Gubernatorial candidate Lindy Blanchard calls for suspension of 2019 gas tax
Gubernatorial candidate Lindy Blanchard held a press conference on Tuesday vowing to work to repeal the 2019 gas tax in order to help Alabamians with rising inflation and oil prices. The press conference was held at a gas station on Lurleen B. Wallace Blvd. S in Tuscaloosa. During her speech, Blanchard discussed the impact of high gasoline prices on residents of the state and called on incumbent Governor Kay Ivey and state legislators to suspend the gas tax immediately. “One of the biggest long-term threats to our country is our ballooning debt and deficit,” said Blanchard. “Big spending bills and inflated taxes aren’t just a national problem, they’re an Alabama problem, too. Our current taxes, along with Joe Biden’s inflation, is just too much. A recent study showed that increasing prices at the pump are impacting Alabamians more than any other state in the nation. I know you need help immediately! Today, not tomorrow, not after the election. That’s why we are here today.” Blanchard also announced Tuesday an online petition to pressure Ivey to suspend and ultimately repeal the gas tax. “It’s the job of our state leaders, like the Governor, to find solutions to help our people, and I believe that starts with putting more of your money back in your pockets,” Blanchard said. “I will be the Governor that finally steps up, rolls up her sleeves, and gets it done.” Gubernatorial challenger Tim James also called for a repeal of Alabama’s 2019 gas tax increase — as well as an end to the state’s sales tax on groceries — saying families need relief from soaring prices. Ivey has stated she did not support a temporary freeze on state gas taxes “at this time” and put the blame for rising prices on “Biden policies.”
Tim James calls to repeal 2019 gas tax increase, sales tax on food
Republican gubernatorial challenger Tim James on Wednesday called for a repeal of Alabama’s 2019 gas tax increase — as well as an end to the state’s sales tax on groceries — saying families need relief from soaring prices. James, the son of former Gov. Fob James, is one of several GOP candidates challenging Gov. Kay Ivey in the upcoming Republican primary. He is seeking to use the gas tax increase that Ivey supported as a wedge issue with primary voters. James said he supports a repeal of the 10-cent-per-gallon gas increase approved in 2019, as well as a repeal of the state’s sales tax on food and business privilege tax. “The people of Alabama are fed up,” James said during a news conference in Montgomery. “It’s affecting whether they can fill up their car with gas or make a house payment or sign up their kids for baseball. That’s how serious this is,” James said. Alabama lawmakers in 2019 approved the increase on gasoline and diesel fuel taxes to fund road and bridge construction. The increase amounts to $6 per month for a person who uses 15 gallons of gasoline per week. James said he understands some people argue that “isn’t that big of a deal,” but repealing it would reduce what families and businesses pay in fuel costs. James is one of a number of Republicans challenging Ivey in the May 24 primary. The field also includes Lindy Blanchard, who served as ambassador to Slovenia under former President Donald Trump. A spokesman for Ivey’s campaign cited her record on job creation, unemployment as well as social issues, including an attempt to outlaw abortions in the state and a ban on transgender girls playing on female sports teams. “While others talk, Governor Ivey delivers …. Governor Ivey is a fighter, and she will remain focused on getting results for Alabamians and defending conservative Alabama values,” her campaign said. Some legislative leaders have said a repeal of the 10-cent increase would not have a major impact on prices at the pump but would interrupt the road and bridge construction being funded by the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act. Ivey, after a morning appearance at the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, said she did not support a temporary freeze on state gas taxes “at this time.” She put the blame for rising prices on “Biden policies.” “Under President Trump, you could go buy gas and not have to hold your breath,” Ivey said. Gas prices have soared in recent months partly because of global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The situation has prompted several states to pause gas taxes. James said he would also repeal the state’s 4% sales tax on food. Repealing the sales tax on groceries has often been proposed in Montgomery but has never been approved over concerns about the loss of the approximately half-billion dollars it provides for the state’s education fund. Alabama is one of only three states with no tax break on groceries, according to Alabama Arise. James also proposed a repeal of the state’s business privilege tax, a tax on entities doing business in the state, that generated $186 million last year. James said he would not replace the revenue, arguing that lawmakers could use a current budget surplus and then economic growth to maintain state services without cuts. The Legislative Services Agency has cautioned that the state is seeing an unusual growth in tax collections and that another economic downturn is likely. James previously staked out far-right positions, including criticizing legislation that allowed students to do yoga in public schools. James ran for governor in 2002 and 2010, when he narrowly missed making the GOP runoff, finishing about 200 votes behind the eventual winner, Robert Bentley, who was elected governor that year and later resigned. Serving as lieutenant governor at the time, Ivey took over as governor in 2017 upon Bentley’s resignation and was elected to a full term the following year. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Lindy Blanchard: Alabama, U.S. are at a crossroads
It’s time for a new leader in Alabama — a new leader who does not do things the way they have always been done because they have always been done that way. Our state and our nation are at a crossroads. As we face rising inflation and energy costs, borders wide open, election fraud, and a decided lack of transparency in our election process as seen in 2020, we need the new direction that only an outsider can bring. True leadership takes fearlessness and boldness, two qualities I have demonstrated throughout my life and career that I would take with me into the governor’s office as Alabama’s next governor. We are seeing the importance of fighters around the nation and world right now. There’s no time for empty words or gestures. We need action. We need decisiveness. I was honored to be asked to share my experience as a U.S. ambassador under President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week. While there, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with conservative leaders from across the nation. Governors like Ron DeSantis are showing us how things can and should be done when running a state. U.S. Senators like Marco Rubio and John Kennedy and U.S. Representatives who are holding the line in D.C. — activists who love our country and value freedom were everywhere. They share our love for this nation and our concern for its future. I was able to share how my experiences as a mother of eight, business owner of 28 years, leader of our family’s foundation for 17 years, and, most recently, as the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia have prepared me for this moment. I know how to roll up my sleeves and work hard. Through our family business and foundation, I learned to focus on what matters most: results. On my CPAC panel, we discussed the need for energy independence to drive down the high prices that we are seeing as a result of liberal policies and tax increases. I know what it will take to ease the burden of these costs for Alabama families, like freezing and rolling back the gas tax to keep money in your pockets. I know what it takes to broker deals with European nations to sell Alabama goods because I’ve done it. As your governor, I have every intention of ripping the rug out from under our state’s dependence on trade with China and Russia. The governor should be the first line of defense from federal overreach. I am prepared to stand up to Joe Biden, China, and those who want to destroy our nation from within. Weakness and complacency are where we are. Showing weakness on a world stage is how our enemies know to act against us and our allies. President Donald Trump didn’t back down from a fight, not from foreign leaders or those within his own party. It’s no coincidence Vladimir Putin waited for Joe Biden to take office before pulling what he is now. He would not have done this under Trump! As an ambassador under President Trump, I worked to strengthen our partnerships with NATO nations while pursuing Trump’s agenda to take the cost burden off the American people and have other nations pay their own way. I brokered a first-of-its-kind banking deal. I returned home from my post to sell defense goods from Redstone Arsenal to European nations. These accomplishments are why President Trump, in a room full of our nation’s most accomplished conservative leaders, activists, and former administration appointees, singled me out and acknowledged my hard work from the stage during his keynote speech saying, “Thank you, Lynda. Good job.” I have worked relentlessly for decades before deciding to run for office myself. I’ve listened to you while on the campaign trail, and I will listen to you when I’m elected as the next governor of this great state. Lindy Blanchard is running for Governor of Alabama. Visit her website for more information: BlanchardforGovernor.com.
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.
Jim Zeigler will not run for Governor
State Auditor Jim Zeigler said Sunday he will not run for Governor this year. Zeigler set up an exploratory campaign in August 2021, and says he received support and encouragement to run instead for a down-ballot state office to remain in state government. He must decide and qualify by January 28. “Even though I get a lot more bang for the buck,” Zeigler remarked, “the Governor’s race has attracted a massive amount of money from well-funded challengers. Three candidates alone have already raised in excess of $10M.” Zeigler has served two terms as State Auditor and is limited by the state constitution from running for a third consecutive term. While serving as State Auditor, Zeigler formed a citizen’s group in 2019 to oppose the plan by ALDOT to charge a $6 toll each way between Mobile and Baldwin counties over the I-10 Bayway. The group grew to 51,000 members and successfully blocked the toll plan. Zeigler says he has always been an advocate for the people of Alabama and will keep fighting in whatever capacity they elect him to serve. “Alabama taxpayers need a consistent voice in state government to defend our constitutional rights and fight government overreach.” Official reports on the Secretary of State’s site shows campaign cash on hand of gubernatorial candidates: Kay Ivey $2.8 million Lindy Blanchard $6.3 million Tim James $1.66 million Jim Zeigler $22,000 Other candidates for governor are former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George; King’s Home exec Lew Burdette; Rev. Dean Odle who heads a Lee County Church and school; and Springville Mayor Dave Thomas. Zeigler is now starting his final year as auditor.
Tim James opens gubernatorial campaign with evangelical appeal
Business owner Tim James appealed to evangelical Christian voters as he opened his Republican campaign for Alabama governor Wednesday, railing against the threat of “godless Marxism,” quoting scripture and claiming God has called the conservative state to lead the nation. Standing before the white-domed Capitol with Christian music playing and beside a flag decorated with a cross, the son of former Gov. Fob James, after a prayer, attacked GOP leaders including Gov. Kay Ivey, who is seeking another term, over the approval of medical marijuana and an educational system that trails much of the nation. James, a toll road developer who has said he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, said Republican leaders hadn’t done enough to fight vaccine mandates, allowing one to take effect at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before the state attorney general’s office intervened. James said he would fight “casino barons” to prevent Alabama from becoming “the Las Vegas of the South.” While Alabama “has always been mocked for our values,” James said, it supported the formation of Israel years before it became a nation in 1948 and has a special place in the nation’s future. Support of Israel is a foundational issue for many evangelicals. “We stand at the gate of our state Capitol and seek God’s forgiveness for the sins of America, and we decree in the name of Jesus that Alabama will lead America in the years ahead, back to its proper position of authority amongst the nations, of which authority was granted by God at our inception,” said James, who quoted scripture. Angela James said her husband is a warrior who is prepared to lead a “crusade” and has the same evangelical zeal and spiritual discernment as his mother and father, who was elected to a four-year term in 1979 and reelected to a second term in 1995. “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” she said. James previously staked out far-right positions, including criticizing legislation that allowed students to do yoga in public schools. James ran for governor in 2002 and 2010, when he narrowly missed making the GOP runoff, finishing about 200 votes behind the eventual winner, Robert Bentley, who was elected governor that year and later resigned. Former Books-A-Million executive Lew Burdette; Lindy Blanchard, who served as ambassador to Slovenia under former President Donald Trump; correctional officer and former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George; and Opelika pastor Dean Odle have also announced their candidacies against Ivey. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Lew Burdette, former Books-A-Million CEO, to run against Gov. Kay Ivey
Former Books-A-Million CEO Lew Burdette, who now heads a nonprofit that provides shelters and group homes for abused women and children, announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Alabama against fellow Republican Gov. Kay Ivey. Burdette joins a growing list of candidates challenging Ivey in the GOP primary in May. Burdette filed qualifying papers Wednesday after making his announcement Tuesday at the main campus of the King’s Home nonprofit in Chelsea, outside Birmingham. “I’m Alabama through and through. It’s just in my DNA, and it just breaks my heart that when I left the University of Alabama 40 years ago, we were at the bottom of every category — in health care and prisons and education. And here we are 40 years later, and we’re in the same spot. Nothing’s changed,” Burdette said in an interview with The Associated Press. Burdette, 63, spent 13 years with Books-A-Million — starting when it was a mall chain called Bookland — and served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He left the retail giant in 1998. In 2002, he became the president of King’s Home, a Christian-based nonprofit organization that operates 21 residential group homes. The King’s Ranch serves neglected and abused children, while Hannah Home serves women and children fleeing domestic violence. “For the past 18 years, I’ve poured my heart and soul into fighting for abused youth, women, moms, and children fleeing domestic violence,” Burdette said. “I’ve seen countless lives transformed, given hope and opportunity, and our precious children deserve more than they’re getting in Alabama. They deserve fighting for.” In his announcement video, Burdette recalled surviving a kidnapping when he was 15. He said he was abducted outside his father’s grocery store in Roanoke, shot, stabbed, thrown down a well, and “left for dead.” “I battled for my life in the bottom of that well and only survived by the grace of God,” Burdette said on the video. Former Donald Trump ambassador Lindy Blanchard, businessman Tim James, correctional officer former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George, and Opelika pastor Dean Odle have also announced their candidacies against Ivey. Burdette is making his first run for political office. Like other challengers to Ivey, he positioned himself as a political outsider and said he would be a “disrupter” in Montgomery. “As a political outsider, somebody who has never been involved in politics, I don’t owe anybody any favors. Nobody has influence over me. I’m going to go down there; I’m going to be an agent for change. I’m going to be a disrupter because that’s the only way we’re going to move the state forward,” he said. Asked about what he would do on corrections and health care — two of the policy areas he mentioned — Burdette said he thought better training opportunities are needed for inmates so they can have a “path for success” when they are released. He said rural areas are struggling with health care access, noting the hospital that cared for him after the kidnapping has since closed. When asked, Burdette did not say if would support Medicaid expansion — something advocates have argued would help small hospitals stay financially afloat. He said he has seen the program’s benefit to the abused and neglected children they serve, but as a conservative, he was “wary of Washington printing money.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey draws challengers in 2022 GOP primary
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who had been considered a safe incumbent as she seeks a second full-term in office, is drawing challengers in next year’s 2022 Republican primary with candidates gambling that they can capitalize on ties to former President Donald Trump or conservative voter dissatisfaction with the pandemic and other matters. Lynda Blanchard, who was Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia, is switching from the U.S. Senate race to the gubernatorial contest, according to a copy of a campaign event invitation she tweeted. Toll road developer Tim James, the son of former Alabama Gov. Fob James, confirmed Monday that he is launching a primary challenge against Ivey. Blanchard’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the invitation that said a Tuesday campaign announcement was sponsored by the Lindy Blanchard campaign for governor. James said he is entering the race because he believes many conservative voters are “anxious” about the state’s recent political decisions. Among them, he cited a gas tax increase, a push by some Republicans to legalize casinos, a medical marijuana program, and aspects of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic such as past mask mandates on K-12 students. “This is not who the people of this state are,” James said in a telephone interview Monday. “It’s certainly not what normal, conventional-type Republicans believe in.” James ran for governor in 2002 and 2010, when he narrowly missed making the GOP runoff, finishing about 200 votes behind eventual winner Robert Bentley. Bentley went on to win the post that year. Ivey is seeking her second full term after Bentley stepped down in 2017 amid a legislative push to impeach him. Blanchard has scheduled a Tuesday campaign event in Wetumpka. Taking on a well-funded incumbent is typically an uphill battle in a primary. James is already known to primary voters. Blanchard, a businesswoman and mother of eight, is expected to lean into her ties to Trump, who remains popular among state Republicans. “The MAGA Movement is the heart and soul of this nation. I entered the Senate race to serve Alabama’s people, and no matter what the future may bring, that will always be my main goal,” Blanchard said last month amid speculation she was switching races. Trump on Monday backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s challenge to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in that state’s GOP primary next year. Trump encouraged Perdue to run after lashing out at Kemp, claiming he did not do enough to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia. It is unclear if Trump will weigh in on the Alabama race. He told Newsmax on Monday that he is looking at races but did not mention any candidate by name. “Well, I look at Alabama. It’s been a great state. I won it by record numbers, as you know. And a lot of people (are) asking for endorsements. And I’ll probably endorse people, various people at Alabama,” Trump said, noting he has already endorsed U.S. Mo Brooks in the U.S. Senate race. The primary is set for May 24, 2022. Stacy Lee George, a correctional officer and former Morgan County commissioner, is already running against Ivey. Speaking about the growing field, James noted his father used to say that “a governor’s race ought to draw a crowd.” Fob James served two terms as governor, once as a Democrat after being elected in 1978 and then as a Republican after being elected in 1994. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
