Inside the Statehouse: Methodists have Dominated High Offices in Alabama History
Alabama’s leading columnists discusses the respective faiths of our state’s leaders.
Steve Flowers: Legends of Girls State
For almost 100 years one of, if not the best annual event for young Alabama High School leaders in Alabama has been the Alabama Boys State and the Alabama Girls State programs. These events are sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxillary. Boys State and Girls State are sponsored nationwide by the American Legion. The programs epitomize the American Legion’s mission to honor those who have bought us our American freedom. The Girls State and Boys State programs brings the brightest high school leaders together every June. These young Alabama leaders will be Alabama’s governmental leaders in the future. During the week-long session these high school rising seniors develop leadership skills and action-based understanding of the governmental process that gives them a lasting foundation for success both professionally and personally. Boys State has spawned Alabama’s governmental leaders for decades. I attended Boys State 50-years ago this month. I remember it like it was yesterday. It is a lifetime memory. You make friends that last throughout life and have resurfaced my entire life. One of my contemporaries from Boys State, who became a lifetime friend, is current Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Tom Parker. Now that women have taken their rightful place in Alabama governmental positions, it is appropriate that our top two female leaders in Alabama got their start at Alabama Girls State. Governor Kay Ivey and BCA CEO Katie Britt were leaders at Girls State. Katie Britt, who was young Katie Boyd, has always been an outstanding leader. Katie became Governor of Girls State. Kay Ivey has stayed extremely active as a Board member and Director of Girls State ever since her years at Auburn University. She has volunteered as a counselor for over 50 years. She loves Girls State. In fact, when these young female leaders meet next week at the University of Alabama for the 79th time, Kay will address them as their Governor and fellow Girls Stater. These young women leaders will organize and assume the roles of government leaders. They will campaign in mock parties called the “Federalists” and “Nationalists.” They will divide up in cities and become mayors and county officials. Then others will have bigger roles as state constitutional officers and Supreme Court Judges. One will become Governor. She and the Lt. Governor will go to Washington D.C. to attend Girls Nation. They may even run for President of Girls Nation. Governor Ivey has mentored several Girls State leaders over the years. Lee Grant Sellers, “Mrs.” Girls State, was an outstanding leader from Montgomery. She is now the 18-year Director of Alabama’s Girls State. Lee’s husband, Will Sellers, currently sits on the Alabama Supreme Court. By the way, Lee and Will are Kay Ivey’s closest friends and confidants. We have had a President of Girls Nation mentored by Governor Kay Ivey, Cathy Johnson Randall. Kay bonded with Cathy through Girls State. Cathy has been one of the most outstanding leaders in Alabama over the past 50 years. She headed Kay Ivey’s Gubernatorial Inauguration Committee. I knew Cathy as a student at the University of Alabama. She was by far the most respected leader on campus, male or female. She was president of everything on campus. While at the University, she was a Chi Omega, a Crimson Girl, SGA Senator and ODK, and a member of Mortar Board. After graduation from the Capstone, she married Pettus Randall from Tuscaloosa, thus becoming Cathy Johnson Randall. Upon his death she became the Chairman of the Board of Randall Holdings. She is also on the Board of the Alabama Power Company and Mercedes Benz. While in high School, Cathy Johnson Randall was elected Governor of Girls State and then went on to become President of Girls Nation. Believe it or not, her husband Pettus, was Boys State Governor and Boys Nation President. Furthermore, she and Pettus had a daughter who was Governor of Girls State and President of Girls Nation. 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.
Ala. Supreme Court ruling declaring unborn baby a ‘person’ attracts attention of Dr. James Dobson
Earlier this month, the Alabama Supreme Court unanimously issued an opinion upholding the death penalty for double murder for a man who shot and killed his pregnant wife and their unborn child. The baby in utero was only 6-to-8 weeks old, making this ruling a first in the nation to uphold the “personhood” of an unborn baby. The historic decision in the case of Jessie Livell Phillips v. State of Alabama has since caught the attention of Dr. James Dobson, founder of the James Dobson Family Institute — an organization dedicated to preserving the biblical institutions of marriage and family by encouraging, inspiring, supporting, and leading parents and children to build their lives on God’s Word. “I am truly encouraged by the Alabama Supreme Court’s opinion, which powerfully affirms the humanity of the unborn in the eyes of the law,” Dobson said of the court’s decision. “In this tragic instance, by ruling that the murder of a pregnant women is a double homicide, God has truly done as the scriptures say: what was intended for evil…God intended for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Following the court’s ruling, Justice Tom Parker wrote a special concurrence calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal Roe v. Wade. Dobson called Parker’s concurrence “powerful” saying it has “given a voice to so many.” “In his powerful concurrence, Justice Parker has given voice to so many of us who are devoted to defending the lives of the unborn by making a declarative legal argument for why the scourge of Roe v. Wade must, once and for all, be repealed by the U.S. Supreme Court. I encourage everyone to read his powerful argument for themselves, and take heart as we all continue to be a voice for life,” said Dobson.
6 former justices, including 3 Republicans, endorse Democrat Bob Vance for chief justice
Six former Alabama Supreme Court justices, including three Republicans, signed a letter on Monday endorsing Democratic Judge Bob Vance in the race for chief justice. The former justices, including two former chief justices, urged voters to pick Vance over Republican Associate Justice Tom Parker in the Nov. 6 election. Parker is a current member of the court. The former justices called Vance, a circuit judge in Jefferson County for the past 16 years, the most qualified for the position and said he would be a chief justice “of whom we could all be proud.” “He is clearly the most qualified candidate for this high office,” the letter read. “Bob also has judicial temperament and the legal acumen required to decide cases on their merit. He knows that politics has no place in legal decisions.” The three Republicans who signed the letter are former Chief Justice Drayton Nabers, former Associate Justice Tom Woodall and former Acting Chief Justice Gorman Houston. The Democrats signing the letter are former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb and former associate justices John England and Mark Kennedy. The Parker campaign did not immediately respond to the endorsement letter. Vance received a similar endorsement in 2012 when he unsuccessfully ran for chief justice against Republican Roy Moore, for whom Parker once worked. Moore was twice stripped of chief justice duties after an ethics panel said he defied, or urged defiance of, federal court orders regarding same-sex marriage and the display of the Ten Commandments. In a campaign ad, Vance has contended Parker will be “another Roy Moore” if elected to head the state court system. Parker was elected to the Supreme Court in 2004. He won the GOP nomination this year after defeating Chief Justice Lyn Stuart with a campaign that appealed to social conservatives and emphasized his hope of one day overturning U.S. Supreme Court decisions such as the one that legalized abortion. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Bob Vance ad says Tom Parker will be ‘another Roy Moore’
Alabama chief justice candidate Judge Bob Vance has launched an ad saying Justice Tom Parker will be “another Roy Moore” if elected to head the state court system. The ad centers on Parker’s longtime association with Moore and asserts that Parker will cause the “same chaos and controversy” as Moore if elected to head the state judicial system. A discipline panel twice stripped Moore of chief justice duties for misconduct after finding that he directly defied, or encouraged defiance of, federal court orders regarding same-sex marriage and the public display of the Ten Commandments. The ad has a quote of Parker saying how he would “relish” being compared to Moore and notes the two ruled similarly in the so-called birther case that questioned Barack Obama’s citizenship. “Voters in Alabama need to thoroughly know and recognize the choices they have in this race for chief justice. And certainly the background, the philosophy of each of the candidates, my opponent and myself, are something that the voters should look at in making an informed decision on Nov. 6,” Vance said Thursday. https://youtu.be/KAoK5jc3HKc Vance said it is clear that Parker has the same “activist world view” as Moore. In a statement issued through his campaign, Parker said the ad won’t, “fool Alabama voters in November.” “This is typical of the lying left wing extremists that have attacked me throughout my career,” Parker said. During Moore’s first term in office, Parker served as deputy administrative director of courts. He also served as Moore’s spokesman during fights over a Ten Commandments monument Moore erected in the state Supreme Court building. After Moore was ousted as chief justice in 2003, Parker was elected as an associate justice the next year. The 2018 chief justice race has undertones of a rematch. With support from moderate Republicans, Vance, a Democrat, came within a few percentage points of defeating Moore in the 2012 race for chief justice. Parker is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Vanderbilt University law school. Before joining the court, he has also served as an assistant attorney general and director of a conservative think tank tied to James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. Parker has said he sees Alabama’s courts as a key battleground to provide U.S. Supreme Court cases and “reverse some of those horrible decisions of the liberal majority from the past that have no constitutional foundation whatsoever.” Vance is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Virginia law school. He serves as circuit judge in Jefferson County and has been elected three times since his appointment in Jefferson County in 2002. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Democrat Bob Vance outraising GOP opponent Tom Parker in Alabama chief justice race
In the race for Alabama chief justice, Democratic nominee Bob Vance is attracting more donors than Republican Tom Parker. Campaign finance reports filed recently show that Vance raised $200,000 for his campaign last month. Parker reported raising less than $4,000. Vance has an available campaign balance of $420,197 while Parker has $17,500. The race pits Parker, a member of the court since 2005 and a past adviser to former chief justice Roy Moore, against Vance, a Jefferson County judge. Finance reports show that two former Republican Supreme Court members, former Chief Justice Drayton Nabers and former Justice Thomas Woodall, donated to Vance’s campaign. Parker won the GOP primary over incumbent Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, who had a financial advantage in the race. Republished with permission form 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.
Five things you need to know about Tom Parker
Now that the runoff elections are over, voters are turning their attention to the November General Election only 90 days away. Associate Justice Tom Parker beat out former chief justice Lyn Stuart in the June 5 primary election with almost 52 percent of the vote. Now he moves to the General Election, facing Democratic nominee Judge Bob Vance. With that in mind, here are the five things you need to know about Tom Parker: 1. He attended some of most prestigious schools in the country, and traveled to Brazil to study. Parker attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University school of law in Tennessee. According to his campaign bio, he was also a Rotary International Fellowship recipient and attended the University of Sao Paulo School of Law, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he was the first foreign student in Brazil’s most prestigious law school. 2. He’s held numerous positions in different courts across the state Parker has most recently served as Alabama’s Associate Justice, a position he’s held since 2004; but has also held numerous positions across the state including: Deputy Administrative Director of Courts, General Counsel for the Alabama court system, Director of the Alabama Judicial College, and Legal Adviser to the Chief Justice under Roy Moore. 3. He founded the Alabama Family Alliance, now the Alabama Policy Institute The Alabama Family Alliance, now the Alabama Policy Institute, was founded by Parker in 1989; he also served as the think tanks first Executive Director. “The Alabama Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to strengthening free enterprise, defending limited government, and championing strong families,” API’s mission statement reads. 4. He served as an Assistant Attorney General under Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor. According to his bio on the Alabama Judicial System’s website, Parker served as an assistant Attorney General under both Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor. “As an Assistant Attorney General, he handled death penalty cases, criminal appeals, and constitutional litigation,” the bio reads. “He has extensive experience in writing appellate briefs and with oral arguments before the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals.” 5. He is a longtime friend and ally of former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore Parker served under Moore as a Legal Adviser, and has been described by some as “Moore- light.” “He hasn’t been directly involved in Parker’s campaign. But neither has Parker sought to put any distance between him and Moore,” the Associated Press reported. “Parker contends Moore was wrongfully suspended in 2016, after an ethics panel ruled he was urging probate judges to defy the Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage. He says Moore was treated unfairly because of his Ten Commandments fight.”
Bob Vance holds major financial lead over opponent Tom Parker
According to monthly campaign finance reports filed with the Secretary of State’s office this week, Alabama Chief Justice Democratic candidate Judge Bob Vance is holding a major financial lead over his Republican opponent Associate Justice Tom Parker. Parker beat out former chief justice Lyn Stuart in the June 5 primary election with almost 52 percent of the vote. Vance had no primary opponent. According to the campaign filings, Parker ended the month of July with $13,753 in his account, while Vance ended the month with $239,200. Over the course of the month Parker raised just $2030, to Vance’s $93,080. “I think what’s pleased me most is that our numbers come from a large number of individual contributors,” Vance told AL.com. “I think we’re over 1,600 different contributors now. And the overwhelming majority of that is individual contributions. So that’s very heartening to me and it shows we’re getting a lot of support in the campaign.” Parker claimed he was not worried about the difference in funds; “I have had a continual experience of being able to use my money conservatively in my campaigns to win against candidates who have out raised me or outspent me multiple times over,” Parker told AL.com. But according to the Associated Press, the race has undertones of a rematch. Parker, a longtime ally of former Chief Justice Roy Moore – and Vance; who’s strong showing against Moore in the 2012 race for chief justice helped inspire U.S. Sen. Doug Jones last year in his defeat of Moore for the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. If elected, Vance would become the only Democrat on the Alabama Supreme Court. Read the full campaign finance reports below: Tom Parker Monthly Campaign Filings – July Bob Vance Monthly Campaign Filings – July
More Democrats on Alabama ballot for Tuesday elections than in previous years
Alabama’s primary ballot features multiple offices and something voters in the Republican-controlled state haven’t seen in years: Democratic races for statewide and congressional positions. Alabama Democrats have 27 total candidates running for state positions or Congress this year, more than double the 13 from 2014. That means there are several Democratic primary races, compared to just one for a statewide office four years ago. Many of the eventual Republican nominees will still run unopposed in the General Election because no Democrats qualified. But with Democratic opposition to President Donald Trump running high and after Democrat Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama’s U.S. Senate in December, the once-powerful party is trying to show signs of life. Aside from the governor’s campaign, in which five Republicans and six Democrats are vying for their party’s nominations, here are some other races to watch: ___ Attorney General Republican appointee Steve Marshall is facing voters for the first time in a statewide race as he seeks election to the office of attorney general, and it might not be easy. Marshall, a former Marshall County district attorney, has served in the job since February 2017, when then-Gov. Robert Bentley tapped him after naming Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate. Marshall is being opposed in the GOP primary by Alice Martin, a former federal prosecutor who was the state’s chief deputy attorney general; Troy King, a former state attorney general and Birmingham lawyer Chess Bedsole. Birmingham attorneys Joseph Siegelman and Chris Christie are vying for the Democratic nomination. Siegelman is the son of former Gov. Don Siegelman. The attorney general is responsible for representing the state in criminal and civil matters, and the office often is a stepping-stone to other positions. Just ask U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former Alabama attorney general. ___ Congress Rep. Martha Roby’s bid to hold on to her District 2 seat from the Wiregrass region of southeastern Alabama for a fifth term highlights the state’s congressional primaries. The House Appropriations Committee member is being opposed by candidates including Bobby Bright, who Roby defeated to claim the seat in 2010. Other opponents include Rich Hobson of Enterprise, who managed Roy Moore’s unsuccessful Senate campaign last year. Roby gained Republican critics after distancing herself from Donald Trump’s vulgar comments about women during his presidential campaign in 2016. The eventual GOP nominee will face either education researcher Tabitha Isner of Montgomery or activist and military veteran Audri Scott Williams of Cottonwood. They’re competing for the Democratic nomination in the Republican-dominated district. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville and Robert Aderholt of Haleyville also have challengers in the GOP primary, and Democrats have primaries in four districts in all. There was just one Democratic congressional primary in 2014. ___ Lieutenant Governor Alabama has been without a lieutenant governor for more than a year, and the primary is a first step toward filling the office. Alabama Public Service Commission president Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh is running in the Republican primary against two state legislators: Rep. Will Ainsworth of Guntersville and Sen. Rusty Glover of Mobile. Cavanaugh has outpaced other candidates in fundraising with nearly $1.1 million in total contributions through April. The eventual Republican nominee will face Democratic minister Will Boyd, who lost the U.S. Senate primary against Doug Jones in the special election last year. The office of lieutenant governor, who is president in the state Senate, has been vacant since April 2017, when Kay Ivey succeeded Robert Bentley as governor following his resignation and guilty plea amid a sex-tinged scandal. Ethics is a top issue in the race as the Legislature looks to review Alabama’s ethics law next year and lawmakers currently face corruption charges. ___ Supreme Court The Alabama Supreme Court isn’t in the news as often as it used to be without Roy Moore as chief justice, but the primary ballot includes three contested races on the nine-member, all-Republican panel. Current court members Lyn Stuart and Tom Parker are vying for the Republican nomination for chief justice. Stuart has been serving in the position since Moore’s suspension for violating judicial ethics and later resignation to run for the Senate. Either Stuart or Parker will face Bob Vance Jr., a Jefferson County circuit judge who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Court appointee Brad Mendheim is opposed by circuit judges Debra Jones of Anniston and Sarah Hicks Stewart of Mobile for the GOP nomination for Place 1 on the nine-member court. And attorneys John Bahakel and Jay Mitchell of Birmingham are both seeking the Republican nomination for the Place 4 seat. The winner will face Democrat Donna Wesson Smalley in November. ___ State School Board Republicans are fighting over two seats on the Alabama State Board of Education, and the winners of both races will have Democratic opponents in the fall. Four Republicans are running for the District 2 seat held by Betty Peters, who isn’t seeking re-election. They include former Dothan school board member Melanie Hill; Coffee County resident Sybil Little; John Taylor of Dothan; and Auburn City School Board President Tracie West. The winner will face Democrat Adam Jortner in November. Business executive and former Madison school board Rich McAdams and Wayne Reynolds, a retired educator and registered nurse from Athens, are seeking the Republican nomination in District 8. The seat is now held by Mary Scott Hunter, who is running for the Alabama Senate. Jessica Fortune Barker is on the ballot as a Democrat in the General Election. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Who’s who in statewide and congressional races on the primary ballot
Alabama’s primary ballot features multiple offices and something voters in the Republican-controlled state haven’t seen in years: Democratic races for statewide and congressional positions. Alabama Democrats have 27 total candidates running for state positions or Congress this year, more than double the 13 from 2014. That means there are several Democratic primary races, compared to just one for a statewide office four years ago. Many of the eventual Republican nominees will still run unopposed in the General Election because no Democrats qualified. But with Democratic opposition to President Donald Trump running high and after Democrat Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama’s U.S. Senate in December, the once-powerful party is trying to show signs of life. Aside from the governor’s campaign, in which five Republicans and six Democrats are vying for their party’s nominations, here are some other races to watch: ___ Attorney General Republican appointee Steve Marshall is facing voters for the first time in a statewide race as he seeks election to the office of attorney general, and it might not be easy. Marshall, a former Marshall County district attorney, has served in the job since February 2017, when then-Gov. Robert Bentley tapped him after naming Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate. Marshall is being opposed in the GOP primary by Alice Martin, a former federal prosecutor who was the state’s chief deputy attorney general; Troy King, a former state attorney general and Birmingham lawyer Chess Bedsole. Birmingham attorneys Joseph Siegelman and Chris Christie are vying for the Democratic nomination. Siegelman is the son of former Gov. Don Siegelman. The attorney general is responsible for representing the state in criminal and civil matters, and the office often is a stepping-stone to other positions. Just ask U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former Alabama attorney general. ___ Congress Rep. Martha Roby’s bid to hold on to her District 2 seat from the Wiregrass region of southeastern Alabama for a fifth term highlights the state’s congressional primaries. The House Appropriations Committee member is being opposed by candidates including Bobby Bright, who Roby defeated to claim the seat in 2010. Other opponents include Rich Hobson of Enterprise, who managed Roy Moore’s unsuccessful Senate campaign last year. Roby gained Republican critics after distancing herself from Presidential Donald Trump’s vulgar comments about women in 2016. The eventual GOP nominee will face either education researcher Tabitha Isner of Montgomery or activist and military veteran Audri Scott Williams of Cottonwood. They’re competing for the Democratic nomination in the Republican-dominated district. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville and Robert Aderholt of Haleyville also have challengers in the GOP primary, and Democrats have primaries in four districts in all. There was just one Democratic congressional primary in 2014. ___ Lieutenant Governor Alabama has been without a lieutenant governor for more than a year, and the primary is a first step toward filling the office. Alabama Public Service Commission president Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh is running in the Republican primary against two state legislators: Rep. Will Ainsworth of Guntersville and Sen. Rusty Glover of Mobile. Cavanaugh has outpaced other candidates in fundraising with nearly $1.1 million in total contributions through April. The eventual Republican nominee will face Democratic minister Will Boyd, who lost the U.S. Senate primary against Doug Jones in the special election last year. The office of lieutenant governor, who is president in the state Senate, has been vacant since April 2017, when Kay Ivey succeeded Robert Bentley as governor following his resignation and guilty plea amid a sex-tinged scandal. Ethics is a top issue in the race as the Legislature looks to review Alabama’s ethics law next year and lawmakers currently face corruption charges. ___ Supreme Court The Alabama Supreme Court isn’t in the news as often as it used to be without Roy Moore as chief justice, but the primary ballot includes three contested races on the nine-member, all-Republican panel. Current court members Lyn Stuart and Tom Parker are vying for the Republican nomination for chief justice. Stuart has been serving in the position since Moore’s suspension for violating judicial ethics and later resignation to run for the Senate. Either Stuart or Parker will face Bob Vance Jr., a Jefferson County circuit judge who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Court appointee Brad Mendheim is opposed by circuit judges Debra Jones of Anniston and Sarah Hicks Stewart of Mobile for the GOP nomination for Place 1 on the nine-member court. And attorneys John Bahakel and Jay Mitchell of Birmingham are both seeking the Republican nomination for the Place 4 seat. The winner will face Democrat Donna Wesson Smalley in November. ___ State School Board Republicans are fighting over two seats on the Alabama State Board of Education, and the winners of both races will have Democratic opponents in the fall. Four Republicans are running for the District 2 seat held by Betty Peters, who isn’t seeking re-election. They include former Dothan school board member Melanie Hill; Coffee County resident Sybil Little; John Taylor of Dothan; and Auburn City School Board President Tracie West. The winner will face Democrat Adam Jortner in November. Business executive and former Madison school board Rich McAdams and Wayne Reynolds, a retired educator and registered nurse from Athens, are seeking the Republican nomination in District 8. The seat is now held by Mary Scott Hunter, who is running for the Alabama Senate. Jessica Fortune Barker is on the ballot as a Democrat in the General Election. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Chief Justice Lyn Stuart picks up major endorsements in primary
Six current and former Alabama Supreme Court justices have endorsed Alabama Chief Justice Lyn Stuart in a Republican primary. The current and former justices on Thursday announced their support for Stuart who faces Associate Justice Tom Parker in the June 5 GOP primary for chief justice. Justice Mike Bolin, Justice Jim Main, retired Justice Gorman Houston, retired Justice Patti Smith, retired Justice Champ Lyons, and retired Justice Bernard Harwood said they were supporting Stuart. The GOP primary pits Parker, a longtime ally of former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, against Stuart, who took over Moore’s duties when Moore was suspended from the bench. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey later appointed Stuart as Moore’s replacement. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Bob Vance in November. Reprinted with permission of the Associated Press.
