Steve Flowers: Some legislative leaders retire and pass away
Allow me to share the stories of three of my favorite legislative colleagues. Two of these gentlemen are retiring from the Alabama House of Representatives this year, and one passed away in April. Representative Victor Gaston of Mobile and Representative Howard Sanderford of Huntsville are going home. A third legend and true gentleman, Steve McMillan of Baldwin County, passed away during the last session in April. Representative Victor Gaston is Speaker Pro Tem of the House. Victor is retiring after 40 years in the legislature. He decided that at age 79 and having spent half his entire life in the legislature, that the timing was right to end his career and not run for reelection. Gaston, who was an educator by profession and also has family timber interests, lost the love of his life, Jean, only two years ago. They were married for 46 years and were very close. You can tell he misses her immensely. His two sons, Hank and George, have been helpful to him. Victor was first elected to the House in 1982. That year, he was only one of eight Republicans in the 105-member House. His district is an affluent silk-stocking area of Mobile and one of the few areas that voted Republican in local races in that era. He serves as a deacon of the Springhill Baptist Church. Additionally, he is active in Mobile with the Penelope House, Home of Grace for Women, and the Mobile Mental Health Center. Besides serving as Pro Tem in the legislature, he has been active with the American Legislative Exchange Council and is on the State Building Commission. Victor and I came to the House as freshmen together in 1982 and became and remain good friends. I like to give my friends nicknames; I dubbed him, “To the Victor goes the spoils.” He is a formal person and seemed to enjoy the frivolity of the term. Also in our class were Spencer Bachus, Beth Marietta Lyons, and Mo Brooks, to name a few. My friend Howard Sanderford came to the Alabama House of Representatives in January 1989. We became fast friends. He succeeded my friend, Steve Hettinger, who became mayor of Huntsville. Howard has represented the 20th District which is comprised of southeast Huntsville. He was elected to this very Republican district seven times and has served a total of 33 years. He was a true blue business Republican who was perfect for that district. He represented his people well with class and distinction. Howard was an accountant by profession and had a successful career with IBM, retired early, and was able to serve in the legislature with ample time and without the need for remuneration. He is a devoted family man. Howard and his wife, Dot, are very close. She accompanied him to Montgomery most of the time during his 33 years in the legislature. They are active members of the First Baptist Church of Huntsville. At 87, Howard felt like it was time to retire from his second career. Our friend, Representative Steve McMillan of Baldwin County, passed away at 80 in April after a tough bout with cancer. Steve was a great man and a great legislator. He was a quiet yet very friendly gentleman. Steve served with distinction for 43 years in the House of Representatives. He was a very diligent and well-prepared legislator. He was extremely conservative in a dignified way. He was not flamboyant and would seldom go to the well and speak. Yet, when he did, people listened. He was well-respected and knew what he was talking about. He exuded class and epitomized the term gentleman. Steve is survived by his wife, Gayle, two sons, and six grandchildren. The House is losing a lot of experience and leadership with the loss of Steve McMillan, Victor Gaston, and Howard Sanderford. Coupled with the decision by Speaker of the House, Mac McCutcheon, to not seek reelection, this will leave a void in the Speaker and Pro Tem posts in the House. In addition, the House is losing veterans Mike Ball (R-Huntsville), Allen Farley (R-Jefferson), L.L. Brown (R-Jacksonville), and Harry Shiver (R-Baldwin). The state and many of us will miss these folks. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: All politics is no longer local
The legendary Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill, is credited with coining the slogan, “all politics is local.” He quoted it often and lived it. The old Boston machine Democratic politician went home to his Irish neighborhood every week. He knew everyone in his blue-collar district. He knew who was kin to whom. He knew their names, birthdays, parents, grandparents, and children. He did favors, made sure their mail was delivered, lost Social Security checks were found, and even made sure that potholes were fixed and streetlights replaced. He lived the saying, “all politics is local.” He also worked in Washington in an era of bipartisanship. They worked and socialized with each other regardless of party affiliation to get things done. It was well known that Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan were best friends and drinking buddies when Reagan was the Republican President and O’Neill was Speaker. That is why Reagan was so successful as President. He had O’Neill as a friend. It was certainly a different day in Washington than today. Democrats and Republicans now not only do not work together, they do not even talk to each other. They despise and denounce each other more than Reagan and O’Neill hated and denounced the Russians. For years, in my column as well as in college classrooms, lectures, and speeches around the state, I have declared the cornerstone of political theory, “all politics is local,” as a truism. However, as we end this 2022 election year and begin the 2024 presidential election campaign, I am changing my song and dance. My theory now is that all politics is no longer local. All politics today is national. It is all partisan based and derived from national and Washington politics. Folks are either in the Republican tribe or the Democratic tribe, and it applies nationally, and especially in Alabama. Seventy-five years ago, Alabama was a rural state. Alabama voters were much more interested in the sheriff’s race than in presidential races. In fact, Alabamians very seldom even voted in presidential contests. There were more votes cast in an off-year Democratic primary for sheriff and governor than in presidential years. That has changed dramatically. Alabama is a more urban state than rural. Today, Alabamians follow national congressional and presidential politics and could not care less who is the sheriff of their urban county. In the just completed Jefferson County Sheriff’s race, it was a Democrat vs. Republican contest. Personalities were irrelevant. The Democrat, Pettway, won because he was Democrat. Hudson lost because he was a Republican. They could have been named Jones and Smith rather than Pettway and Hudson, and neither campaigned, and the results would have been the same. This 2022 election confirmed and solidified the fact that Alabama is a Ruby Red hardcore Republican state in statewide elections. Twenty-three out of 23 statewide elected offices are held by Republicans. The three candidates, Kay Ivey, Katie Britt, and Wes Allen, who each had a Democrat opponent, got 66% of the vote. The Republicans, who had only Libertarian opposition, like Rick Pate, Young Boozer, and Will Ainsworth, got 84%. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth got the most votes, about 960,000. He also got the most votes of any contested candidate in 2018. This will hold him in good stead as he eyes the 2026 governor’s race. The Democratic Party is dead and irrelevant on the state level in the Heart of Dixie. Everybody with walking around sense knows this. That is why no serious candidate will run as a Democrat. Some idealistic Democrats will write me and lament that the Alabama Democratic Party leadership is inept. My reply is that it is irrelevant whether you have a Democratic Party office in Alabama or not; the result of Alabama races is going to be the same. All politics is national now. The vote is driven from Washington. The same is true of the Alabama Republican Party. It does not matter who is the Chairman of the Alabama GOP; the GOP vote in Alabama will be the same. In fact, the current GOP Chairman is a butterfly farmer, and his butterflies probably know more about Alabama politics than he does. Folks, Alabama is in the Republican tribe; make no doubt about it. Our largest metropolitan counties of Jefferson and Montgomery are in the Democratic column. As I have said for the past 20 years, if Mickey Mouse is the Republican candidate for President, he will carry Alabama even if he does not campaign or spend any money here, and the same applies to the governor’s race. Why? Because all politics today is national. Happy Thanksgiving. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Kay Ivey is Governor again
Governor Kay Ivey’s 2022 reelection victory run has been very impressive. Some of you may be wondering how quickly I have been able to resolve that she has indeed culminated her victorious run when the General Election was held Tuesday, and my column’s published date is Wednesday. It is simply, as I have told you numerous times over the past two decades, winning the Republican Primary for governor in the Heart of Dixie is tantamount to election. The General Election in Alabama is an afterthought. We are a one-party state when it comes to statewide races. Kay Ivey laid to rest the last hope of the Alabama Democrats being able to win a statewide race, especially for governor in my lifetime and probably in yours, when she beat Walt Maddox like a rented mule in 2018. Walt Maddox was the best shot and best mule the Democrats could ever dream up. Maddox is the young, articulate mayor of Tuscaloosa. He has been and had been mayor of the Druid City for a good while. He has been an excellent mayor with an impeccable record. He ran a good well-run, well-financed campaign for governor. He got 40% of the vote. This seems to be the threshold for a Democrat for governor. Therefore, Kay Ivey’s 2022 run may not be as impressive as her 2018 race. Although, this run has been extremely impressive. Probably the reason that 2022 has gone so well is because she ran so well in 2018. She beat a very formidable field four years ago. She beat the popular mayor of Huntsville, Tommy Battle, in the Republican Primary. His credentials and fundraising prowess were equal to Maddox’s, if not better. Having beaten the 2018 thoroughbreds, Battle and Maddox, so thoroughly, made serious candidates not even consider challenging her. In 2022, to compare Lindy Blanchard, Tim James, and Yolanda Flowers to Tommy Battle and Walt Maddox is like comparing Mutt to Jeff. Governor Kay Ivey has done a good job as governor during the four years, 2019-2022, and folks knew that, and they knew her. There also have not been any scandals or controversies. She had garnered one of the finest men and managers in Alabama political history, Congressman Jo Bonner, to be her right arm and Chief of Staff. They together ran a pretty solid ship of state. Most of us who follow Alabama politics felt like Kay was going to only serve one four-year term when she won the 2018 race. She, deep down, may have thought the same thing. Therefore, she governed with the attitude of what is right for the state and not what is right for reelection. When she decided to run, most of us were in agreement that she would win. She would be well-financed, and national polls revealed that she was one of the most popular incumbent governors in the nation. My thoughts were, and I conveyed to you, that the only way Kay Ivey could lose the race was if she beat herself. If she misspoke or did a debate and made a miscue or misstep. She did none of the above. She ran a perfectly scripted, flawless campaign. She campaigned as governor and looked gubernatorial. Most importantly, her campaign TV ads were brilliant. They were folksy with the perfect Alabama flavor. They had her looking good, speaking well, and southern with a grandmotherly appeal. They made her age and demeanor an advantage. She came out of the campaign being better liked than before. Some of her ads came close to being racist when she said, “Folks think we ought to require our schools to teach everyone to speak Spanish. Well, I say, ‘No Way, Jose.’” This prompted ultra-liberal Democrats around the nation to deride her. When Maxine Waters, the liberal Democratic California Congresswoman, criticized her, Kay quipped, “I ought to give Maxine Waters an in-kind contribution proxy for her help in my Alabama Republican Primary campaign.” The big question in the Republican Primary was whether Kay Ivey could win the May 24 Primary without having to go to a June 21 runoff to win. Some doubted that anyone could beat eight opponents without a runoff, especially given that Blanchard and James spent a total of $16 million dollars. She proved them wrong. She beat the field of eight without a runoff and got 54% percent of the vote. My guess is that she got a higher percentage than that on Tuesday. Kay Ivey is Governor, again. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Election year observations
This 2022 Election Year in Alabama has been monumental and memorable. Any gubernatorial year is big in the state. It is the brass ring of Alabama politics to be governor. However, the race to succeed our Senior Senator Richard Shelby has been the marquee contest. This year will be the last hurrah for our two leading political figures in the state. Senator Richard Shelby is retiring after 36 years in the U.S. Senate at age 88. Governor Kay Ivey will be elected to her final term as Governor at 78. An observation that occurred to me during the year that many of you may not know or realize is the power that Jimmy Rane, the legendary successful businessman from Abbeville, possesses. He is known to many Alabamians as the famous friendly giant sitting atop a horse as the Yella Fella on the ads of yesteryear promoting his Great Southern Wood Company. In my years of observing Alabama politics, I do not believe there has been an individual that has been the closest confidant and friend to the two most powerful political people in the state. Senator Shelby and Governor Ivey are unquestionably the two most powerful political people in the state, but they are arguably two of the most important political figures in modern Alabama political history. If you sat both Ivey and Shelby down and asked them to tell you their best friend and confidant, they both would probably say Jimmy Rane. Governor Ivey and Rane have been friends and allies since their college days at Auburn University 60 years ago. Shelby and Rane have been bonded for at least 36 years. As busy as Senator Shelby has been as one of the most important leaders in Washington and world affairs in the last ten years, a week does not go by that Shelby and Rane do not talk. Rane knows when Shelby has a cold before his wife Annette knows. Rane has been Ivey’s and Shelby’s benefactor and ally for not what they can do for him. He does not get anything out of his relationship with Shelby and Ivey. He is just their friend. He is also loyal to his hometown of Abbeville and Henry County. The Great Southern Wood is the main thing in Abbeville and a mainstay for the entire Wiregrass. His benevolence to his hometown is unparalleled. Another development I have watched this year is some good old-fashioned hardnosed hard work on the campaign trail by some of the 2022 candidates. It is understandable that those running for office on this year’s ballot would be on the campaign trail. However, one Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, the President of the Public Service Commission, has canvassed the rural counties of Alabama more extensively than most of the successful candidates running statewide this year. And, folks, her name was not even on the ballot this year. She will run for reelection to the PSC Presidency in 2024. To say that she will be unbeatable for reelection to her post as head of the PSC would be an understatement. Twinkle Cavanaugh is probably the best-known political figure in the state going forward in the post-Richard Shelby/Kay Ivey era. She has run statewide numerous times and has been successful in most of those races. When you run that many times, you build a grassroots organization. Then you add that she has been Chairman of the Republican Party and a loyal supporter of popular past Republican presidents. She has not let any grass grow under her feet this year. She has watered that grassroots organization during this off-year with one-on-one visits, especially to the remote rural counties of the state. Her diligence will pay off in future years. She is still young and a good bet to be governor or U.S. Senator one day. Folks in Montgomery and throughout the state are glad to see State Senator Billy Beasley run again, successfully, for another term. He is one of the most well-liked and respected members of the upper chamber in the State Capitol. Billy is the only white Democrat in the Alabama Senate. Do not bet on his not running again in 2026. He is the youngest looking 82-year-old I have ever seen, and his brother Jere is the youngest 85-year-old I have ever seen. They must have pretty good genes. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Congressional delegation reelected in November
Our Alabama Congressional delegation will all be reelected next month, as usual. We are no different than any other state when it comes to the incumbency advantage of being a congressperson. When someone is elected to the U.S. Congress, they are usually there for life unless they run for higher office. They probably would not be defeated unless they killed someone, and that probably would not be enough. It would probably depend on who they killed. The Congress is so divided and acrimonious along party lines that if they killed another member of Congress from a different party, it would probably help them and enshrine them in their seat for life. The reelection rate for members of the U.S. Congress is over 93%. That is similar to the Communist Russian Politburo. Our Congress is more akin to the British parliament, where they quasi-own their seat. Our delegation will have one new member. Dale Strong will take the Republican seat of Mo Brooks in the 5th District, Huntsville-Tennessee Valley area. He started early and stayed late. He began the campaign as the favorite and remained the frontrunner throughout the two-year campaign to capture the open seat. Strong has been a popular chairman of the Madison County Commission. He is a native Huntsvillian and was even educated grade school through college in the Madison County area. He was backed strongly by the Huntsville/Madison business community. They realize the importance of having a pragmatic, pro-business conservative who will be a GOP team player in Washington. It is imperative for the Redstone Arsenal to have a workhorse in that seat. They will miss Richard Shelby, who has done all the heavy lifting for federal growth. They are glad and fortunate to swap Mo Brooks for Dale Strong. Strong is relatively young and will probably be a long-termer. Jerry Carl will be reelected to his first district Mobile/Baldwin GOP Seat next month. He has taken to Congress like a duck to water. He also has long-term workhorse written all over him. Barry Moore will be reelected to his second term as the congressman from the 2nd District, which encompasses the Wiregrass and east Montgomery. It is a very Republican district. Mike Rogers of Anniston will be reelected to his eleventh term in November. He is gaining seniority and power. If the GOP takes over control of the U.S. House, as is expected next month, he is in line to possibly be chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Robert Aderholt of the 4th District is the dean of the delegation, thus under the entrenched seniority system, he is our most powerful Congressman. Aderholt got to Congress at a very early age. He will be reelected to his 14th two-year term. He serves on the important and prestigious Appropriations Committee. Gary Palmer will begin his fourth term representing the Jefferson/Hoover/Shelby GOP district. Gary is a policy and issues guy. The GOP leadership recognized this early, and he has advanced as a policy leader in the House. The lone Democrat in our delegation is Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Birmingham. She will be reelected to her seventh term in the U.S. House in a few weeks. She has emerged as a leader within the Democratic House Caucus. She is very well respected in Washington. She is a native of Selma and holds Ivy League undergraduate and law degrees. Hopefully, for Alabama, she is a long-timer. She has a large, sprawling district that covers most of Birmingham, Montgomery, and all of the Black Belt, including her hometown of Selma. Sewell, being the only African American Democrat in our seven-member Congressional district, is the subject of a case pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. Democratic leaders contend that Alabama could and should have two majority-minority districts in the state rather than one. The argument is that Sewell’s 7th District contains only 14% of the Black voters in the state. Alabama’s African American population is 27%. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, then our delegation may go from six Republicans and one Democrat to five Republicans and two Democrats. The two prominent, powerful, young African American mayors of Birmingham and Montgomery, Randall Woodfin and Steven Reed, would both be eyeing the new Democratic Congressional Seat. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: National trends do not affect Alabama
As mentioned last week, all polling points to a significant Republican pickup of congressional seats in the upcoming November General Election. It is a historical fact that the party that loses the White House in a presidential year picks up congressional seats in the following midterm elections. Furthermore, Democrats are in disfavor because of runaway inflation. Voters blame Joe Biden and the Democratic Congress for the inflated price of gas, groceries, and everything else. Americans vote their pocketbook. It’s the economy that counts, is what they say. We, however, in Alabama will vote party no matter what is going on in the economy. Over 60% of Alabamians will vote Republican. Although, the libertarian party fielding a slate of state candidates may skew these numbers. We have six Republican congressional seats, all white men, and one Democratic congressional seat held by an African American woman. It would not matter if the inflation rate was 30% and a Republican was in the White House, we would still elect six Republican congressmen and one Democratic congressperson. We do not fit into national politics. We are automatically placed in the Republican column for presidential elections, regardless of the Democratic or Republican nominees. We are colored red way before the election night numbers are counted. Both of our U.S. Senate seats are held by Republicans. When Katie Britt won the Republican Primary in June, the race was over. This race will be on the ballot next month. However, Katie Britt will win. Winning the Republican Primary in the Heart of Dixie is tantamount to election. The same was true for the Democratic Party in Alabama six decades ago. Folks, when we change, we change. We do not do things halfway. Sixty years ago, every statewide official was a Democrat. Every state judge was a Democrat. Our entire congressional delegation was Democratic. Today, not only is our congressional delegation 6-to-1 Republican, our legislature, both Senate and House, is 75% Republican. Every statewide elected official in Alabama is a Republican. The Republican control of Alabama politics today is so dominating that we could safely be called a one-party state, again, when it comes to statewide politics. A prevailing theme has continued in Alabama for over a century, and it is still pronounced today. Our state is divided politically based on race. Over 84% of whites vote Republican, and almost all, 96% of Black voters, vote Democratic. It is that simple; most parts of the country vote based on pocketbook issues, but Alabama and the Deep South vote on race and religion. Therefore, the national congressional numbers in the U.S. House may change to Republican, but we are Republican regardless. Our legislature will not change the congressional makeup of Alabama’s delegation from 6-to-1 Republican. However, that does not mean that the Federal Courts will not. African American Democratic lawmakers filed suit in federal court in the Northern District of Alabama late last year, asking the court to change the lines to create a second Black-majority congressional district. They argued that the current six Republican seats to one Democratic seat majority, which has been in effect since 1992, blatantly violates their Constitutional rights under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. If you put a percentage of the Black citizens, who, as we have said vote straight Democratic, into having one African American Democratic Congressman, that gives Black voters 13% of the representation. The Black population of Alabama is 27%. The argument that there should be two majority-minority districts has some merit. A three-judge federal panel made up of two Republican appointed jurists and one Democratic appointee agreed with the plaintiffs and ruled in their favor. They ordered the state legislature to go back to the drawing board and map out a second African American Democratic district. The Supreme Court intervened on January 24 and stayed the lower court’s decision. However, the stay was granted not on the merits of the case, but because it was too close to Alabama’s election, which had already begun. Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, wrote that the high courts have set precedents that federal courts should not disrupt state election procedures close to the time of an election. We have not seen the last of this ssue. We could see our congressional line-up change to five Republicans and two Democrats in the 2024 election. We will see. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column is in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Barry Moore tells Breitbart that upcoming election is about gas and groceries
Congressman Barry Moore spoke with Breitbart News about the coming midterm election on Saturday. Moore said that the American people “have seen the failed policies of this administration,” and that the House Republicans are calling “it a two G election, “gas and groceries.” “I think [in] so many ways the American people have kind of seen the failed policies of this administration,” Moore said. “And we’re basically calling it a two G election, gas and groceries. I mean, the Americans are feeling this at the pump. They’re feeling it at the grocery store. And I think there’s a referendum on that and so many other things.” Moore said that the chaos at the border is another issue that is working against Democrats. “Border security has to be an issue, with over two million people we’ve had come across the border,” Moore said. “That’s a record, you know, and I think that starts and then crime that follows that I mean, as you have an open border, it’s flowing with fentanyl and human trafficking.” Republicans are optimistic that they can take control of the House of Representatives in the coming midterms. Former State Representative Steve Flowers wrote recently that the Republicans will probably take control of the House of Representatives. “In talking with people in the know in Washington, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that there will be major Republican gains in Congress,” Flowers wrote. “This prognosis is not only anticipated by Republican strategists but is even being acknowledged by Democrats on the Hill and throughout the nation. Moreover, even the liberal mainstream media is cognizant of this GOP sweep on the horizon.” Flowers estimated that Republicans could pick up 30 to 36 seats in the House in the midterms. The Senate had appeared to be in grasp, but scandals with some of the GOP candidates, particularly Herschel Walker in Georgia, could potentially derail those chances in the Senate. Moore is in his first term representing Alabama’s First Congressional District. Moore faces Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall and Libertarian Jonathan Realz. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: GOP poised for congressional gains on Election Day
For over 100 years, political history has revealed without deviation that when a Democrat wins the presidency in a presidential year, that in the following mid-term congressional elections two years later that Republicans make gains in the U.S. House of Representatives. That truism has become more pronounced in the last few decades. This history will be repeated in the upcoming November 8 General Election. Every indication and polling suggests that the GOP gains in this year’s General Election will be significant. In talking with people in the know in Washington, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that there will be major Republican gains in Congress. This prognosis is not only anticipated by Republican strategists but is even being acknowledged by Democrats on the Hill and throughout the nation. Moreover, even the liberal mainstream media is cognizant of this GOP sweep on the horizon. Currently, the Democrats have a very slim 221 to 214 majority in the U.S. House. For some reason, probably because the tea leaves indicate a GOP takeover of the House, there is an inordinate number of Democratic congressmen retiring this year. This makes the pick-ups for the GOP more sustainable. Incumbency and seniority are omnipotent in Congress. Therefore, the likelihood of the GOP taking over the majority is enhanced by these retiring Democrats. The conservative estimate by most experts is that there will be a 30 to 36-seat swing to the Republicans in November. If that estimate is accurate that would change the House from a 221 to 214 current Democratic majority to a Republican majority of 250 to 185. This solid Republican majority would change the philosophical tilt in the national arena. In today’s polarized, toxic, partisan environment, both parties’ members of Congress vote lockstep along party lines. You may as well have a robot voting on their congressional voting machines. It would be more efficient and economical. You would not have to have millions for congressional staffs or offices, which costs millions per congressman, and their only duties anyway were to work to insure the congressman’s reelection every two years. The early prognostication of a 30 to 36-seat pickup in Congress by Republicans has been tempered somewhat with the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. This issue is not a winner for the GOP. Most Independent, a good many Republican, and almost all Democratic female voters are pro-choice. The striking illustration of this pro-choice leaning was revealed earlier this year when voters in ruby red Republican Kansas voted 60-40 against outlawing abortion in their state. This issue, along with the Democratic socialist bailout money, may have tempered the anticipated GOP congressional landslide. However, Democratic President Joe Biden’s approval ratings are abysmal. He is at historically low polling approvals, especially among all-important Independent voters. The primary reason for Biden’s demise and the obvious elephant in the room is the out-of-control economic inflation rate on consumer spending in the country. It is approaching a 10% level. This is devastating politically for Biden and the Democrats. Americans vote their pocketbook, especially in congressional elections. Another detriment to Democrats is Biden’s first-year decision to completely disregard immigration laws and create carte blanche open southern borders for every undocumented immigrant to invade the country and offer them all of the welfare and government privileges and services of state tax dollars. This open-door infringement does not sit well with Republicans or Independents and probably not with some minority Democrats. The liberal social agenda of House Democrats regarding LGBTQ issues appear over the top to most mainstream Christian Americans. If truth were known, even Eastern religions are not comfortable with the overt favorable treatment towards social mores. My observations of Southern African American people are that they are very Christian oriented and are Bible reading, and do not adhere to this agenda either. This congruence of economic, social, and deficit spending is dovetailing into a devastating mid-term congressional wipeout for Democrats. This tsunami will probably spill over into the U.S. Senate, also. The Senate is 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, dead even. Republicans could win a majority in the upper chamber. It will be close. The key senate battles will be in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and our neighboring state of Georgia. We will see in less than five weeks. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column is published in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: New fiscal year begins, teachers and state employees looking good
The new state fiscal year begins October 1, and the two state budgets are flush. Both the General Fund and the State Special Education Budgets will be the largest in state history. The General Fund Budget is a record-breaking $2.7 billion. It increases the revenue for mental health and prisons. Medicaid continues to be a money-eating monster. State employees are getting a 4% cost of living raise. This is the third time in recent history that state workers have gotten a back-to-back pay raise. In addition, retired state employees will get a bonus. State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Escambia) and Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), the budget chairmen, deserve accolades. Veteran Alabama State Employees Association executive director Mac McArthur deserves a lot of credit for state employees getting a 4% pay increase this year and 2% last year. Ole Mac has put together four raises in five years for his folks. Alabama Education Association (“AEA”) head Amy Marlowe and her chief lobbyist ally, Ashley McLain, deserve kudos for garnering a 4% teacher pay raise. Once again, the AEA has become a power to be reckoned with on Goat Hill. The legislature passed a record-breaking $8.17 billion Education Budget. The historic spending plan increases education funding by about $502 million over the current year. It drew praise from all corners of education for its increases, which includes teachers’ salaries and workforce development. There will be more money for classroom materials, the hiring of technology coordinators and reading coaches, and $20 million to implement the K-5 math instruction bill. The budget includes a 4% raise for teachers and lump-sum bonuses for retirees. There is also a $33 million bonus to increase teacher longevity. Other states have been giving similar salary adjustments. One of the budget allotments that has gotten the most accolades is the increase from $700 to $900 per classroom in supply money. The story that has been building over the past several years is the resurgence of the AEA as a power player on Goat Hill. The fruits of their labor emerged immensely during the regular session. It is apparent that AEA was instrumental in crafting the Education Budget with the 4% pay increase for teachers and the money that is going into the classroom. You would have thought Dr. Paul Hubbert was still sitting in the gallery directing legislators’ votes with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. They have built AEA into a power to be reckoned with at the Statehouse. The new leadership of Marlowe/McLain have reorganized by acknowledging that Alabama, and especially the Alabama Legislature, is very Republican. They understand the rule that “money is the mother’s milk of politics” and “you win more bees with honey.” The AEA has generously donated to House Republicans like nobody’s business and no other Special Interest entity. It is no longer taboo or heresy for a Republican legislator or State Senator to accept teacher union money. They have made $10,000 to $15,000 contributions to House members on both sides of the aisle. In reviewing campaign disclosure statements, AEA is the only entity writing checks that large. Checks to senator’s coffers are $25,000 or more. AEA lobbyists, especially Ashley McLain, have earned the friendship and respect of the Republican House members and Senators. She and her team have gone out to their districts all over the state and gotten to know them and their families. They have connected the legislator with key educators in their hometowns who are respected centers of influence and can orchestrate a field or army of teachers to work the districts for their legislative friends. This footwork and shoe leather, coupled with large campaign checks, hits home with legislators of both parties. The telling blow that resonated and echoed off the walls of the Statehouse was the defeat of the so-called School Choice Bill. Senator Del Marsh made it his final mission to place state education dollars into private, parochial, and charter schools. His school choice was given a stinging defeat by none other than the AEA. Folks, make no doubt about it; the AEA is back in Alabama politics. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Board of Education
School board members are some of the most selfless public servants in Alabama. This accolade goes to the Alabama State Board of Education, and, more specifically, local school board members. These members are tasked with a very important mission but receive very little compensation for their time and efforts. They are indeed public servants. The Alabama State Board of Education is a nine-member body that sets public education policy for K-12 schools. The governor is an ex-officio member of the board, and the remaining eight members are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts of approximately equal population. There is no limit to the number of terms a school board member may serve. The seats are partisan-driven. Currently, our state school board has six Republican members and two Democratic members. Given the fact that members are elected rather than appointed, it is somewhat surprising that our current eight members are so well-qualified and suited to be state school board members. Dr. Wayne Reynolds, who represents District 8, best exemplifies this statement. He has a doctorate in education and has spent over four decades as an education administrator. He is retired and brings his experience and wisdom to the table. In his early years, Wayne was a decorated Vietnam War Veteran. He and his wife Carol reside in the Limestone/Madison area. Wayne is a Republican and was re-elected to his second four-year term earlier this year. Marie Manning has just been elected to District 6, which is a Republican district. She will begin her first term in January. Prior to her recent election to the state school board, Marie served as Vice President of the St. Clair County Board of Education. During her stellar career in education, Marie was a classroom teacher, vice-principal, principal, and superintendent. Dr. Yvette Richardson represents District 4 and is a resident of Montgomery. Yvette is a Democrat and was re-elected to another four-year term in the Democratic Primary. She has a doctorate degree from the University of Alabama and has had a distinguished career in education. Tracie West is a Republican member of the board from District 2. She was re-elected to a second four-year term in the Republican Primary. She hails from Auburn and, as would be expected from this area, is well-qualified and versed in education knowledge and policy. Prior to being elected to the state school board, Tracie served as a member of the Auburn City Schools Board of Education, including serving as president of that board. There are four members up for re-election in 2024, Jackie Ziegler, Stephanie Bell, Tonya Chestnut, and Belinda McRae, provided all four decide to seek another term. Jackie Ziegler of Mobile is a Republican board member and represents District 1. She was first elected in 2016 and is an experienced and successful educator. She is a graduate of the University of South Alabama. She was a classroom teacher, then a longtime principal in the Mobile County School System. She is married to State Auditor Jim Ziegler. Stephanie Bell, who represents District 3, is by far the most veteran member of the board, having first been elected in 1994 and re-elected to eight consecutive terms. At the end of her current term, she will have served over 30 years. She is a stellar member, an asset to the board, and hopefully, will run again. Stephanie is a lifelong resident of Montgomery, as is her husband. Dr. Tonya Chestnut, a native of Selma, is a Democrat and represents District 5. She has a doctorate in education and is the former Dean of Alabama State University College of Visual and Performing Arts. Belinda McRae of Hamilton is the Republican board member for District 7. She is in her first term. Belinda taught English and art for 25 years in the Marion County School System and served on the Marion County Board of Education before being elected to the State School Board. Choosing the State Superintendent is probably the most important task of the Alabama State School Board, and the board made an excellent choice when they selected Dr. Eric Mackey as Alabama State Superintendent of Education. Dr. Mackey is a former school superintendent and former Executive Director of the State School Superintendents Association. Most of our former governors did not take their ex-officio role as seriously as Governor Kay Ivey. Governor Ivey has been a very active and dutiful member of the Alabama State School Board. In closing, allow me to not only give accolades to the state school board but also a tip of the hat to all local school board members. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: The decibel level story
Those of us who served a long time in the legislature have a lot of stories. I served 16 years, from 1982 to 1998, in my home county of Pike. I chose not to run again in 1998. However, I missed the camaraderie and friendships of other legislators who became lifelong friends. It was apparent that those of us who hailed from smaller towns and rural counties knew our constituents better and were better known by our constituents than those from urban areas. Our name identification was exponentially higher than our big city colleagues for obvious reasons. Our folks usually knew us. They knew everything about us. They knew when you went to work, when you walked, when and where you ate, and what ballgame you attended. In essence, they knew how to find you. It was a full-time job for a small-town legislator. The big city boys could simply come to Montgomery and vote and go home to anonymity. We small-town legislators were expected to go to every fish fry, barbeque, dinner on the grounds, preacher’s anniversary, homecoming, and ballgame in our county. My availability was exacerbated by the fact that my mama’s and daddy’s families had been residents of my county for a long time. Many of my constituents had watched me grow up, and a good many were kin to me. When I got elected at age 30, my phone started ringing, and it never stopped the entire 16 years. I still get constituent calls today after being out of office 20 years. We had no resident congressman, so I got all of his calls. If a pressing matter was being discussed on the national scene, people called me because they did not distinguish a difference between a state legislator and a national legislator. In fact, they would see me on the street and ask me why I was not in Washington. Most of the congressional calls I got, however, were for lost Social Security checks. In fact, most of the calls I got were not related to my job as a state legislator. There were calls that pertained to why someone’s garbage had not been picked up, a neighbor’s dog was barking all night, a road needed paving, roadside litter was not being picked up, or state workers are lazy and do not work. In my first few years, a trend set in that was especially irritating – some folks thought that since you were a state politician you could get them out of jail. As you know, Saturday night is a honkytonking, drinking night. Every drunk that got put in jail for drunken behavior would invariably call my house and ask me to get him out. I finally refused to answer the phone on Saturday night after 8 p.m. Years later, I was so glad to vote for the legislation that mandated that every drunk driver had to stay in jail for 24 hours. However, prior to that decision, I got an interesting call one Saturday night around 7:00 p.m. It was from a gentleman my parents’ age who was from a large family in the northern part of my county. I could tell he was in a bar because I could hear music in the background. I thought, here we go, he’s wanting to get either bailed out, or his garbage had not been picked up on time. He began slowly. He wasn’t quite drunk, but he was on his way because he was slurring his words. He began, “You know Steve, I’ve known you all your life, and we all voted for you up here, and I’ve known your mama and daddy all my life. We all went to school together….well Steve, I’m out here at the Holiday Inn bar trying to have a quiet drink, and all these young people out here are playing this music too loud…..when you get back to Montgomery, will you please pass a Bill requiring bars to lower the decibel level for music in certain establishments?” Bless his heart, at least he was asking me for something that pertained to my job. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Buck’s Pocket
For decades, losing political candidates in Alabama have been exiled to “Buck’s Pocket.” It is uncertain when or how the colloquialism began, but political insiders have used this terminology for at least 60 years. Alabama author the late Winston Groom, wrote a colorful allegorical novel about Alabama politics in the 1960s and referred to a defeated gubernatorial candidate having to go to Buck’s Pocket. Most observers credit Big Jim Folsom with creating the term. He would refer to the pilgrimage and ultimate arrival of his opponents to the political purgatory reserved for losing gubernatorial candidates. Which brings me to another contention surrounding Buck’s Pocket. Many argue that Buck’s Pocket is reserved for losing candidates in the governor’s race. Others say Buck’s Pocket is the proverbial graveyard for all losing candidates in Alabama. One thing that Winston Groom clarified is that once you are sent to Buck’s Pocket, you eat poke salad for every meal. It is not certain whether Big Jim or Groom began the poke salad myth. Once you are sent to Buck’s Pocket, Groom suggested you were relegated to the rural resting place forever. However, history has proven that a good many defeated Alabama politicians have risen from the grave and left Buck’s Pocket to live another day. Most folks do not know that there really is a Buck’s Pocket. Big Jim was the first gubernatorial aspirant to hail from North Alabama in the twentieth century. He was the first one to campaign extensively in rural North Alabama, often one-on-one on county roads. One day while stumping in the remote Sand Mountain area of Dekalb County, he wound up in an area he referred to as Buck’s Pocket. It was a beautiful and pristine area, but it was sure enough back in the woods. Big Jim, who loved the country and loved country folks, was said to say, “I love the country, but I sure wouldn’t want to be sent to Buck’s Pocket to live.” Buck’s Pocket is no longer a mythical place. If you are traveling up the interstate past Gadsden on the way to Chattanooga, you will see it. There is a Buck’s Pocket State Park in Dekalb County, thanks to Big Jim. So next time you hear an old timer refer to a defeated candidate as going to Buck’s Pocket, you will know what they are talking about. After the primary runoffs, Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey was declared the winner of the State Senate District 27 race. He won the senate seat by one vote. Folks, the old saying that one vote makes a difference is not just an adage. It is nearly impossible to defeat an incumbent state senator, especially one who has served two terms and amassed an enormous war chest. Jay Hovey was outspent by the incumbent Tom Whatley $1.2 million to $96,000 – an unbelievable more than 12-1 advantage. The district includes Lee, Tallapoosa, and Russell counties. However, most of the votes are in Lee County. Hovey ran like a scalded dog through Auburn and Lee County. Obviously, he and his wife, Anna, are well thought of in Auburn, Opelika, and Lee County. Home folks know you best. He will make a good senator for that important part of the state. Elmore County Circuit Judge Bill Lewis is a bright star on the judicial political horizon. Judge Lewis has been on the bench for six years. His Circuit includes Elmore, Autauga, and Chilton counties. Judge Bill Lewis could wind up on the State Supreme Court one day if he had not plucked earlier for a federal district judge spot by a Republican president. He is 43 and sharp. The state Democratic Party has elected Randy Kelley, a Huntsville minister, as Chairman, and Tabitha Isner, a Montgomery political activist, as Vice-Chairman. They were the choices of the five-decade king of Democratic politics, Joe Reed. The Alabama Republican Party right-wing hierarchy has passed a resolution asking the legislature to have a closed private primary. It is doubtful that the legislature will give credence to the group’s wishes. It would disenfranchise over half of the Republican-leaning voters in the state and shoot the Republican Party in the foot. It would also discriminate against black voters in the state and, if passed, would never withstand Justice Department approval under the Voting Rights Act. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
