballot for the first time since 2002. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Poll: Four out of five Alabama voters support medical cannabis
As applications for licenses are sent out, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Association released poll numbers today showing four in five Alabama voters strongly support medical cannabis. “These numbers are a little better than even we expected,” AMCA Executive Director Patrick Lindsey said. “It shows both the need for the product, and that this process is establishing an industry that is here to stay.” 79% of respondents favor legal medical cannabis while only 9% are against it. Those in favor include 69% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats, and 75% of Independents, as well as strong majorities across all demographics. Gov. Kay Ivey signed medical marijuana legislation in May 2021. The program will allow people with one of 16 qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, a terminal illness, and depression, to purchase medical marijuana with the recommendation of a doctor. “We rarely see this type of support for a product or service that is not currently allowed in the state,” David Mowery, Chairman of Mowery Consulting Group said. “These are the types of numbers any politician would be happy to use as a vehicle for signature legislation. Anyone wishing to revert the laws on this issue is going to have a tough row to hoe when it comes to the next election.” In September, the AMCC opened an online portal that allowed Alabamians to download application forms to apply to participate in the Alabama medical marijuana industry. There were 607 sets of application forms requested and downloaded since the portal opened on September 1. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Association, in partnership with Mowery Consulting Group and co/efficient, surveyed 800 likely general election voters October 13-16, 2022. With a margin of error of 3.5%, we are confident in our assessment that public opinion in Alabama is in favor of legal, regulated medical cannabis being available to all who need access. Senate Bill 46 created the AMCC and empowered the Commission to set up and regulate the new industry.
Wal-Mart agrees to pay state $44 million opioid settlement
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Monday a $44 million statewide agreement with Walmart to fund opioid abatement in Alabama’s cities and counties. This is the fifth settlement negotiated by the Attorney General to address the opioid crisis in Alabama and comes with the promptest payout for local governments. “Many of Alabama’s cities and counties have been pummeled by an epidemic that began with prescription opioids and has intensified to illicit opioids like heroin and fentanyl,” Marshall said. “In fact, this year, fentanyl and other opioids were recorded as the number one greatest drug threat in the State of Alabama. The agreement we have reached with Walmart will accelerate another funding stream to our locals, providing immediate aid to their fight against addiction and overdose.” According to the terms of the agreement, Walmart will pay $35.7 million dollars to Alabama’s local governments for the purpose of opioid abatement, while three million dollars will be dedicated to improving the connectivity and integration of Alabama’s local court systems. “I am especially pleased that Walmart has agreed to fund technological improvements for our local courts,” said Marshall. “Our district and circuit courts have borne a great share of the burden of navigating this epidemic. After conversations with judges in some of the hardest-hit areas of our state, I was determined to recover funding for this effort. Fortunately, Walmart recognized the lasting value of what we are trying to build.” The total value of the agreement is $44.2 million, less $5.5 million for attorneys’ fees. The State of Alabama was not a plaintiff in the case against Walmart. Instead, the Attorney General negotiated the statewide deal on behalf of local entities, many of which had sued Walmart as Walmart pharmacies filled many of the opioid prescriptions that were prescribed to Alabamians by unscrupulous physicians. Many Alabamians who are addicted to these pain pills have since gone to the black market to feed their addictions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over 107,622 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021. 71,238 of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl which is being smuggled in mass across the lawless southern border. To date, Attorney General Marshall has sued seven opioid-related defendants and has finalized settlements valued at more than $300 million for the state and its local governments to combat the scourge of opioids across Alabama. Last week Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens agreed to pay $13.8 billion for their role nationally in the opioid crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and left many more struggling with dependency issues. Marshall was a longtime district attorney in Marshall County. He was appointed AG by then-Gov. Robert Bentley in 2017 and elected to his own term as AG in 2018. He is running for a second term on Tuesday, where he faces Democratic nominee Tarrant Police Chief Wendell Major. The polls will open at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Amendment 10 would incorporate any passed amendments in the new recompiled constitution
The Alabama Legislature is asking voters to ratify their recompiled version of the Alabama Constitution of 1901. In addition to the new version of the constitution, the Legislature is asking voters to approve ten amendments to the 1901 constitution – already the longest in the world. Amendment 10 simply adds any of the nine other amendments that pass as well as the amendments from the May 24 primary to the new recompiled constitution if voters ratify both. Alabama Amendment 10, the Incorporate Voter-Approved Amendments in New State Constitution Measure, will be on the ballot as a constitutional amendment on Tuesday. A “yes” vote supports authorizing the Code Commissioner to incorporate voter-approved constitutional amendments at the May 24 and November 8 elections into the new state constitution if the ratification question is also approved. A “no” vote is a vote against authorizing the Code Commissioner to include the voter-approved constitutional amendments at the May 24 and November 8 elections into the new state constitution. If Amendment 10 passes, but voters reject the Legislature’s recompiled constitution, amendment 10 becomes largely redundant. The amendment also provides that any court decision relating to any provision of the Alabama Constitution of 1901 will remain valid, and any case annotations will be noted with the relevant provision in the proposed new recompiled version of the state constitution; Amendment ten will appear on the ballot as: “Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize the Code Commissioner, contingent upon the ratification of an official Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to renumber and place constitutional amendments ratified before or on the same day as the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, based on a logical sequence and the particular subject or topic of the amendment, and to provide for the transfer of existing annotations to any section of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to the section as it is numbered or renumbered in the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.” (Proposed by Act 2022-177) In addition to the ten amendments and the proposed recompiled constitution, voters will elect their governor, U.S. Senator, congress, state legislators, school board members, attorney general, judges, district attorneys, public service commissioners, the ag commissioner, the auditor, the treasurer, and other state and local officials. Republicans are hoping to retain their supermajorities in the Alabama Legislature and take control of the U.S. Congress. Here in Alabama, the Republicans hold all of the elected statewide offices, all the appellate court seats, and a majority of the state school board. Republicans are defending their status as the majority party, while Democrats and Libertarians are seeking to increase their position. This is the first year since 2002 that the Alabama Libertarian Party has had ballot access. Polls will open at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls. If you do not have a photo ID, you can obtain one from your local board of registrars or by contacting the Secretary of State’s office. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Republicans are hoping for another sweep in 2022 election
On Tuesday, Alabama voters are going to the polls to elect new leaders for the state. The Alabama Republican Party is hoping to see history repeat itself again in this election, and they will maintain their dominant position in Alabama politics. “Just a reminder that if you are tired of sky-high gas prices, out-of-control inflation, and rising crime, you have a choice. Vote Republican tomorrow on Election Day,” the Alabama Republican Party wrote on Facebook Monday. Alabama Republicans hope that this election follows the script of recent Alabama elections. In 2010, the Alabama Republican Party won every statewide office on the ballot. U.S. Senator Richard Shelby was easily re-elected to another term. Republican nominee for Governor, State Rep. Robert Bentley, defeated his Democratic opponent Ag Commissioner Ron Sparks. Then Treasurer Kay Ivey defeated incumbent Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom in a race that even most Republicans at the time thought was a long shot. The people of Alabama, however, had grown tired of Alabama Education Association-dominated Democrats and found President Barack Obama’s policies too liberal for Alabama. National voters agreed, and 2010 was a massive “red wave” election that gave Republicans control of both Houses of Congress. In Alabama, Republicans won supermajorities in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature after 135 years of Democratic domination of the state legislature. In 2014 Bentley, Ivey, and the rest of the Alabama GOP were back. Bentley faced former Congressman Parker Griffith, and Ivey faced former State Rep. James Fields. Democrats viewed the 2014 election as so hopeless that they did not even find a candidate to run against popular U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions. The Alabama voters once again rewarded Republicans with every statewide office on the ballot, and they grew their supermajorities in both Houses of the Legislature. In 2018, Bentley was gone, and Ivey had been elevated to Governor. Shelby was reelected to a sixth term in 2016. Democrats, however, were optimistic because their nominee for U.S. Senate, Doug Jones, had just defeated the Republican nominee, former Chief Justice Roy Moore in a special election. It had been the first win for an Alabama Democrat in a statewide race since 2008. Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, who had masterminded the Republican campaigns in 2010 and 2014, had been convicted of corruption in 2016 (he is still in prison to this day). None of that mattered. Ivey easily bested her Democratic opponent, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox. In the Lieutenant Governor’s race, State Rep. Will Ainsworth defeated his Democratic opponent, Florence Pastor Dr. Will Boyd. The Republicans also grew their supermajorities in the state legislature. Former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville beat Sen. Jones in a landslide in 2020, so once again, there is no statewide Democratic officeholder in Alabama. On Tuesday, Ivey is seeking her second full term as governor. This time she faces political newcomer Yolanda Flowers and a Libertarian – Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake. Ainsworth faces Libertarian Ruth Page Nelson. Democrats failed to run a Lt. Gov. candidate. Shelby is retiring after 36 years in the Senate and 52 total years in office. His former Chief of Staff, Katie Britt, is the Republican nominee for Senate. She faces Boyd and Libertarian John Sophocleus. This is the first election since 2002 where there are Libertarians on the Alabama ballot. There are a lot of parallels between the 2022 election and the 2010 election. Once again, Democrats control both Houses of Congress and an unpopular Democratic Presidential incumbent, former Obama VP Joe Biden, is in the second year of his presidency. Many political analysts are predicting that Tuesday will be a second “red wave” election, like 2010, that will sweep Democrats out of office and give Republicans control of both Houses of Congress again. Alabama Republicans are hoping this is true of Alabama as well, and the GOP will retain its almost total mastery of Alabama politics. That is for the voters of Alabama to decide. Polls will open at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 am. Voters need to bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls. Various forms of photo ID are acceptable. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Committee grants contract for inmate rehabilitation services
An outside firm will assist Alabama’s Pardons and Paroles Board with inmate rehabilitation services, following a legislative committee’s recent stamp of approval. The Alabama Contract Review Committee approved the board’s request on November 3, to allocate $5.18 million toward a two-year contract with GEO Reentry Services, a Boca Raton, Fla.-based service provider. GEO’s services specifically pertain to the Pardons and Paroles Board’s state-run PREP Center in Uniontown, Perry County. According to state documents, GEO will provide “intensive rehabilitation services” to include: psychological and medical services for male parolees, probationers, and mandatory releases under the oversight of the Pardons and Paroles Board. Claudia Smith, who serves as General Counsel for the Pardons and Paroles Board, said the overarching goal of the contract is to use the most effective services and expertise available to work with incarcerated men and help them reenter society. The contracted firm will work with male inmates, who have been deemed medium or high risk, based on state assessments. The state’s contract with GEO is set to take effect on November 10, one week following the committee meeting, which raised questions during deliberations from state House and Senate members serving on the committee. Smith said the immediate contract reflects a planned November 28 rollout of the organization’s services. “If we have this contract in place, we’ll be in good shape,” Smith told the committee. The state’s contract with GEO runs through November 9, 2024, according to state documents. A rationale for the expense in the committee packet outlined, why the Pardons and Paroles Board opted to contract outside state government for the service, rather than fulfill the responsibilities in-house. “The services are essential components for the PREP program,” the statement reads. “Merit employees would be cost prohibitive and problematic for program initiation. GEO Reentry Services will provide a full staff of licensed medical professionals to cover all health needs.” The Uniontown PREP Center opened in April. Gov. Kay Ivey attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and gave the keynote address. “The PREP Center will be an important tool in ensuring safe communities as we help lead folks during the transition from serving time in our corrections system, to becoming productive citizens,” Ivey said at the spring event. “This location is the first of its kind for Alabama.” The Pardons and Paroles Board’s PREP Center program gives the inmates a complete sanction from those offered through the Alabama Department of Correction’s general population. A number of state agencies have also been a part of the alternative program, including the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Ingram State Technical College. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Flu forces Marshall County schools to go virtual for a week
An Alabama school district is switching to virtual classes for the next week because of rising flu cases among students and teachers. Marshall County school officials have put in-person classes on hold and asked students to log in for remote learning Monday through Thursday. The school district said in a statement that so many people are getting sick with the flu that schools are short on staff and unable to operate. Marshall County schools will also be closed Friday for the Veterans Day holiday. Alabama has been seeing high levels of influenza, al.com reported. During the last week of October, more than 100 flu outbreaks were reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
