Grimes will run for reelection

State Rep. David Grimes joked that he had mixed emotions last weekend when a friend asked him if he would support his run for Grimes' seat in the Alabama House of Representatives.

The Montgomery Republican said he had mixed emotions because he plans to run again himself.

Grimes, an insurance broker, said he will run for a third term in the House.

"It had never crossed my mind not to run," he said.

The legislator said he wanted to stop discussions that he was not running in 2010.

He acknowledged the black population has increased in his Montgomery district, but said he has a good relationship with the neighborhood associations in the black portions of his district.

"I do not see it as a black-white issue. It might be if there was a formidable candidate on the Democratic side," Grimes said.

If reelected, Grimes said he would continue to support ethics issues including banning the transfer of money between political action committees and would support issues dealing with people's rights, including their property rights. He is concerned about the use of eminent domain.

He said he supports lesser-known initiatives by Republicans to remove the state's 4-cent sales tax from groceries for certain Alabamians, but opposes the measure proposed by Democrats that would replace the revenue by increasing taxes elsewhere.

The Republican measure, Grimes said, would help those who really need it.

He also said he supports removing illegal gaming machines from facilities in the state.

As a lawmaker, Grimes has pushed for legislation to allow cities to use cameras in intersections to cite people for running red lights.

Some people in political circles had questioned Grimes' reelection chances because of his poor showing in the 2008 Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District.

As a sitting legislator, Grimes finished fifth out of six candidates and had trouble raising money to compete in the large district. He finished with about 4 percent of the vote.

Grimes easily won reelection to his House seat in 2006 with about 62 percent of the vote.

Grimes also said some people have talked about his health. He has said he originally decided to run in 2000 as he was recovering from multiple sclerosis.

His health improved, but Grimes uses a cane to walk. He manages his condition using medication.

“I have a walking problem -- not a thinking problem," Grimes said.

He defeated longtime state Rep. Perry Hooper Jr. in 2002 to win the District 73 seat.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen