Legislatures

Outspent 4-to-1, Republicans still made gains in state legislative elections

Despite outspending Republicans, Democrats didn't achieve some ambitious goals in state legislative races. The GOP continues to control more legislatures, though Democrats notched some victories.

Trisha Powell Crain Talks Money, Politics, and More in Alabama Education

There's never a shortage of stories coming from Alabama's schools. But before WBHM's and the Southern Education Desk's "Issues and Ales" education forum Thursday evening, we wanted to shed as much light as possible on the big picture behind the headlines. For better or worse, that backdrop always includes money and therefore politics. So our education reporter Dan Carsen sat down with Alabama School Connection founder and BirminghamWatch contributor Trisha Powell Crain to talk about that and more.

Why Birmingham Bills have a Hard Time in Montgomery

Lawmakers from Birmingham have complained for years about their bills running into a buzz saw in Montgomery. In fact, it's a common complaint made by big city lawmakers against state legislatures across the country. So University of Rochester political scientist Gerald Gamm and his research partner took a look at records from 13 states including Alabama. They found that while big city bills did have a harder time, none of the usual suspects added.