Alabama local/state Coronavirus updates (March 12)
This is our third in a series of collective Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates from around the state. You can find the first here and the second here. This update includes statements from Secretary of State John Merrill, the state senate, and from Auburn University and Samford We will update this post throughout the day as more notices become available. For up to the minute and detailed information from the Alabama Department of Public Health please visit their resource center here. For information from the Center for Disease Control that includes mitigation strategies visit their website here. Download full CDC Mitigation Strategy pdf here. Download CDC at home care guidance for those who have coronavirus but do not require hospitalization here. As of 2:40pm central there are still no confirmed cased of coronavirus in Alabama. However, the big caveat to this is also that there has been limited testing. State Senate: On Thursday the Alabama Senate approved a $5 million supplemental appropriation to the budget to combat the spread of COVID-19, commonly referred to as Coronavirus, in Alabama. These funds will help supplement the Federal funding which totals $8.1 million to this date. The money is for health care professionals to use as they see fit to stop the spread of the disease in Alabama including helping set up local centers for testing, covering expenses related to telehealth and covering the costs for the uninsured for testing and treatment. Currently there have been no positive tests for Coronavirus in Alabama, however after meeting with professionals in the healthcare industry and public health officials, legislative leadership determined it was important to be proactive and work to get the situation under control should any tests in Alabama come back positive for the disease. Both Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) and Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) emphasized that if someone is not feeling well, they should contact their physician to administer next steps and determine if further testing is necessary. “I want to thank Governor Ivey and her team for taking this issue head on. One of the biggest problems we have seen from this disease is simply a lack of preparation,” Marsh said. “It is important for everybody to know that Alabama has a solid plan to combat Coronavirus. I cannot stress enough that if someone feels as though they need to be tested for Coronavirus they should contact their doctor to work through the next steps.” “Over the past several days legislative leadership has held a series of meetings with the Governor and her Coronavirus Task Force, as well as with health care professionals who are on the front lines of combating this pandemic,” Reed said. “It is important to know that we have test kits and tests are being administered and we have excellent health care professionals who are prepared to act. One important thing to note is that we are setting up the ability to contact doctors with telehealth so that next steps can be decided over the phone or video chat to limit the potential of exposure to this illness,” Reed said. “In response to the pandemic that has been going around the nation and the world, this supplementary spending bill is a way for the State of Alabama to be proactive and show our citizens that we are serious about fighting the spread of the coronavirus,” said Alabama Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro). “Although we have not had a positive test in the state, we understand that this highly contagious virus could be potentially deadly for those with compromised immune systems. Therefore, we are moving forward in setting up crisis centers to protect our citizens.” Auburn University statement: Auburn University will transition from on-campus instruction to remote delivery beginning Monday, March 16 and continue through April 10 in response to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). University officials ask that students refrain from returning to campus after spring break. University officials will subsequently determine if students will return to campus for the remaining weeks of the spring semester. Auburn faculty will contact students on steps they should take to continue their academic coursework. The university will continue normal operations, although departments and units should utilize remote work and “social distancing” as appropriate. “The Auburn Family faces many unknowns about this virus,” said Auburn University President Jay Gogue. “We are taking these unprecedented steps based on our utmost concern for the health and well-being of Auburn students, faculty and staff. In the meantime, we continue working with public health and emergency preparedness officials to make decisions in the best interest of the campus community and to help stop the spread of COVID-19.” Other university actions: All university events, including sporting events, are canceled through April 10, ensuring appropriate “social distancing” and helping prevent the potential spread of the virus. All university domestic and international travel is suspended through April 10. Dining facilities, libraries and residence halls will be closed through April 10. University officials will make arrangements for international students and others who are unable to return home. Students who have specific questions should contact the Division of Student Affairs. Decisions have not yet been made on spring commencement, summer study abroad programs or other events and activities beyond April 10. The university medical clinic remains open. Those exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should immediately call the Auburn Medical Clinic at 334-844-9825 before visiting the clinic. University officials will make arrangements for students who do not have access to the technology needed for remote instruction. Students who live on campus and believe it necessary to return to campus to collect personal items should first contact the Office of University Housing at housing@auburn.edu. John Merrill, Secretary of State: Our plan for changes in the elections process, if necessary, will be revealed at the appropriate time. Our intentions are to ensure a safe and secure election and provide accountable results in a manner that is transparent to the people of our state. We will continue to do so as we
Public, election offices may be kept in the dark on hacks
If the FBI discovers that foreign hackers have infiltrated the networks of your county election office, you may not find out about it until after voting is over. And your governor and other state officials may be kept in the dark, too. There’s no federal law compelling state and local governments to share information when an electoral system is hacked. And a federal policy keeps details secret by shielding the identity of all cyber victims regardless of whether election systems are involved. Election officials are in a difficult spot: If someone else’s voting system is targeted, they want to know exactly what happened so they can protect their own system. Yet when their own systems are targeted, they may be cautious about disclosing details. They must balance the need for openness with worries over undermining any criminal investigation. And they want to avoid chaos or confusion, the kind of disruption that hackers want.The secrecy surrounding foreign hacks is not a hypothetical issue. The public still doesn’t know which Florida counties were breached by Russian agents in the 2016 election. Rick Scott, Florida’s governor in 2016 and now a U.S. senator, was not told at the time and didn’t learn most of the details until this year. And the threat to electoral systems is real. Federal officials believe Russian agents in 2016 searched for vulnerabilities within election systems in all 50 states. And the nation’s intelligence chiefs warn that Russia and other nations remain interested in interfering in U.S. elections. Meanwhile, experts worry the White House hasn’t highlighted the threat as President Donald Trump argues it’s OK for foreign countries to provide damaging information on his political rivals, a matter now the subject of an impeachment inquiry led by House Democrats. In general, it’s up to electoral agencies to disclose when they’ve been hacked. That, plus the federal policy protecting the identity of cyber victims, could mean that state election officials might not be told immediately if one of their local election offices experiences a breach. In addition, the whole situation could be considered classified as part of a federal investigation. At least two states — Colorado and Iowa — have implemented policies to compel local officials to notify the state about suspected breaches involving election systems. “Every American in this nation deserves to have a democracy they can believe in, and when there is not good communication on cyber incidents … it does create a lack of confidence in the system,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. “Luckily we have been able to work around the void of federal policy that has been leaving our nation in a precarious spot.” But Department of Homeland Security officials say privacy is needed to ensure that officials come forward and share valuable threat information, such as suspect IP addresses. Some election officials could be hesitant about public disclosures, concerned their agencies would be portrayed in a negative light. They could opt to handle any breach alone. That could create dangerous delays in sharing information, said Jeanette Manfra, assistant director for cybersecurity at Homeland Security’s new cyber agency. Homeland Security acts as the middleman between the intelligence community and the states. In general, communication and coordination on election security have improved in the last two years. “We’ve worked over the years to be able to declassify even more and to do it faster,” Manfra said. “It’s still not a perfect process.” Due to the criminal nature of cyber breaches, law enforcement officials may seek to withhold releasing certain information long after the incident. When Florida’s current governor, Ron DeSantis, was briefed this year on the 2016 cyber breaches, he said he signed an agreement preventing him from identifying the affected counties. The secrecy surrounding Florida helped spur bipartisan legislation that would compel reporting among federal, state and local officials and to voters potentially affected by a breach. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Florida Democrat, co-sponsor of the bill, said she believes voters are the victims, not the election office, and that not disclosing information about election-related breaches could undermine public confidence. In June, a majority of Americans expressed at least some concern that voting systems are vulnerable to hackers, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “It’s hard for me to assess if what people are doing in response is sufficient when I don’t know the full scope of the problem,” Murphy said. “And I think that’s the same issue with voters: How can they feel comfortable or confident that this next election will be free and fair?” Yet election officials want to ensure they have a good understanding of what happened before going public so they don’t contribute to the confusion that the hackers may be trying to achieve. Cyber intrusions are inherently complicated, taking time to understand and contain. There is also a concern of inadvertently releasing information that could invite further compromises or undermine an investigation. “It is important to be as transparent as possible, but as with any crime, the full details of an investigation are not discussed,” said Paul Pate, Iowa’s Republican secretary of state. “It’s a balancing act that needs to be measured on a case-by-case basis.” In 2017, California election officials quickly disclosed the state had been notified by federal officials that its election systems were among those scanned by Russians the year before. Five days later, they had to correct the announcement after discovering the scans involved a non-election system. Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat, said it was an important lesson in making sure all the facts were there, especially considering the public is not familiar with cybersecurity terminology. In the summer of 2016, hackers accessed Illinois’ voter registration database, and officials moved fast to shut down the system and isolate the threat. State officials knew the move wouldn’t go unnoticed and felt it was important to notify the public. It became clear only later that Russian agents were involved, and the breach was part of an
It’s Election Day in some cities in Alabama
It’s Election Day! In August? Yep. Some big municipal elections are happening in many cities in the Yellowhammer State today; Auburn and Bessemer are among those who will have a chance to elect a new mayor, and members of the Huntsville and Mountain Brook communities will be electing city council seats. Oneonta, Jacksonville and Opp are holding elections for their city school boards; and the city of Ozark will decided today whether or not they will allow alcohol sales on Sunday. According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, the following elections will be held today: City of Huntsville – Regular Municipal Election – City Council Seats City of Opp – School Board Election – Districts 1, 2, and 4 City of Mountain Brook – Municipal Election – City Council Seats City of Oneonta School Board Election – Places 2 and 4 City of Ozark – Election for Sunday Sales of Alcohol City of Scottsboro – Municipal Election – City Council Seats City of Auburn – Regular Municipal Election City of Phenix City – Referendum for Elected City School Board City of Muscle Shoals – Ad Valorem Tax Election for Educational Purposes City of Bessemer – Regular Municipal Election City of Jacksonville – School Board Election – Places 1 and 2 Sample Ballots and full lists of candidates for some cities: City of Huntsville City of Mountain Brook City of Bessemer City of Auburn
Using common social media tactics to subvert US elections
The latest efforts to disrupt the U.S. midterm elections through Facebook manipulation seem to be following a persuasion playbook refined by legitimate companies and organizations — but with a twist. The aim of these possibly Russia-linked perpetrators appears to be to draw in as many people as possible with emotional appeals and then spur them to action. In this case, though, the action is public protest rather than affinity marketing, and the goal is to sow dissension rather than to build brand awareness. “They’re almost functioning like social media editors, figuring out what the trending topics are in the U.S. and figuring out where they can insert themselves,” said Jennifer Grygiel, a communications professor at Syracuse University. The idea, experts say, is to widen the rifts in the U.S. population via propaganda that is less about winning hearts and minds and much more about setting Americans against one another. The removed pages share “moralistic language” and appeal to emotions, said Jay Van Bavel, a New York University psychology professor who studies group identity. “The conflict already existed but they’re stirring it up, picking at a scab.” David Stewart, a marketing and business law professor at Loyola Marymount University, said those behind the scheme are trying to create an “us versus them” mentality, without which Facebook users might not be so polarized. Groups tied to the Russian government have been trying to meddle in U.S. politics since at least the 2016 elections. In February, the Justice Department charged 13 Russians and three companies with plotting to aid Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign through fake Facebook posts, ads and groups. More recently, Facebook said it had removed 32 apparently fake accounts and pages on Facebook and Instagram created by “bad actors” involved in what Facebook calls inauthentic political behavior ahead of the U.S. midterms. Although Facebook didn’t specifically say Russians were behind the latest efforts, the reported activity shared many similarities with Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 presidential election. It isn’t clear how well the efforts worked or if they have swayed the outcome of elections, either in 2016 or this time around. Sowing discord, however, could prompt people to stay home instead of voting — or to vote for more extreme candidates who support their view, experts say. Discord could also lead to real-world violence and conflict. During the 2016 elections, Russian agents bought a slew of issue-based ads to push arguments for and against immigration, gun rights and other issues. Many of them attempted to stoke racial divisions by mentioning police brutality or disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement. Russian agents took advantage of the same tools available to businesses and groups to target messages with precision. One video parodying Trump was targeted at blacks who also were interested in BlackNews.com, HuffPost Politics or HuffPost Black Voices, for instance. This time around, the efforts seem more focused on calling people to participate in protests and take action, at least based on the limited information provided by Facebook so far. The removed accounts appear designed “to trigger standoffs between genuine Americans, bringing the risk of real-life violence from false stories,” wrote the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council, which has been working with Facebook to study misinformation and foreign interference on its services. Those behind the accounts aren’t spending a lot of time creating original posts. Instead, they do what many other people do on social media to get likes and clicks: They steal or reshare other people’s posts. From there, legitimate organizations sometimes spread the messages further. “Americans thus became the unwitting amplifiers of Russian information operations,” the Atlantic Council researchers wrote. One indication that these efforts are working is that legitimate activist groups seem to have gotten swept up in some of the event listings created by these purportedly fake groups. For instance, several anti-racism groups attached themselves to a Washington protest called “No Unite the Right 2.” Though April Goggans, an organizer of Black Lives Matter DC, said the protest was organized by real people in the U.S., the event listing on Facebook was created by a left-leaning account that Facebook identified as fake. Facebook cancelled the account — and the listing — less than two weeks before it was to take place. Overall, the 32 accounts Facebook deleted recently tried to organize about 25 events. About half took place, even though the unknown agents behind them had no one on the ground and had to coerce people into attending the events purely through Facebook. Van Bavel said that suggests the agents behind this “have a fairly sophisticated understanding of what our weak spots are psychologically as Americans.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Gun safety advocates set their sights on elected office
A gun safety advocacy group that began in 2012 after 20 young children were shot down in their classrooms has grown since then and is increasingly focusing on getting its members into elected office. More than a thousand volunteer leaders from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America gathered Friday at an Atlanta hotel for a two-day conference called Gun Sense University. The kickoff event included big-name supporters, like actress Julianne Moore and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as survivors of gun violence. A common refrain Friday was a push to run for office. A “Running for Office 101” training session on Friday drew nearly four dozen people. One of them was DeAndra Yates from Indianapolis who got involved after her 13-year-old son was shot at a birthday party in February 2014. Now 17, her son DeAndre is a non-verbal quadriplegic. She has another son, 14-year-old Darrius, and three stepsons, and Yates said she fears every day for their safety. She can’t bear the thought of another mother having to go through what she did. Her involvement with Moms Demand Action has inspired her and she sees elected office as a way to take her activism to the next level. “It’s one thing as a survivor to go speak and pull on their heartstrings, but actually being the one with power to make things change means a lot to me,” she said. Yates said she plans to run in the next few years, though she’s not ready yet to say which office she might seek. Shannon Watts, a mother of five in Indiana, started the Moms Demand Action Facebook page that grew into a movement the day after those 20 students and six educators were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December 2012. The group partnered with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, co-founded by Bloomberg, under the umbrella of Everytown for Gun Safety. Watts knew nothing about America’s gun laws or community organizing, but felt she had to do something after Sandy Hook. “We built the plane as we flew it,” she said during the conference kickoff event. Now, the effort is five million-strong and includes more than 300,000 active volunteers who work on “bringing the gun lobby to its knees through unglamorous, heavy lifting, grass roots activism,” she said. Along the way, as they learned more about laws and policy, figured out how the system works and lobbied lawmakers, the volunteers began to realize that they were as qualified as any of the people in office, Watts said in an interview. Jennifer Lugar was one of those women. After her husband fatally shot himself in 2009, news reports about gun deaths suddenly felt more relevant to her. A common thread was often easy access to guns, she said. “Having a gun sitting there turns an impulse that might go away in 30 seconds into a tragedy that lasts forever,” she said. During the 2016 election she served as a volunteer for Moms Demand Action, giving her insight into how the process works and making her realize it was accessible to her. She then learned of vacancies on the borough council where she lives in Jenkintown, a Philadelphia suburb. She applied to be appointed to finish out one of the terms and then ran successfully for re-election last year. Although gun policy tends to be made at the state and national levels, her elected position has allowed her to make important connections and given her a bigger platform to spread her message, she said. Elizabeth Becker of Las Vegas fought hard in 2016 to get a background check initiative onto the ballot after the state’s governor vetoed a similar measure passed by the legislature. It was approved by voters, and now she’s thinking of running for office herself. “Once you get involved, you realized how wrong we are getting it in this country,” she said, referring to the nation’s gun laws. Becker participated in the conference’s class on running for office, which gave participants a taste of the lessons available in an online course offered by Moms Demand Action. Instructors discussed mobilizing voters, fundraising and crafting a message. “Being a part of this movement is so empowering,” Becker said, fired up after the class. “You constantly hear, ‘Yes, you can do that!’” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Five things you need to know about Bob Vance
Now that the runoff elections are over, voters are turning their attention to the November General Election less than 90 days away. In the race for Chief Justice, Democratic nominee Judge Bob Vance ran without opposition in the June 5 primary. Now he moves to the General Election, facing Republican nominee Associate Justice Tom Parker. With that in mind, here are the five things you need to know about Bob Vance: 1. Worked as a lawyer for 16 years before becoming a judge Vance attended the University of Virginia School of Law, returning to Birmingham in 1986 to join the law firm of Johnston Barton Proctor Swedlaw & Naff. There, he focused his practice on several forms of litigation, including commercial and class action defense and employment cases, according to his campaign website. 2. He’s been a Circuit Judge since 2002 Vance was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Jefferson County Circuit Court in 2002 – and it stuck. 3. He ran for re-election in 2004, 2010 and 2016 — without opposition. Since his appointment in 2002, Vance has sought re-election to the seat three times, running without opposition. As a Circuit Judge, Vance has presided over numerous civil actions cases including: medical malpractice, automobile accident disputes, and workers’ compensation claims. 4. He’s run for this seat before In 2012, Vance entered what he knew was going to be an uphill battle for the Chief Justice seat, running against former Chief Justice Roy Moore. Although he knew the fight to the top would be tough, Vance came within 4 points of beating Moore. “We have gotten our message out effectively. We have competed against a very well-known opponent in a very red state, and we have fought down to the wire, and I am proud of our efforts in that regard,” Vance told AL.com. 5. He’s the son of Robert S. Vance, former chairman for the Alabama Democratic Party Robert S. Vance was the Chairman for the Alabama Democratic Party in the mid 1960’s. “He was very much a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement,” Bob Vance told AL.com. “He got involved in politics and eventually he was elected as chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, I believe in 1966.” In 1989, Robert Vance received a package, he brought it inside, and placed it on the table in front of his wife. As he opened the package a pipe-bomb exploded across the kitchen, killing Vance, and severely injuring his wife. “At first I was angry. I was angry and frustrated,” Vance continued. “And of course for a while I had those questions. Who did this, Why did he do it?” In 1991 Walter Leroy Moody was convicted of killing Vance, Moody himself was executed by the state of Alabama earlier this year.
Walt Maddox has more cash on hand, more individual donors than Kay Ivey
Campaign finance reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s office show gubernatorial candidates Walt Maddox and Kay Ivey very close to one another in campaign fundraising; with Maddox showing more cash on hand. This week, benefiting from individual donations from across the state, Maddox closed the gap between himself and Ivey garnering almost $246,000 in campaign contributions. Ivey raised just a hair more than Maddox, reporting $248,523 in campaign contributions. The real difference is in the cash on hand totals. Last month Maddox reported $222,442 in cash on hand after receiving numerous donations from a plethora of individuals, while Ivey’s report revealed she had $458,674 in cash on hand. After this week’s filings, Ivey showed $271,477 in cash on hand while Maddox reported $313,249 in cash leftover from the month’s expenditures. “We are very encouraged by the latest fundraising report. Not only are we neck and neck with Kay Ivey in this month’s total, we have more cash on hand. Most exciting is the fact that we had over 40 pages of individual donors and Kay only had 12,” said Maddox’s Communications Director Chip HIll. “This continues to be a great indicator of the popular support that’s out there for Walt Maddox as more and more voters, Republicans and Democrats, respond to Walt’s vision for Alabama. While we certainly feel momentum is in our favor, we know that Kay Ivey is a formidable opponent who after 30 plus years in Montgomery knows how to find money.” Kay Ivey Campaign finance report – July: Kay Ivey Monthly Campaign Finance Report – July 2018 Walt Maddox Campaign finance report – July: Walt Maddox Monthly Campaign Finance Report – July 2018
Kay Ivey side-steps debate with Walt Maddox
Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday dismissed a challenge to debate Democratic Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox ahead of the gubernatorial election, saying only reporters and her opponent care about debates. “There are only two people that ever bring up the subject. Y’all in the media and my opponent,” Ivey said in response to a question about it. Ivey, who automatically became governor last year when then-Gov. Robert Bentley resigned in the fallout of a scandal, faces Maddox in the November election. The Tuscaloosa mayor, who is running on a platform of establishing a state lottery to fund education programs, challenged Ivey this week to a series of four debates. Asked twice if she would be willing to debate Maddox, Ivey repeated a statement from her campaign that Maddox should instead debate “himself” because he had been inconsistent on issues. “When he finishes debating himself he can talk,” Ivey said. Speaking to reporters after a Friday speech in Montgomery, Ivey said she believes the people of Alabama support her agenda. She cited a poll that showed her to be one of the most popular governors in the nation. Ivey did not debate her opponents in the GOP primary. Incumbent governors perceived as front runners sometimes avoid debates with challengers. In 2014, Bentley refused to debate his Democratic challenger Parker Griffith. Griffith responded by erecting a giant inflatable duck in downtown Montgomery to jab Bentley for “ducking” a debate with him. Griffith lost. During the GOP primary, Ivey’s Republican primary challengers argued that unlike elected incumbents Ivey has never been vetted for the position of governor. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Two Alabama House District races decided after provisional ballot counts
Out of the more than 20 runoff elections statewide, a few races resulted in a race just too close to call, including both Mobile County House District 102, and Chambers and Lee County House District 38. Both races were decided Tuesday evening after the counting of provisional ballots in each district, with Satsuma Police chief Shane Stringer winning House District 102, and Debbie Wood winning House District 38. In the District 102 race, Stringer went head to head with The Call News Publisher and owner Willie Gray. The two were neck-and-neck after the runoff receiving a total of 5,103 votes, with Stringer garnering only 25 more votes than Gray. After the counting of provisional ballots Stringer maintained his lead and won the race with a final margin of only 28 votes; 2,580 for Stringer to 2,552 for Gray. “A lot of people have worked really hard this last year on our campaign and we will be forever grateful, Gray posted on Facebook. “The provisional ballots were counted today and we have come up short. I can’t thank my family and friends enough for their support during this year-long process. I want to congratulate Shane Stringer on a hard-fought race. Now, let’s get back to making our district the best ever! Stringer faces no opponent in the November general election, giving him an automatic win for the district. Wood however, will face her democratic opponent Brian McGee in the November general election after winning her race by even closer margins than Stringer. Wood received 2,165 votes compared to her runoff opponent Todd Rauch‘s 2,159 – giving her a six vote lead heading into the provisional ballot counting. The margins remained the same Tuesday night, and Wood secured the Republican nomination with only a six vote lead. “I’m very humbled and very excited and I look forward to facing my opponent in November,” Wood told AL.com. At this point neither Rauch nor Gray have filed for a recount, both conceding their opponents wins.
House District 102 winner to be announced today
Out of the over 20 runoff races statewide only a few resulted in a margin just too close to call, one of those races; Mobile County’s House District 102. The two candidates; Satsuma Police Chief Shane Stringer and The Call News Publisher and owner Willie Gray were neck-and-neck receiving a total of 5,103 votes, with Stringer garnering only 25 more votes than Gray. However, the outcome of the race remains to be seen due to provisional ballots in the county that haven’t been counted. According to a news release from the Probate Court in Mobile county, there were 154 provisional ballots in Mobile County cast last week, with 58 in House District 102. The probate court was still counting the votes Tuesday afternoon. Whichever candidate is claimed the winner Tuesday will automatically win in the November General Election, as there is no Democratic opponent for the House seat. Both candidates expressed their gratitude for voters, volunteers and their continuing wishes on their campaigns Facebook pages. “We are humbled by the overwhelming support from our friends, family, and all of the Stringer supporters,” Stringer wrote. “Words cannot fully express the amount of gratitude that we have for the love that you all have poured into our lives.” “Please be in prayer today as we head to Probate Court and get the provisional vote count. We will send out an update as soon as we can,” Gray posted on Facebook. “Thank you all so much for your support and trust in this campaign. We know whatever happens it’s God’s will! God Bless District 102 and God Bless Alabama!”
Steve Marshall shows fundraising lead over runoff opponent Troy King
In the race for Attorney General, incumbent Steve Marshall is showing a substantial fundraising lead over his opponent Troy King, just ten days prior to the July 17 runoff election. The race has amassed a significant amount of attention from political PAC’s and voters alike, giving good reason for the millions accumulated and spent by both men. Although the title of “Attorney General” might not seem like the most glamorous title in Alabama politics, the position is viewed by many as the second most important job in state government. “The powers given by the state constitution and the Legislature are significant,” Retired political science professor Jess Brown told AL.com. “But the very nature of the office is that the occupant is the chief lawyer for this state and can, in fact, go represent state government even when they don’t want him to.” A look at the numbers Marshall is financially in the lead with $2.4 million raised for his campaign. Thus far he’s spent $2.1 million of those dollars. King follows a significant amount behind having raised $1.8 million, and spending $1.7 million. Both men received a bump in donations after the June 5 primary, but King holds the edge here; Marshall garnered $257,000 in donations, while King amassed $302,000. Both men paused their campaigns after the unexpected death of Marshall’s wife Bridgette Gentry Marshall in late June. Resuming his race on June 30, King vowed to keep on message of his political record and qualifications going forward. Marshall resumed his race earlier this week, saying Bridgette would have wanted him to get back to work and serve the people of Alabama.
AG Steve Marshall resumes his campaign in wake of wife’s death
Incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall has pressed play on his campaign after pressing pause due to the untimely and tragic death of his wife Bridgette Gentry Marshall. Marshall explained he is honoring his wife’s memory by continuing the campaign saying she would have wanted him to get back to work and serve the people of Alabama. “In the week following Bridgette’s passing, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support my family has received. Bridgette was a precious wife, mother, daughter, and friend. She was the brightest light in my life and in so many others,” Marshall posted to his Facebook page. “As we move forward, I am choosing to honor Bridgette’s memory in all that I do. Right now, that means getting back to work and continuing to serve the people of Alabama.” Marshall’s opponent Out of respect and in solidarity for Marshall, his primary runoff opponent Troy King also paused his campaign when he heard the news of Bridgette’s death. Resuming it on June 30, King vowed to keep on message of his political record and qualifications going forward, “I commit that I will keep my campaign to a discussion of our political records and our Republican qualifications and allow the voters to decide this race on the merits alone — seemingly a change of course from his previous strategy. In the weeks prior to Bridgette’s death, King and Marshall found themselves exchanging political jabs, but both candidates seem resolved to keep things civil for the coming weeks. King and Marshall face-off in the runoff election on Tuesday, July 17.
