AL-Sen, AL-Gov: Statewide Recruitment Thread

During each weekday this month, we’ll be looking at a new state featuring senatorial or gubernatorial races in 2010, and asking for your thoughts on who Democrats should recruit to take on these races.

Yesterday was Alaska, and today we turn our eyes to Alabama. Incumbent Republican Gov. Bob Riley is term-limited, and several Democrats of note are giving this race a look (notably, Agriculture Commissioner and SSP hero Ron Sparks, Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr., and Rep. Artur Davis).

On the Senate side, GOP Sen. Richard Shelby has yet to announce his re-election plans, but with $13 million in his campaign’s coffers, I highly doubt any Democrats of note will want to receive a pummeling by that kind of money. Still, Shelby will turn 76 in 2010, and a retirement is not out of the question. If that seat opened up, we could see a serious game of musical chairs up and down the ballot on both sides of the aisle.

So, whom should the Democrats recruit for these races? And whom might step forward from GOP bench for either of these races (assuming that Shelby retires)?

56 thoughts on “AL-Sen, AL-Gov: Statewide Recruitment Thread”

  1. strip Alaska and Alabama of their state-hood and call it a day? Or would that just be blatenly unconstitutional and vindictive? 😛

  2. For the Democrats:

    Lt. Governor Jim Folsom Jr. is likely to run for governor. The other big dog in the race is Rep. Autur Davis, the guy who attacked Josh Sengall in the final stretch of the campaign. Doc’s Political Parlor has a big list of all the names

    http://www.politicalparlor.net

    I think Folsom will run and beat Kay Ivey on the top of the ticket and Sparks will replace him as Lt. Governor. If Shelby retires everything is shaken up, my guess is that Davis would run for and lose that seat.  

  3. If Republican Senators stop hoarding their vast chests of gold, they could give some serious oomph to the NRSC.

    Davis is a crap Democrat and by no means the best candidate for the seat, either according to our politics or those of the state (and the fact that he’s black wouldn’t make it any easier) but what he will do is force Shelby to spend.

    I say we draft him with great fanfare, hope Shelby folds so we can draft a better candidate to beat Davis in the primary, and if that fails we abandon Davis and let the PACs fund his defeat well.

  4. For starters its hard to believe Shelby was the last Dem to defeat incumbent Republican in the Senate. Shame he became a party switcher after ’94. Part of me was hoping there would be a couple party switchers after the ’06 midterms but I guess not.

    Well Dems still have a strong bench in the state legislature. I kno that they are mostly old school conservative Dems but they are major opposition to the Republican governor, and prevent him from having unchecked power in the State.

    Hinton Mitchem: He’s President pro temp and one of the longest serving state senators (serving since 1979) He was surprisingly able to defeat the efforts of a coalition of Republicans and disaffected Democrats to elect leadership that would be more favorable to Gov. Riley by a vote of 18 to 17!!

    Senate Majority leader Zeb Little

    House Speaker Seth Hammett

  5. got to agree with Folsom and Sparks for Gov and Senate respectively.  

    Maybe we can convince Davis to run for Lt. Gov

    Lacking these choices, there are still people like Baxley, Worley and Parker who have all won statewide before.  

    We could be looking at open seats for things like AG SoS Auditor and the like.  

  6. There is a chance of having open seats in basically every statwide elected position (Gov, LG, AG, Treas, SoS, Agr, Senate)

    Governor – Jim Folsom Jr.

    Lt. Governor – Ron Sparks

    Attorney General – Josh Segall

    Sec of State – Susan Parker

    Treasurer – Joe Turnham

    Auditor – Lucy Baxley

    Land – Glen Zorn

    Senate – Artur Davis

    Unrealistic, of course, but hey I can dream right.

  7. I like the guy, but is he really that delusional?  He’d be very lucky to crack 40% statewide and has no chance of winning.  He has a bright future in the House.

  8. Davis will be running for Gov against most likely Folsom –

    Lt. Gov – probably Sparks

    Sparks and Folsom will not run against each other. So Sparks could run for Gov. and Folsom for Lt. Gov again.

    Davis would win a primary contest against either.

    Stephen Black will probably run for State Treasurer – but he would be a good Atty General or Secretary of State candidate Also.

    Josh Segall may run for something but more likely he runs against Rogers again in AL-03.

    just elected Congressmen Bobby Bright and Parker Griffith are two potential statewide candidates. Either one of those would do well. But will be difficult to see either leaving Congress after one term.  

  9. What about Bud Cramer?  Ya, I know he retired from the House, but he’s only 61 and maybe he wouldn’t mind serving a term or two as Governor.  He’s pretty conservative, but this is Alabam we’re talking about.

  10. I understand the push for Folsom or Sparks at the top of the state ticket…but I don’t see how, if Artur runs (which by every indication, he is), how he loses to either of those two in a Democratic primary.  I largely agree with another commenters suggestions for the rest of the races.

    My favorite Democrats statewide at the moment are:

    1.  Artur Davis

    2.  Susan Parker

    3.  Ron Sparks

    4.  Joe Turnham

    5.  Jim Folsom

    6.  Bobby Bright

    If Senator Shelby retires, I would definitely see Artur shifting gears to the Senate race, as it would be a more open field than the gubernatorial race.  So, let’s assume that happens:

    Gov: Jim Folsom

    Sen: Artur Davis

    Lt. Gov.: Ron Sparks

    Sec of State: Susan Parker

    Treasurer: Joe Turnham

    Auditor: Lucy Baxley

    If there is not an open seat it becomes less clear cut..Davis and Folsom are liable to have a knockdown dragout in the primary and crippling any chance either of them would have had for winning in November.

  11. David Bronner, the head of Alabama’s pension fund, the RSA. From what I understand, he’s quite revered in the state, given the RSA’s success, including several investments in Alabama-based business ventures. You can read more about him on Wikipedia.

    At 62, he might be a bit old to seek office for the first time, but given his profile, reputation, and what I’m sure would be strong fundraising ability, he could pull it off, I think.

  12. Obama ran no campaign in alabama.  People think he’s muslim.  Davis is another story.  He’s carved out conservative credentials for himself.  Conservative white people like him, particularly in Birmingham, where all the voters are (25% of the population roughly).  

    He’s also the most progressive of the 3.  By far.  

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