GOP Plays to Social Conservatives in Statewide Primaries
Alabama voters go to the polls June 5th for party primaries. In addition to governor, they’ll choose nominees for lieutenant governor, attorney general and chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Most of the action is on the Republican side. Montgomery Advertiser state government reporter Brian Lyman gives an overview of the races in an interview with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
Attorney General
Republicans: incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall, former Attorney General Troy King, former U.S. Attorney Alice Martin, Birmingham attorney Chess Bedsole
Democrats: Birmingham attorneys Chris Christe and Joseph Siegelman
“These are four [Republican] candidates who, and I think this is true of all the Republican races, we’re seeing a lot of public, red-meat appeals. There’s a lot of talk about Trump. A lot of this is hinging on the recent scandals that have taken place in Montgomery…
“Both [Democratic] candidates are talking about things like, for instance prison reform … and trying to address overcrowding in the state’s prison system. You are hearing both men talk a lot about addressing the opioid crisis, about trying to enhance consumer protection.”
Lieutenant Governor
Republicans: Public Service Commission Chairwoman Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, State Rep. Will Ainsworth, State Sen. Rusty Glover
Democrats: Florence minister Will Boyd
“It’s hard to get people excited about lieutenant governor races, which I think is one reason you’re seeing Cavanaugh and Ainsworth in particular just really hit those social issues and those Trump-loyalty issues really hard … [Glover] has taken a more moderate tact, talking more about bringing people together. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out, particularly if Cavanaugh and Ainsworth end up nuking each other on the airwaves.”
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice
Republicans: incumbent Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, State Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker
Democrats: Judge Bob Vance
“Lyn Stewart has come out talking about her support of capital punishment. Tom Parker is a longtime ally of [former Chief Justice] Roy Moore. What we’re seeing here is a real fight for those socially conservative voters.”
Read candidate profiles compiled by BirminghamWatch.
Find more of WBHM’s 2018 election coverage here.
Florida’s 6-week abortion ban will have a ‘snowball effect’ on residents across the South
Abortion rights advocates say the ban will likely force many to travel farther for abortion care and endure pregnancy and childbirth against their will.
Attitudes among Alabama lawmakers softening on Medicaid expansion
Alabama is one of ten states which has not expanded Medicaid. Republican leaders have pushed back against the idea for years.
Birmingham is 3rd worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, new report says
The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report shows some metro areas in the Gulf States continue to have poor air quality.
Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?
Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
