I just came across a blog named “The Truth on Troy” (kudos to RS McCain), which claims to be…
[A]n attempt by an Alabama conservative to set the record straight about the current so-called Republican in the Attorney General’s office. We will not dabble in rumors or misinformation, but instead we will look at hard facts which demonstrate that AG Troy King is not a true conservative, and he needs to be replaced in the next election.
I took a quick look around and saw posts detailing personnel issues and contributions from gambling sources. While the site boldly proclaims that “we will not dabble in rumors or misinformation” there is a post discussing a certain rumor about King that began circulating last year. The rumor has bubbled back up thanks to RS McCain, a national blogger who is making a swing through Alabama.
To my knowledge the only time anyone, journalist or otherwise, has confronted King about the rumor is when WVNN’s Dale Jackson asked him about it. King bluntly replied multiple times that he does not discuss rumors.
McCain asserts that “there is the sense that the GOP attorney general is a ticking scandal-bomb that might explode into ugly headlines soon, and Republicans are worried about the potential for collateral damage in a year when all the political indicators seem to favor the GOP.” He says the media won’t touch the story, but that it shouldn’t be ignored because of the possible national implications. Ironically, Left in Alabama is concerned about the same thing happening to their candidates.
I maintain my position that based on the evidence I’ve seen I do not believe the salacious parts of this rumor. From people I’ve spoken with on background it was more of a confluence of circumstances that made for a believable story.
The Madison County Young Republicans and Right On Huntsville are hosting the Huntsville Governors Forum on Tuesday March 2, 2010 at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center’s Davidson Center.
The forum is open to the public and starts promptly at 6:15PM – that’s when the Butler High School Junior Air Force ROTC Color Guard opens the event with the presentation of the colors. If you know their Instructor, then you know that this event -shall- start on time.
There will be a private Reception with the Gubernatorial candidates starting at 5:00PM (tickets are $50 each, available online).
I’m announcing a milestone of sorts – the Huntsville Governors Forum website is UP! Check it out! The links work! The reception ticket ordering system works!
We are developing a questionnaire for the candidates - their responses will be featured at the HGF website. There will be nine questions – plus the softball. If you have a question that you’d us to consider, or if you’d like to chime in on which questions we should ask, please comment. Note that a Free the Hops question will (likely) be asked during the Forum itself. Also note that a question on tapping into the Alabama Trust Fund will (likely) be asked during the Forum. Here’s a draft list of questions:
Way back in early 2008 in the days following Bud Cramer’s surprise retirement from Congress the Democrats (and Republicans) were left casting about for candidates. One of the names mentioned on the “D” side was political consultant Steve Raby. Danny at Doc’s wrote a post entitled “Raby Rhymes with Maybe” addressing the speculation of a Raby run. Of course he did not run in 2008, but since Griffith’s party switch the Democrats are once again casting about for candidates. And Raby’s name is once again being mentioned.
I’ve never met Raby (that I’m aware of), but he certainly has great name ID among political observers in north Alabama. He’s a consultant, PAC money swapper, and former legislative staffer. Outside of that not many people know of him. His connections would certainly make him a viable candidate from a financial perspective. In addition to being rumored as a congressional candidate in 2008 he was also mentioned as a possible candidate for the SD-7 special election last year.
My gut tells me Raby will not run. Mid term elections are always tough on the President’s party and this year appears to be holding true to form, so there is that disincentive. But I get the feeling that Raby likes having his name bandied about for open seats. He’s a political consultant. Having everyone in the political chatting class excitedly talking about the prospect of him running is good for business. It shows that he is relevant. Why would he extinguish such speculation?
It looks like the Democrats may have their first candidate for AL-05 lined up, though. Tazewell Sheppard, the grandson of former Sen. John Sparkman, has candidacy papers “on his desk.” Left in Alabama has more on him.
He’s an attorney with Sparkman, Shepard and Morris in Huntsville. He has a J.D. from the University of Alabama Law School, a B.A. in history from Dartmouth and an A.A. from Eton.
Taze Shepard’s father, Tazewell Shepard, Jr., was Naval Aide to President John F. Kennedy and Taze himself clerked for the Director of the FDIC, was a U.S. Senate staffer in the 1970’s, was elected to the Alabama State Board of Education in 1990. Dr. Mary Jane Caylor primaried him out of that post in 1994, possibly because he advocated teacher performance evaluations.
I look forward to learning more about Mr. Sheppard should he decide to file those papers. I’m sure some will mock him as an elitist who graduated from a $45,000 per year British boarding school and $53,000 per year Ivy League university. I personally don’t have a problem with a quality education. If you have the financial means then take advantage of the opportunities it affords.
Whoever chooses to run under the Democrats’ banner in this district will have some tough questions to answer. If they run as loyal Democrats will they really stand behind their party’s leader, who is currently trying to kill off manned space flight (among other decisions unpopular in north Alabama)? Will they run as “moderate” or “conservative” independents, a la Parker Griffith in 2008 (albeit under false pretenses)? That certainly won’t energize their base. Just seems like whoever runs will be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Politico has a good article about the cool reception Parker Griffith is getting in north Alabama:
Six weeks after Rep. Parker Griffith rocked the political landscape by switching parties, his reelection is in jeopardy, amid strong resistance from local Republicans who refuse to embrace the former Democrat.
GOP leaders across the northern Alabama congressional district tell POLITICO that their most active members remain deeply skeptical about Griffith’s conversion to the GOP and that most do not plan to vote for him. Some insist he will not have enough support to win the June primary against several other challengers who have pointedly declined to drop out of the race.
Read the rest for yourself.
Like I’ve said all along, the party switch was good nationally. It was a thumb in the eye of Pelosi. But it is anything but a victory for local Republicans.
Griffith’s media flak said they are going to make every Republican aware of his “conservative voting record.” Good. I hope that includes his votes as a state senator. I’m guessing they won’t mention his previous emphatic support for universal health care, though.
Speaking of Parker Griffith, he just got his first committee assignment – to the Energy and Commerce Committee. Oh Goodie! Bless his heart, he tried to put a good spin on it, but the fact remains that he voluntarily removed himself from committees that were much more relevant to the needs of the district when he switched parties. Roll Call deemed it a “plum post” and I’m sure it would be for many congressmen. I think The Huntsville Times characterized the committee’s work nicely:
In the last few weeks, the committee has held a variety of hearings on crib safety, a cable company merger, an oil company merger, childhood obesity, coal waste and deceptive funeral home practices.
Griffith on a committee regulating funeral homes! Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse. I’m sure nervous NASA workers will take comfort that Griffith will be handling matters critical matters like crib safety and childhood obesity.
Others have taken notice of Griffith’s minimal utility as a congressman. The city of Huntsville hired former representative Bud Cramer to lobby for Marshall in D.C. When asked by WVNN host Dale Jackson about how the city is coping with having a congressman who dropped out of the committee that oversees NASA he responded that they asked Cramer to “lead” the efforts to protect NASA funding. He also said they are working “with others who are effective” like Sen. Shelby. As for Griffith, Battle said that he can do “a little bit less than most freshmen congressmen.” Ouch.
The Alabama Supreme Court has lifted a restraining order that prevented Bob Riley’s anti-gambling task force from raiding the VictoryLand bingo casino. Earlier in the week VictoryLand shut down its casino operations for “upgrades to computers for the food and beverage service.” Now the entire VictoryLand operation – dog track, hotel, and all – has closed. Country Crossing remains closed and its former employees are filing for unemployment.
While I maintain that the failed raids on VictoryLand and Country Crossing last week were an embarrassing failure, it looks like the governor is getting he legal ducks in a row to make the raids happen.
Here are the fundraising numbers for SD-09…
Tony Cochran has the most cash on hand by far. He raised $97,470 ($50k in the form of a loan from the candidate) and spent $5,099, which left him with $92,371 cash on hand. He also reported $5,008 in in-kind contributions. One noteworthy observation I made in my quick review is that over half of his contributions ($25k) came from two couples in Florida.
Rounding our the Republican field:
- Don Spurlin – $7,050 contributions / $29,091 loans / $15,986 cash on hand
- Clay Scofield – $9,100 / $0 / $7,373
- John Wilson – $5,938 / $0 / $4,387
Hinton Mitchem, the incumbent Democrat, took in $15,000 in contributions (all from PACs) and reported $59,933 cash on hand. There are still rumors that Mitchem may decide to not seek reelection. Could the weak 2009 fundraising numbers be indicative of a man who has made up his mind?
Cochran’s campaign released this statement:
(ALBERTVILLE, ALABAMA)—According to the Annual Campaign Finance reports filed with the Alabama Secretary of State, State Senate District 9 Republican candidate, Tony Cochran, outraised all his Republican and Democrat opponents combined and also finished the year with more cash-on-hand than all the other candidates combined.
“Though there are still five moths to go in this election, Tony’s strength in fundraising in 2009 and available cash-on-hand shows a strong local commitment level to his campaign,” said campaign chairman Jim Gentry. “What’s even more impressive is that Tony Cochran entered the race months after the majority of his other opponents did. I know campaigning is not just about money, but financial strength is a characteristic shared by most all winning candidates for office,” Mr. Gentry concluded.
“I have been blown away by the outpouring of support by my friends, family, business associates and even people that I am just now meeting through the campaign, especially considering we’ve only been at this a few short months,” Tony Cochran mentioned. He continued, “Wendi and I are so very thankful for the generous prayers, encouragement, and support we’ve received.”
Tony Cochran is a certified public accountant in Albertville. He is a first-time candidate for political office. He and his wife Wendi, a schoolteacher, have two daughters, Tara and Shelby.
More information on Tony Cochran can be found at http://www.tonycochranforsenate.com.
Yep, Wayne Parker is considering running for the AL-05 congressional seat for the fourth time. Just think, if he doesn’t win this this time the slogan for his next campaign could be “Fifth for the Fifth.”
Rumors that he would run have persisted ever since his defeat in 2008. A few weeks ago I was hearing everything from 50/50 chance, to probably in, to it’s a done deal. If I bet on such things I would put my money on him jumping in. (As a side note, neither the wayneparker10.com nor wayneparker2010.com domains are currently registered. In 2008 he used wayneparker08.com.)
Wayne certainly brings a lot to the table in terms of both name ID and proven fundraising ability. His big concern has to be fatigue among voters, donors, and volunteers. How many times will people be willing to walk door-to-door or hand over hard earned cash only to see Wayne come up short in the end? I’ve heard from one person who worked on all three of his campaigns who expressed reservations about working on a fourth.
This campaign presents a different dynamic than the first three, which could work to his favor. Previously he had to square off against an incumbent (twice) and a well funded state senator in Parker Griffith in 2008 (before everyone learned what a self serving phony he is). All indicators point towards a weak Democrat in the general. Steve Raby is the biggest name being tossed around, but he’s a behind the scenes money guy who isn’t well known outside of the political chatting class. While Wayne nearly escaped a crowded, but weak, primary field in 2008 he wouldn’t have such a luxury this time. The field already includes a wealthy, well-funded (but unprincipled) incumbent, a well known and solidly conservative county commissioner, and an energetic veteran who has strong support from the Tea Party crowd. Can Wayne continue his prior primary successes in this field? If so, I think he coasts to victory in the general. (I think whoever the Republican nominee is will win, but I think Parker would win by the widest margin.)
I’m already seeing comments here and elsewhere proclaiming that Wayne is the only chance Republicans have of ousting Griffith simply because Wayne has raised money well in the past. Maybe. Personally, I don’t make my voting decisions solely based on perceived viability. One could argue that ability to raise money hasn’t put him over the top in his three previous campaigns. I voted for Wayne over Griffith once and I would do so again, except that I feel Mo Brooks is the better choice for Congress.
On the subject of the AL-05 race, please indulge me on a slight tangent…
I think conservatives/Republicans/whatever need to maintain some perspective. The enemy, in political terms, isn’t Mo Brooks or Les Phillip or Wayne Parker. The enemy is Parker Griffith. I would argue that people who support or have supported any of the first three are fairly similar. Sure, we all have our own reasons for picking a candidate (you only get one vote, after all), but those reasons are trivial compared to why one should not vote for Griffith. Brooks/Phillip/Parker supporters would be well served to tone down the attacks on those candidates and their supporters. The principle goal should be defeating Griffith as any of the other three would be FAR, FAR better for the district. Please, argue FOR your candidate. Passionately. But just remember when you call a fellow conservative candidate a poo-poo head that you may end up eating crow after the primary when you suddenly become a supporter.
Finally! Note that this story has Huntsville ties. Steve Raby has been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate in the AL05 Congressional race and I wrote about Jyles Machen not long ago (“Democrat hack creates front group”):
Jyles Machen heads a shady PAC named “Real Democrat PAC, The” (TRD PAC) – note how the acronym helps hide the name of the PAC. Machen is a Democrat hack – even worse, he has no respect for elections. Machen is one of the scum who tried to “hijack” the State Board of Education Republican primary in June 2008… Fellow Democrat hack Steve Raby also pumped $100,000 into the attempted hijacking (Tennessee Valley PAC).
If someone at the Huntsville Times wants a story – here it is in your backyard.
From Matt Quillen at The Daily Home “Grand Jury indicts BOE member”:
SYLACAUGA — City Schools Board Member Troy “Skip” Smithwick was indicted on two counts relating to campaign contributions by a Talladega County Grand Jury.
A spokesperson for the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department said Smithwick was charged on Friday and released on a $5,000 bond. The two charges were failure to file annual reports and improper reporting of contributions.
Both charges are Class B misdemeanors under state law.
The indictment stems from an investigation into contribution forms submitted by Smithwick during a 2008 campaign. That year, he ran in the Republican primary for the District 3 State School Board seat…
Under state law, all candidates are required to submit their annual contribution reports no later than Jan. 31 of the following year. Smithwick’s final report was dated as received Oct. 6, 2009, by the Secretary of State… Donations totaling around $52,000 had not been reported until October. The previous report Smithwick had filed in May 2008 showed donations totaling approximately $253,000.
The second charge stated Smithwick failed to report a contribution from a group named The Real Democrat Political Action Committee. The group claimed a $100,000 contribution was made to “Smithwick for School Board” in their annual report received January 2009.
Jyles Machem, head of the Huntsville-based PAC, said in October that his group did not contribute any funds to Smithwick’s campaign…
Smithwick had claimed on his reports a $100,000 contribution from another Huntsville-based group, called the Tennessee Valley PAC…
Another apparent error appeared as both PACs claimed an $85,000 contribution to them in May from a group called the Senate Majority PAC. Senate Majority’s annual report showed only one $85,000 contribution being made, to The Real Democrat.
Both Tennessee Valley and Senate Majority PAC reports have the signature of Steve Raby as the “Chairperson or Treasurer of Political Committee.” Both groups are also listed at the same address…
Betty Peters, the District 2 representative for the state BOE, made the official complaint regarding Smithwick to Attorney General Troy King.
“This should be an example for all future candidates that the law has teeth and it will be enforced,” Peters said. “If somebody is going to be on the state school board making decisions affecting children and teachers, everybody makes mistakes but this is beyond a mistake.”
RELEASE: Griffith: ‘Administration Making Huge Mistake Cutting Constellation Program’
I’m on Congressman Griffith’s ‘press’ list now and I’ve been receiving almost daily press releases, including this one today:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2010
Contact: Brecke Latham
Here is the text of Griffith’s statement (he includes a YouTube video too):
“I’m extremely disappointed the President isn’t including any funding for the Constellation program in his 2011 budget proposal. The Administration is making a huge mistake,” said Griffith.
“We cannot interrupt this program – it is too important to the security of the United States. We depend on manned space flight – it is part of our culture, especially in our North Alabama community.
“Not granting more funding means that we are scrapping four and a half years and billions of dollars of testing. It means we are allowing other countries to get ahead of us in space exploration. If the Administration is able to carry out its plan, the U.S. will have a second-class space division. This decision is a clear sign that this Administration is out of touch with manned space flight.
“The budget that was submitted yesterday by the President is merely a proposal. I have contacted the White House and requested to meet as soon as possible about how we can bring about a solution. Congress has the ability to put this funding back into the budget and will have a final say in what is appropriated.”
I agree with Griffith (and Mo Brooks and Les Phillip) that cancelling Constellation is a mistake, then again US space policy has been a mess for awhile – but now it’s a steaming hot mess. This new policy creates a void in space access (even with Constellation we had a lag). Depending on the Russians for access to space is a bad plan. Depending on the private sector to develop an industry in a short time to fill the void is a bad plan (especially since the plan doesn’t call for NASA to use industry for launches).
Science and exploration are part of the American character – and the US Government has been (Constitutionally) promoting science and exploration since before Thomas Jefferson advocated that Congress authorize the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Just as with the Lewis and Clark expedition – exploration and national security interests overlap. Ceding space to the Russians and Chinese will cost us in terms of technology and jobs – and perhaps lives.
***
I am easily distracted, so I wondered who Parker Griffith has on his staff – in this case, who is this Brecke Latham who keeps sending me stuff? Well, she’s Simply Brecke-tacular…
The 2009, 4th quarter FEC reports for Parker Griffith, Mo Brooks, and Les Phillip are in and here’s a look into the numbers…
Unsurprisingly, Parker Griffith has a substantial cash advantage over the competition. His cash on hand is a whopping $714,836 with no debt. He took in $174,005 ($70,105 from individuals and $101,900 from PACs). While this is lot of money it is a substantial drop off from the first three quarters of 2009. He pulled in – or at least recorded – $52,700 in contributions after he switched parties on Dec. 22 ($18,800 of it from individuals). At least 10 donors have contributed the maximum for both the primary and general elections. Only 16% of Griffith’s itemized contributions for the 4th quarter came from zip codes within the 5th district.
Mo Brooks raised $47,709 during Q4 and has raised a total of $114,340 to date (all from individuals). He also has loaned his campaign $100,000. He only has recorded total expenditures of a little over $3,000 to date and has $211,303 cash on hand. Of his itemized contributions for the election cycle, 92% come from zip codes within the 5th district.
Les Phillip raised an impressive $228,535 during Q4 and has raised a total of $313,798 to date (all from individuals). He has loaned his campaign $50,000. He recorded expenditures of just under $200k for the quarter and has $66,108 cash on hand. His expenditures for the quarter included $180,419 for fundraising and mail expenses as well as $146 to a dentist for “campaign medical expenses.” To put it another way, he spent 79% of money he raised for the quarter trying to raise more money. Not great, but a better return on investment than the Huckabee event he hosted last year. Of his itemized contributions for the election cycle, only 23% come from zip codes within the 5th district.
There is an interesting sidebar to Phillip’s contributions: he has an inordinate amount of “unitemized” contributions (only contributions of $200 or more are required to be disclosed). Of his total contributions to date, 77% are unitemized. The other two candidates claim well under 10% in unitemized contributions. It would be interesting to delve inside those numbers for Phillip to see if it breaks down along the same lines as his itemized contributions regarding in-district support. It seems from my vantage point that Phillip is tapping into national fundraising sources, probably through Tea Party channels, while Brooks is relying on local donors and Griffith is shaking down PACs.
I’m going to be very interested to see the 2010 Q1 fundraising numbers when they come out in a few months. That will serve as one of the best barometers of Griffith’s viability as a candidate in the primary. I suspect he’ll continue to bring in PAC money, but outside of well heeled Republican faithful making obligatory “welcome to the party” contributions I don’t see him getting a lot of contributions from individuals within the district. Could be wrong, of course.
