Steve Flowers: Incumbency reigns supreme in State Senate
Being an incumbent state senator in Alabama is like owning that seat. The level of re-electability odds is probably better than that of an incumbent congressman, which is about the same as being elected to a seat in the Russian Communist Politburo. Being a freshman state senator in Alabama is a more powerful position than being a freshman U.S. congressman, especially if you want to affect public policy. Many times, a 50-year old, successful person who is interested in seeking a representative role will approach me and seek my advice about running for either a state senate seat or an open congressional seat. I will quickly advise them that as a state senator, you are one of 35, and you immediately have an impact on your first year as a state senator. However, if you win a congressional seat, you are one of 435. Because of the seniority system, it will be 15 years before they know your name in Washington and 25 years before you are chairman of a committee, and then it is time to retire. In the 35-member Alabama Senate, there are 27 Republicans and 8 Democrats – a pretty supermajority for the GOP. Twenty-four of the twenty-seven senate Republicans are running for reelection. Republicans Jimmy Holley, Del Marsh, and Jim McClendon are retiring. These seats will be filled by another Republican. Therefore, when the Senate organizes next January, the 27 to 8 supermajority will remain the same. The lines are drawn to protect incumbents on both sides of the aisle. The Constitution provides the power of the pencil for legislators to draw their own legislative districts. Seventeen of the 24 Republican incumbents have no opposition in the Republican Primary. Of the seven Republican senators who drew a Republican opponent, they only got an opponent the last day of qualifying, and their opposition is token at best. All 24 Republican incumbents will be reelected. If my prognostication is correct, that is a 100% re-electability rate. There are only two GOP incumbents that were first thought to have viable opponents. Tom Whatley, at first blush, was rumored to have a race. However, polling and fundraising reveal he will win easily. The only interesting race may be in the Huntsville area, where incumbent Tom Butler is being challenged by Bill Holtzclaw, who previously served in that senate seat. The rule of incumbency also prevails on the Democratic side of the aisle. There is only one Democratic seat open. Priscilla Dunn holds the post in name only. She has never attended a senate day in Montgomery for this entire quadrennium. The Senate has, in essence, been operating with 34 senators. In actuality, the Democrats have only seven senate seats. There are 150,000 residents of Jefferson County who have had no voice or vote in the Alabama Senate for four years. There are two Democratic House members vying to fill this seat, Merrika Coleman and Louise Alexander. Ms. Coleman is favored to win this open Senate seat. The cadre of leadership on the Democratic side will return, including powers Bobby Singleton, Rodger Smitherman, and Vivian Figures. Hank Sanders will return to represent Selma and the Black Belt after a four-year sabbatical. His daughter was in the seat this last quadrennium. The entire leadership of the Republican-led Senate will return unopposed, including Greg Reed, Jabo Waggoner, Clay Scofield, Arthur Orr, Greg Albritton, Steve Livingston, Gerald Allen, and especially Clyde Chambliss. They will be joined by a superstar freshman class, who will become even more powerful. This class of leaders includes Will Barfoot, Garlan Gudger, April Weaver, Sam Givhan, Donnie Chesteen, and a trio contingency of Baldwin/Mobile senators Chris Elliott, Jack Williams, and David Sessions. Another member of this sterling class, Dan Roberts of Jefferson, has an opponent but will be reelected. The three open Republican seats and one Democratic open seat will give us some interesting senate races to follow. One of, if not the most important ingredients which creates the power of incumbency is the almighty campaign dollar. Money is the mother’s milk of politics. Most of this campaign money comes from Special Interest Political Action Committees. Ninety percent of those special interest dollars go to incumbents. Thus, over 90% of Alabama state senators are reelected. 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: Incumbency prevails in secondary constitutional offices
Incumbency is a potent, powerful, inherent advantage in politics. That fact is playing out to the nines in this year’s Alabama secondary constitutional and down ballot races. Several of the constitutional office incumbents do not have Republican or Democratic opposition. Of course, having a Democratic opponent is the same as not having an opponent in a statewide race in Alabama. A Democrat cannot win in a statewide contest in the Heart of Dixie. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth will be elected to a second four-year term without opposition. He will be waiting in the wings to follow Kay Ivey as Governor. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate will be reelected without opposition. He has done a good job in this important state post. State Treasurer Young Boozer is running unopposed for another four-year term. He does an excellent job and is uniquely qualified for the Treasurer’s job. State Supreme Court Justice Kelli Wise is running for reelection unopposed. Kelli is popular and is a good jurist. She is home free for six more years on the state’s high tribunal. Attorney General Steve Marshall has token opposition in his run for reelection. One Republican and one Democrat qualified against Marshall. However, he will coast to reelection. There are two seats up for election on the Alabama Public Service Commission. There are three seats on this regulatory panel. The President of the PSC runs in a presidential year. Twinkle Cavanaugh is President and pretty much runs the ship. The two incumbents are Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker. Oden has two unknown Republican opponents. Beeker has two opponents in the GOP Primary. One has some name identification, who has run before. Beeker and Oden will probably win reelection. There are only three hotly contested and interesting secondary statewide races. That is because these three posts are open without an incumbent on the scene. Popular Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin, the former Probate Judge of Jefferson County, is term-limited by an antiquated law that prohibits a judge from running for the court after age 70. There are two qualified candidates seeking to follow Judge Bolin. Birmingham Defense Attorney Greg Cook is facing Anniston Circuit Judge Debra Jones. Cook appears to be the favorite to win. It is apparent that the business community in the state is backing Cook. He has also been endorsed by the Alabama Farmers Federation. The latest campaign finance reports reveal Cook has $552,000 to spend compared to Jones’s $15,000. The State Auditors position is open. Jim Ziegler has served his eight-year stint. This will be an interesting three-man race for this benign position. Former Mobile State Representative and State Senator Rusty Glover is facing Muscle Shoals State Representative Andrew Sorrell and Jefferson County Pastor Stan Cooke. All three are getting out and working the state. The race to succeed John Merrill as Secretary of State will be a good race. Merrill is term-limited after eight years. State Auditor Jim Ziegler is wanting to move next door in the Capitol and become Secretary of State. Because of his name identification advantage, Ziegler will be favored to win the race. However, he will get a significant challenge from State Representative Wes Allen. Young Wes Allen has been running for over a year and has a good many significant endorsements, including Alfa. He has an impressive resume having served a decade as Probate Judge of Pike County and four years as a State Representative. He also has two home bases. He has lived and served in office in Troy in Southeast Alabama and was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, where his father, Gerald Allen, has been a long-time State Senator. Ed Packard, who has run the Elections Division of the Secretary of State’s office for decades, is also running. He is very well qualified. The aforementioned current Secretary of State, John Merrill, is not seeking any elective office in 2022, even though he is still relatively young. I have said this before, and it holds true today, Merrill is currently the best and most prolific retail politician in the state and one of the best I have seen in Alabama. He has a real grassroots organization in Alabama. He is literally everywhere. Even though he is not on the ballot running this year, he is outworking every candidate mentioned in this column. You have not heard the last of John Merrill. 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: 2022 Senate race will be most expensive in state history
The marquee race in this big 2022 election year is for our open U.S. Senate seat. It is beginning to percolate. The race has been raging for over a year already, and we are getting poised to begin the final full-court press to the finish line. The GOP Primary is three months away on May 24, with a monumental runoff on June 21. The winner on that day will be Richard Shelby’s successor. Early on, it appeared to be a two-person race between Mo Brooks and Katie Britt. However, Mike Durant has surged out of the blue with a three solid month media bombardment and made it a three-way race. All three candidates appear to be well-financed and ready for a three-month battle to the finish line. It will be the most expensive race in Alabama political history. There are barrels of money flowing into the Heart of Dixie, primarily out of the Potamic basin in Washington. In this modern-day of national politics, a candidate’s individual war chest is not the all-telling story. We live in a world of third-party political action committees (PACs). These third-party PACs, based out of Washington, will more than likely spend more on their preferred candidate than will be spent by the candidates’ direct campaigns. The candidates’ individual campaign account dollars will go towards positive ads for their candidate. The third-party PAC ads will be negative. These outside PACs are not supposed to work in conjunction or even correspond with their preferred candidate, but they do in actuality. They share polling and media strategy. These innocuous PACs have the meanest negative media gurus in America. These hired guns relish attacking and destroying their opposition. Therefore, look for the next three months to be a barrage of negative ads against Mo brooks, Katie Britt and Mike Durant. It will be easy to find and exploit negative ammunition on Mo Brooks. He has been in politics for 40 years. Katie Britt and Mike Durant will be harder to ambush as they are making their first races. It will be telling to see how Durant and Britt react to negative attacks. Mo Brooks is backed by the Club for Growth. He has been their boy for the last ten years. He fits in with them ideologically. The Club for Growth is an ultra-right-wing fringe group that funds right-wing antigovernmental free trade candidates mostly in smaller conservative states where their money will go further. They supposedly promised Brooks $5 million of soft third-party money to commit to the race. That money is there, and they are spending it. However, a deep dive into the polling shows Brooks sinking. The wild card in the race is one POW hero, Mike Durant. He has a really good story to tell, and he is telling that story with a well-done media buy. He makes no pretense towards campaigning or meeting Alabamians. He probably could not tell you where Conecuh or Bullock County are, much less Samson or Slocomb. He is from New Hampshire and moved to Huntsville to build an aerospace company. Durant is being assisted by a third-party PAC known as the Patriot PAC. This group’s primary donors are very anti-Trump. The primary contributor to this PAC is a wealthy donor named Harriman. His mission is to elect five independent senators who will be swing votes and not align or have allegiance to any party. Harriman scoured the nation to find the perfect military hero to win a Republican seat. He garnered the perfect candidate in Durant, who is coming around the corner like nobody’s business. Durant would be likely to align with moderate Republicans like Mitt Romney and Susan Collins. In Washington, they are referring to Durant as a RINO in uniform. Therefore, if you really look into the three GOP candidates, you see a semblance of national Republican circles vying for a candidate of their persuasion to fill a guaranteed Republican seat. Brooks would be the Club for Growth, right-wing, fringe candidate that adheres to pro-China trade policies and has no concern for Alabama jobs or federal projects vital to our state. Durant is backed by the Harriman PAC. Katie Britt is the mainstream, conservative, pro-business candidate who understands Alabama and her needs. In fact, she is the only real Alabamian in the race. It will be an interesting and expensive three-month show. It will be fun to watch. I will keep you posted. 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: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Significance of Donald Trump endorsements in Alabama races
Former President Donald Trump was a very-popular president with Alabama Republican voters. Trump was a proven conservative president. He walked the walk. He did not just talk the talk. He has a legacy as president, especially in changing the philosophical tilt of the U.S. Supreme Court. He remains popular with GOP primary voters in the Heart of Dixie. Trump continues to stay in the spotlight. He almost feels compelled to endorse candidates for senate and governor in very conservative, southern, and Midwest Republican states like Alabama, where he still remains popular. Trump has indeed endorsed Congressman Mo Brooks in his quest to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Richard Shelby. Brooks is basing his entire campaign on Trump’s endorsement. Gubernatorial candidate Lindy Blanchard, who has been a stalwart Trump supporter, is hoping for Trump’s blessing in her quest to unseat Governor Kay Ivey. Trump’s endorsement in this race would indeed be important in Ms. Blanchard’s mission. In the senate race, polling by two reputable and independent polling firms indicates that Mo Brooks and Katie Britt are in a dead heat contest, each with about 25%, with Mike Durant at 18%. Their numbers are not rock solid. Britt has more favorable numbers than Brooks on likeability. The poll indicates that if President Trump continues to be for Brooks, it will help him immensely. If Trump becomes disenchanted with Brooks, he can kiss this race goodbye. Brook’s campaign would simply vanish and sail away. Therefore, the prevailing question is what is the significance of Trump’s endorsement in the senate race and also if Trump endorses the governor’s race? My observation of Alabama politics over the last 60 years is that Alabamians, more than any other state, have a pronounced proclivity of not voting for a candidate that someone endorses; they will actually vote against them for that reason. Alabamians are independent and like to make their own choices for individual candidates. It has happened over and over again in my lifetime as though they are saying to a governor, in this case a former president, we elected you to your office, and you ought to be thankful for that and not be presumptuous or try to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Stick to your own knitting. George Wallace, in his heyday, when he was very popular, more popular than Trump in Alabama, would endorse candidates, and they would universally, invariably lose even if they were favored. It was as though his endorsement was the kiss of death. He gave up and quit endorsing. Trump has already had a dose of this Alabama anti-endorsing elixir. He made two endorsements in the 2017 special senate elections. Trump endorsed Luther Strange, and he lost. Trump then endorsed Roy Moore, and he lost. Other southern states have illustrated this anti-endorsing history. During the Franklin Delano Roosevelt presidency, which lasted four terms throughout the Great Depression and New Deal, FDR was beloved and revered throughout the South. He was especially loved in Georgia, where he would spend a good amount of time at his home in Warm Springs. FDR had become like a king. He was immensely popular. However, he was having problems with the conservative establishment-oriented aging U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt responded with a bold, audacious move to pack the court with six new members whom he could select and move the Supreme Court from 9 to 15 justices. FDR wanted to control the Supreme Court. A good many U.S. Senators, who had been loyal to Roosevelt’s New Deal agenda could not go along with this brazen power play. Georgia’s venerable Walter George was one of those who opposed the FDR Court-packing plan. Senator George was running for reelection, and there was a tremendous ceremonial event of a water dam that Senator George had secured for Georgia. The ceremony was less than a month before the election. FDR came to the event and lambasted Walter George and openly asked Georgians to vote against him for reelection. When it came time for Senator Walter George to speak, he calmly and gentlemanly went to the podium and said in a dignified voice, “Mr. President, we Georgians appreciate you, we love you and admire you, but Mr. President, Georgians will elect their U.S. Senator.” Walter George was reelected overwhelmingly a few weeks later. 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: Groundhog Day
Happy Groundhog Day. It is an ironic juxtaposition that the State of the Union address by the president and Groundhog Day occur on the same day. One involves a meaningless ritual in which a doddering octogenarian who is as outdated as the State of the Union event stumbles through some scripted predictions. The other involves an outdated mythical tradition celebrating a prediction by a rodent. Both prognostications by Biden and the Groundhog are insignificant and irrelevant. Our marquee race for 2022 in the State of Alabama is the race to replace our retiring U.S. Senator, Richard Shelby. Before I delve into the rivalry to follow Shelby and sit in his seat, allow me to say that his junior counterpart in our current Senate tandem, Coach Tommy Tuberville, is doing a good job after his first year as our junior U. S. Senator. There was some speculation regarding his effectiveness, given his lack of governmental experience. Tuberville has put together an excellent staff. He did a good day’s work when he secured Stephen Boyd as his Chief of Staff. Tuberville and his staff are doing an excellent job with constituent service, which is an integral part of a senator’s job when you want to be an effective senator for your state. Tuberville’s staff is especially interested in helping veterans in Alabama. He has a full-time staff member who is assigned to helping Alabama veterans get their deserved benefits for their service to our country. You could tell Tuberville was driven to making sure that military veterans and current servicemen and women were taken care of when he was running. His father was a career military man, and Tuberville revered him. Coach Tuberville has not sought the spotlight and tried to become a Fox News darling and be a right wing ideologue. He has taken on a workhorse mentality and has voted consistently conservative and been a team player within the GOP Senate caucus. Tuberville realizes that he will never be a Richard Shelby because he got there later in life after his career as a college football coach. He has learned that seniority counts. Arriving in the U. S. Senate at age 66 is not conducive to being a senate giant. Seniority is king in Washington. Tuberville also understands the importance that defense spending and agriculture are to Alabama. He is applying himself to protecting these two vital concerns as any senator from Alabama should strive to accomplish. It is all about seniority in the U.S. Senate. It will be at least 15 years before anybody we elect to this senate seat has any real power to bring home the bacon. Katie Britt is 40, and Mo Brooks is 68. You can do the math as to which one has the potential to be effective for Alabama and build seniority and power. Katie Britt not only has the youthfulness to gain seniority, but she also possesses the ability, acumen, and more importantly, she wants to be an effective senator for Alabama and protect our military bases and jobs. Mo Brooks has shown over his 40-year political career and, more recently, his 10-year congressional tenure that he does not want to be effective for Alabama. He is more interested in bomb throwing than doing anything for his district or Alabama. Brooks could not be effective, even if he wanted to. He will be 69, and the Republican leadership would dismiss him as a rightwing gadfly and an old one at that. The wildcard in the Senate race is one Mike Durant. He came out of the blue three months ago and has bombarded the airwaves with a constant saturation of television ads. He has run a total media campaign with no one-on-one campaigning. Few people have ever met him. He is like a stealth candidate who only appears on your television as a POW war hero. Durant, who hails from New Hampshire, is primarily self-funding his campaign. However, he is also being financed by a PAC headed by a wealthy donor Harriman, who wants to elect five independent non-partisan senators in the mold of Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, which would put Durant in a small group of liberal Democrats and Republicans. Durant may also be torpedoed by a family situation that has come to light recently. The U.S. Senate race is fluid at this time, with most people undecided on their choice. It will be interesting to watch. 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: Will gambling be addressed in 2022?
As the final regular legislative session of the quadrennium evolves, it is apparent that the legislature will not touch any substantive or controversial issues, but simply pass the budgets and go home to campaign. It is election year in the Heart of Dixie. If legislators are listening to their constituents, they are hearing one thing – Alabamians want their legislators to allow them the right to vote on receiving their fair share of the money from gambling in Alabama. They are simply sick and tired of their money going to Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, and Tennessee while Alabamians are paying for those states’ schools, roads, and bridges. You can bet your bottom dollar that if a clean lottery/sports betting referendum were to be placed on this November’s ballot, it would pass in a New York minute. Even the most conservative folks in our state would vote for it, if for only one reason – they want their money to stay in state. Every time there is one of these high-dollar Powerball national drawings, every convenience store on our border in the aforementioned bordering sister states’ parking lots are jammed with Alabamians clamoring to buy a lottery ticket. Governor Kay Ivey has had a very accomplished five-year reign as Governor. The Rebuild Alabama road, bridge, and infrastructure program was big and much needed. Most of her successes have been housekeeping chores that required a governor, who was willing to put the state first and get these necessary projects accomplished instead of kicking the can down the road like some of her predecessors. However, these accomplishments will not give her a legacy issue that 50 to 100 years from now folks can point to and say Kay Ivey has a legacy. The legacy awaiting Governor Ivey is the creation of a Constitutional Amendment that garners the tremendous amount of money spent on gambling in Alabama and also a Gambling Regulatory Commission to monitor and police gaming. You are talking about some real money for Alabama. Conservative estimates are $700 million a year to the state. In addition, there would be 12,000 new jobs. The legislature and governor by themselves cannot achieve this reaping of the gambling gold mine. It would have to be approved by you – the voters of Alabama – in a Constitutional Amendment. If polling is correct, it would pass 65-35. With it being a constitutional amendment, it needs a three-fifths vote in the legislature to place the initiative on the ballot. The issue was discussed, extensively, and voted on in the 2021 session. It passed in the Senate but never was never put to a vote in the House. The Senate would pass it again. There were 23 votes for the Constitutional Amendment and only 21 were needed for passage. There needs to be 63 votes in the 105 member House to place the amendment on the ballot in this year’s November General Election. Therefore, the question is will it be placed on the ballot this year for Alabamians to vote to reap this financial bonanza? In order to pass the Constitutional Amendment to allow Alabamians to vote on a lottery and expanded gambling, Governor Ivey probably will need to weigh in with both feet and promote the issue in a Special Session. Because it is an election year, the legislature probably will not want to deal with the issue until after the elections. The primary election is May 24. The current regular session will end in April, so gambling probably will not be dealt with in this regular session. Therefore, the best way to get the amendment on the ballot is a special session during the month of June because it has to be done by the first of July to get on the November ballot. However, with most legislators being unopposed they may take the bull by the horns and pass the constitutional amendment for you to vote on in November without the need for a special session. In observing the legislature, it is bittersweet seeing Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon presiding over probably his last session as Speaker. He has done an excellent job as Speaker. He is a kind, even-tempered gentleman, who exudes integrity. He is decisive and fair, and you can tell he is a man of faith who truly cares about the House members, both Republicans, and Democrats. 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: Annual Legislative Session underway
The 2022 annual regular session of the legislature has begun. It began January 11, and constitutionally can last three and one-half months, which would have it ending at the end of April. This is the last year of the quadrennium and an election year. Therefore, the legislature will not address any controversial or substantive issues. This has always been the case in Alabama politics. This rule will ring true this year as it has in past years. They will come into session, pass the budgets, then go home to campaign. They may even adjourn early this year, probably the first part of April. It will be an easy year, budget-wise. The General Fund and Special Education Trust Fund will again have growth in revenue. The economy is still percolating from the COVID recovery, especially because of the influx of federal dollars. Alabama will have received over four billion dollars from the Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) COVID relief money. Almost half has been earmarked and given to schools, counties, and cities and will not be allocated by the legislature. The state received over $500 million in 2021. Most of that, over $400 million, went to build new prisons, which was the most significant achievement last year. There will be approximately $560 million of ARP money coming into Alabama for this year. The legislature will be able to play Santa Claus in an election year. The General Fund Chairmen, Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) in the House and Greg Albritton (R-Escambia) in the Senate, are being lobbied heavily as might be expected. They will be looking at several ways to disburse these federal dollars. The feds like the states to focus on rural broadband expansion, water and sewage projects, and hospitals and nursing homes. It will be a short and successful and non-controversial session. Governor Ivey will miss her right arm, Jo Bonner. He has served as a quasi-governor for the past three years. Kay Ivey and Jo Bonner have a lifetime bond. They are both from Wilcox County, and like family. This remote rural black belt, southwest Alabama county has spawned Jeff Sessions, Kay Ivey, Judy Bonner, and Jo Bonner. Jeff, Kay, and Judy are all about the same age. Jo is about 15 years younger and like Kay’s little brother. Kay has never not known Jo Bonner. He has been the most influential Chief of Staff to a governor in state history. In November 2021, it was announced that Jo Bonner will become President of the University of South Alabama. He will be the fourth president of the University of South Alabama, which is the third largest university in the state. Jo Bonner is perfect for this position. His decade as a congressman from Mobile and his prowess as an economic developer and civic leader coupled with his winning personality will propel the university in Mobile to a regional educational and medical center for Alabama, Mississippi, and Northwest Florida. He is revered in Washington. His political connections and persona will make the University of South Alabama a politically powerful institution. The governor made a wise and prudent move to fill the void left by Jo Bonner’s departure from the governor’s office. She made her loyal, dedicated, and extremely qualified ally, Liz Filmore, Chief of Staff. Liz had already been functioning as a quasi-Chief of Staff to Ivey and Bonner. A few months ago, Ivey adroitly convinced State Representative Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa to become her finance director. Poole is immensely and uniquely qualified for finance director. He served over a decade in the House of Representatives. Eight of those years he chaired the Education Budget Committee and wrote the State Education budget. He was and still is one of the most universally well-liked and respected legislators in the state. Bill will remain finance director and Liz will be Chief of Staff. They will be part of what Governor Ivey will rely on as her leadership team. The other two members of the four-person team will be Brooks McClendon and Nathan Lindsey, who will be elevated to Deputy Chief of Staff. Governor Ivey along with Jo Bonner has run an exemplary Ship of State administratively. 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: We lost some good ones in 2021
As has been my custom for 18 years, I like for my yearend column to be a remembrance of Alabama political figures who have passed away during the year. We lost some good ones this year. We lost our oldest past governor, John Patterson in June. Governor Patterson passed away at age 99 at his ancestral home in rural Tallapoosa County surrounded by his family. Patterson was Governor from 1959-1963. He defeated George Wallace in the 1958 Governor’s Race, which featured a field of 14 candidates. He is the only man to beat George Wallace in a governor’s race. Patterson was Attorney General of Alabama prior to being elected Governor. He subsequently was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by Wallace and was reelected numerous times and retired as a Judge of the Alabama Court of Appeals. He was a treasure trove of Alabama political history. He was Governor during a turbulent time in Alabama history. Former Alabama Attorney General Jimmy Evans died in February at 81. Evans was a native of Montgomery and was Montgomery County District Attorney prior to being elected Attorney General. Retired Alfa lobbyist Milton Parsons passed away in March at 91. Milton was renowned on Goat Hill as a straight arrow and straight shooter. He was an honest, trustworthy, Christian gentleman. He was Alfa’s chief lobbyist for 50 years. He was a devoted family man and devout Christian. Former Troy mayor, Jimmy Lunsford died in May at 78. He was mayor of Troy for 30 years. Economic development was his forte. He was a tremendous steward of the city’s finances. He left Troy in good shape financially. Former Mobile congressman Sonny Callahan passed away at 88 in late June. He was one of a long line of popular and effective congressmen from the first district. The list includes Frank Boykin, Jack Edwards, Jo Bonner, Bradley Byrne, and Sonny. Congressman Callahan served 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to his two decades in Congress, he served in the Alabama House of Representatives and then six years in the State Senate. He was successful in the trucking business in conjunction with his legislative and congressional career. State Representative Thad McClammy of Montgomery passed away at 79 in August. McClammy represented parts of Montgomery County for 27 years. I had the privilege to serve with Thad in the legislature. He was a real gentleman. His word was as good as gold. He had a tremendous turnout for his funeral. State Senator Kirk Hatcher did a fabulous job singing two favorite hymns. Former State Legislator and longtime Geneva County Probate Judge Harold Wise died in August at 96 years old. He lived an amazing and colorful life. He was a loved and respected Geneva County political figure. He was the uncle to Supreme Court Justice Kelli Wise. Kelli adored him. He was her mentor. She says he sparked her love of politics and her desire to have a career in public service. Retired Winston-Marion County Circuit Judge Bobby Aderholt passed away in September at 85. He was a 50-year public servant, as well as lay minister. People say he probably married or buried half the folks in and around Haleyville and that part of Northwest Alabama. There was a tremendous turnout for his funeral. He was revered. State Senator Greg Reed sang at his funeral. Judge Aderholt was the father of our senior congressman, Robert Aderholt who is completing his 25th year in Congress. Former State Senator Jim Preuitt of Talladega died in September at 86. He was also a State Representative and Probate Judge of Talladega County. He was a successful businessman and family man. We lost some good ones this year. Happy New Year! 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: Jimmy Holley
Legendary state senator Jimmy Holley has decided to not seek reelection to the State Senate next year after 44 years in the legislature. He will be missed in the State Senate. For the past decade, Holley has become a mentor and confidante for incoming State Senators, especially the members of this quadrennium’s freshman class. Senator Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road), has told me on more than one occasion that he has relied on Senator Holley’s wisdom and experience on a daily basis. Holley is generally considered the most knowledgeable person in the Senate when it comes to parliamentary procedure and the rules of the Senate. Others like Senator Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) have been mentored by Holley. In fact, at the beginning of each quadrennium, there was a clamor and struggle to seek the seat next to Jimmy Holley by members so that they could learn the intricacies of the senate rules and gather his institutional knowledge and wisdom. Jimmy Holley has been my close friend for 40 years. We served together and sat next to each other for 16 years in the House of Representatives. We represented adjoining counties. I have never seen a more diligent and capable legislator. When his hometown of Elba lost their schools to flooding, I saw Holley singlehandedly fight and secure extra funds from the Special Education Trust Fund Budget to build them new schools. Years later, when a tornado destroyed Enterprise High School, which was and is the largest high school in his district, he secured funds from the state to build a new, state-of-the-art high school for Enterprise. Jimmy would work at being a good and knowledgeable legislator. When most legislators would simply show up to vote and enjoyed the nightly social events hosted by lobbyists and associations, Jimmy would go back to his hotel room and study legislation and sharpen up on the rules. One day Holley and I were sitting at our desks working on a myriad of legislation put out by the Rules Committee. I looked at the calendar and was unfamiliar with a looming bill about three bills down on the agenda. I asked Jimmy about a certain piece of legislation. He calmly told me all about the bill and told me I probably was not going to vote for it since it was a trial lawyer bill. He knew my pro-business propensity. It occurred to me that he had read the bill in its entirety as well as all the bills on the calendar the night before in his hotel room. Jimmy was born and raised in Elba in Coffee County and has lived his entire life there except for the four years he went to college in Tennessee, which is by the way where he met his lovely wife, Mary. Jimmy and Mary have two fine and successful sons. They all live close by Jimmy and Mary, so they have had the opportunity to watch their grandchildren grow up and go to all their ballgames and school events. They have a wonderful family life. However, even though Jimmy is only 77, he has had some health problems. The state and primarily his four-county senate district will miss him immensely. Holley has spent over half of his life as a lawmaker. He is in his sixth term in the Senate and, prior to that, served five terms in the state House of Representatives. He currently chairs the Senate Government Affairs Committee and has been a fixture on the Legislative Council. His district includes Coffee, Covington and Pike Counties, and the northern portion of Dale County. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) summed up Holley’s departure well. He said, “Senator Jimmy Holley is an institution in the Alabama Senate, and our Body will not be the same without him. I further appreciate the decades of service he has given to his district and to our state in his long tenure in the Senate, and I am grateful for the wisdom and experience he has shared with our membership.” Jimmy Holley has a place in Alabama political history as one of the all-time legendary state lawmakers. Merry Christmas. 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: Incumbency prevails in 2022 State House races
Folks, believe it or not, we are closing in on six months before next year’s election year. The primary election is set for May 24, 2022. In Alabama, all our major constitutional officers are on the ballot next year. The governor’s office is the premier race in the state, and that coveted and powerful post is set for its four-year quadrennial run. Therefore, this big political year is referred to as the gubernatorial year. Those of us who follow Alabama politics have been salivating with anticipation for a cavalcade of great races. However, the power of incumbency has devasted the big year into a yawn. All the major state offices are held by popular incumbents, who are either running unopposed or have minimal opposition. The consolation prize was that there would be the legislative races. After all, this is where the real power in the state rests. You can simply look at where the special interest and PAC money is spent to verify that fact. However, the omnipotent power of incumbency has also encroached on those races. The Alabama House of Representatives has 105 members. There are 77 Republicans and 28 Democrats. The large majority of incumbents are running for reelection – both Republicans and Democrats. The overwhelming majority of these incumbents will have no opposition. However, in the House, there will be some major changes in leadership because of retirement or moving on to new posts. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon is not running for reelection. This has created an interesting and spirited race within the Republican Caucus ranks for Speaker. In addition, Victor Gaston of Mobile, who is Speaker Pro Tem, is also retiring. Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa, who chaired the powerful House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee, has left the House to be the State Finance Director. House Rules Committee Chairman Mike Jones of Andalusia is running for the open Senate seat of retiring Senator Jimmy Holley. Two of the freshman House members are running for statewide office. Wes Allen of Troy is running for Secretary of State, and Andrew Sorrell of Tuscumbia is running for State Auditor. In addition, Connie Rowe of Jasper is leaving the House to become an administrative assistant to Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth. Some of the veteran House members who are choosing to hang up their legislative cleats include Howard Sanderford of Huntsville, Mike Ball of Huntsville, K.L. Brown of Jacksonville, Kerry Rich of Marshall, Allen Farley of Jefferson, Harry Shiver of Baldwin, Mike Holmes of Elmore, and Becky Nordgren of Etowah. The most noteworthy retiree may be Representative Steve McMillan of Baldwin County, who is retiring after serving close to 43 years in the House. Steve has been a quiet yet very effective voice for the people of Baldwin County. They all will be missed. Some of the high profile and powerful members of the House, who will return for another four years with no or token opposition, are Steve Clouse of Ozark, Nathaniel Ledbetter of Dekalb County, and Danny Garrett, Jim Carns, David Wheeler, and David Faulkner of Jefferson. Danny Garrett has ascended to Chairman of the House Ways and Means Education. Other leaders returning are Chris Pringle, Reed Ingram, Randall Shedd, Tracy Estes, Chris Sells, David Standridge, Ginny Shaver, Jim Hill, Alan Baker, Joe Lovvorn, Chris Blackshear, Kyle South, Paul Lee, Jeff Sorrells, Rhett Marques, Steve Hurst, Joe Faust, and Margie Wilcox. The Democratic leadership will remain intact. There is an illustrious array of House Democratic leaders, including Anthony Daniels, Chris England, Laura Hall, Peb Warren, Barbara Boyd, A.J. McCampbell, Berry Forte, Dexter Grimsley, Thomas Jackson, Kevin Lawrence, Mary Moore, Juandalynn Givan, and veteran John Rogers. Two of the Democratic House veterans from Jefferson County, Louise Alexander and Merika Coleman, are both running for an open Jefferson County Senate Seat, leaving both their House seats up for grabs. There may be an increase in the number of females in the House of Representatives. It has already begun with the election of Cynthia Almond of Tuscaloosa, who was elected without opposition to replace Bill Poole. In addition, Patrice Penni McClammy won the Montgomery District 76 seat of her late father, Thad McClammy. She won with no opposition. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama papers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Reapportionment done; Legislative races begin
The new lines are finally drawn for next year’s state legislative and congressional elections. They have just made it under the wire for the late January qualifying deadline and the May 24, 2022 primary elections. The legislature should not be blamed for the late formulation of the lines because the U.S. Census Bureau did not produce the final detailed figures until September 30, 2021. Therefore, the state legislature did a Herculean job by getting the lines drawn so quickly. They went into special session almost immediately after they received the numbers. However, their immediacy could be because it affects them immensely. Alabama’s legislature is tasked with drawing their own legislative lines, as well as the congressional lines for their state, as is called for by both the United States and Alabama Constitutions. Folks, that is the reason that the census is taken every 10 years. It is mandatory by the constitution to allow for all congressional and legislative districts to have approximately the same number of people. This rule is referred to constitutionally and legally as the one-person, one-vote rule. Alabama’s Constitution of 1901 patterns mandated reapportionment every 10 years like the U.S. Constitution does for Congress. However, Alabama lawmakers simply ignored this mandate for 60 years. the legislative lines had become so unfairly unconstitutionally out of proportion that it was comical. As a young page, I observed the representation in the House and knew something was wrong. My county of Pike had 25,000 people and we had two representatives and the Huntsville area had grown to over 200,000 people and they had only two representatives. Lowndes County had a population of 15,000 and had one senator. Jefferson County with a population of 635,000 had one senator. The Black Belt had gotten an unfair distribution of seats during the 1901 constitutional approval debate and had not relinquished their legislative power. Finally, the federal courts stepped in and dictated one-man, one-vote districts in the now-famous Reynolds v. Sims case in the 1960s, which set the one-man, one-vote principle for the entire nation. It still amazes me that the good people of Jefferson, Madison, and essentially all of north Alabama allowed this incredible injustice to exist for 60 years. The recently completed Reapportionment Session has drawn the new lines for our seven congressional seats, our 35 state senate seats, and 105 seats in the state house of representatives, as well as our eight-state board of education districts. It was thought that there may have to be two sessions – one for congressional and one for legislative redistricting. However, we in Alabama dodged the bullet and did not lose a congressional district as was expected. By keeping our seven seats, it made it much easier. However, kudos and accolades go out to the Reapportionment Committees and especially the Chairmen, Senator Jim McClendon (R-St. Clair) and Representative Chris Pringle (R-Mobile). They have worked diligently since the beginning of the quadrennium. Working on reapportionment is a tedious task, however, very important and powerful. They had to be aware of political and legal parameters. We in Alabama are still under the eye of the U.S. Justice Department because of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Therefore, they have to start with the premise that African American voters have to be given preference and there needs to be a proper number of majority-minority legislative districts. They had to begin the congressional redistricting with the fact that the 7th Congressional District of Terri Sewell had to be looked at and protected. The paramount concern was self-political preservation so the most ardent task was protecting the districts of incumbent legislators. The courts have held that partisan and incumbent protection is permissible as long as you do not get too carried away with gerrymandering. The supermajority Republican legislature was attentive to what might trigger an adverse judicial ruling on the redistricting plans. Chairman Chris Pringle was very attentive to not creating new Republican districts. They figured that the 77 Republican to 28 Democrat advantage in the House and the 27 Republican to 8 Democrats in the Senate was enough. The courts might see that as regressing or suppressing African American Democratic political power. It was actually difficult to avoid adding new Republican seats because the population growth has been in Republican-leaning enclaves. The Democratic Senators and House members are quietly pleased with the plan because it was incumbent friendly. In other words, the cardinal rule in reapportionment is that you take care of yourself first. Party, race, and colleagues come second. Under the new congressional lines, we will more than certainly still have six Republican and one minority Democratic district. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His 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: 2022 elections six months away
Believe it or not, we are six months away from the 2022 elections. All statewide offices will be decided in the May 24, 2022, Republican Primary. Winning the Republican Primary is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie. Therefore, garnering the endorsement of the most conservative group in the state is vitally important towards an election. That group is the Alabama Farmers Federation or commonly known as Alfa. The Farm PAC Alfa endorsement is the gold standard for conservatism, and it is the ticket to election in Alabama. The Alabama Farmers Federation is governed by county federation leaders in each of the state’s 67 counties, and the word leaders should be emphasized. The leaders of each county federation are respected men who have been born and raised in their community. Many have owned farmland for generations, are respected agribusinessmen, deacons in their churches, and board members of their local banks. In other words, they are centers of influence, and their words and recommendations extend well beyond their agricultural base. To win the Alfa endorsement, statewide candidates have to go see each of the county federation members in all 67 counties. There are over 100,000 actual farmers in the state that vote the Alfa endorsed ballot right down the line. There are also affiliated agribusiness groups that toe the Alfa line. In addition, there are over 100,000 insurance policyholders throughout the state who have their car and homeowners’ insurance with Alfa, and they see the Farm PAC endorsement and usually follow it because they have contributed to Farm PAC. Additionally, a good many Alabamians will see their friends and neighbors with an Alfa ballot and ask them who Alfa has endorsed in certain races. Then they will vote that way because they know Alfa has vetted the candidates and chosen the most conservative ones. The Alfa endorsements for the May 24, 2022 elections were decided on September 28, 2021. These endorsements will be decisive. Katie Britt won the endorsement for the open U.S. Senate race, which will be the marquee race next year. She got it the old-fashioned way. She worked for it. She got out and visited and got to know almost every farmers federation member in the state. This endorsement will probably propel her to victory. Governor Kay Ivey received the endorsement. She has been the darling of Alfa her entire career. The Farm PAC endorsement was critical in allowing her to win the governorship without a runoff four years ago. They have been with her from the get-go when she was State Treasurer two terms and Lt. Governor two terms. Will Ainsworth received the Alfa endorsement for reelection as Lt. Governor. This endorsement is the reason he upset Twinkle Cavanaugh in their race four years ago. Alfa was the reason he won that race and has made his political career. Incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall has been endorsed by Alfa because he has proven to be a real conservative. Rick Pate has won the Alfa endorsement for a second term as Agriculture Commissioner. He had the endorsement four years ago, and it helped him win. Folks are really interested in who Alfa endorses for Agriculture Commissioner. Incumbent PSC Commissioners Chip Beeker and Jeremy Oden received the coveted Alfa nod. One of the most critical endorsements Alfa made was selecting Greg Cook for the Alabama Supreme Court seat of retiring Judge Mike Bolin. This endorsement of Greg Cook is pivotal. It proves that he is the conservative pro-business candidate for the Supreme Court. It will probably assure his victory. Popular incumbent Supreme Court Justice Kelli Wise got the endorsement even though she may be unopposed. Three candidates for secondary constitutional offices received the endorsement of Alfa and will be instrumental in their elections are Wes Allen for Secretary of State, Young Boozer for State Treasurer, and Rusty Glover for State Auditor. Glover’s getting the endorsement is that race is pivotal, as is Wes Allen’s in the Secretary of State. Alfa has endorsed all of the incumbent Republican Congressmen, including Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, and Gary Palmer. They have endorsed Dale Strong in the open 5th district congressional race. He appears to be the favorite. All of Alfa’s statewide endorsements are Republicans. That makes sense because every statewide officeholder in the state is a Republican. If you made me bet, I would wager that all of the above-mentioned Alfa endorsed candidates will win next year. We will see in about six months. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
