Senate Democrats attack repeal of DROP

Democrats in the Alabama Senate are calling the attempt by Republicans to stop the DROP retirement program a punitive attack on teachers and state employees hidden behind the guise of saving money.
Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said that Republicans in the regular session, like they did in the special session on ethics, are bringing up a bill that would hurt teachers and state employees as the first proposal they consider. During the special session, the first bill considered and passed by the new Republican majority stopped politically active associations that represent teachers and state employees from collecting their dues through the state's automatic payroll deduction system.
The Deferred Retirement Option Program or DROP program allows state and education employees who are 55 years old and have 25 years of service to receive salary and retirement benefits while continuing to work. The program was passed in the hope that it would discourage valuable employees from taking early retirement.
State Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, said the intent of DROP was to slow teachers leaving Alabama for other states.
Projections from the Legislative Fiscal Office and others put the savings to the state for repealing DROP between $35 million and $70 million.
Republicans believe the "luxury benefit plan" needs to be repealed during these tough financial times.
"DROP is simply an added luxury that public employees enjoy, but the state does not have the resources to continue funding luxuries while cutting the budgets for the necessities. I believe the people of Alabama can understand that logic," said Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston. "It's the same logic that they follow when making financial decisions that impact their families - it's simply common sense budgeting."
Bedford said the purpose is "not to save money, but to punish them because a disproportionate number of them chose to vote for Gov. Robert Bentley over not-Gov. Bradley Byrne"
The Alabama Education Association supported Bentley, then a two-term state legislator, over Byrne, former chancellor of the state's junior college system who was supported by some of the state's most prominent Republicans, in that party primary.
Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, said the bill is an attack on teachers and state employees.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Legislature passes bill that could hurt AEA, ASEA

The Alabama Senate, unlike the House of Representatives, quickly passed a bill that could hurt organizations that represent educators and state employees on Wednesday.
The bill, which would stop the state from taking dues out of checks for organizations like the Alabama Education Association and the Alabama State Employees Association, now goes to Gov. Bob Riley for his signature.
Senate Republicans quickly shut down debate, taking a vote 45 minutes after convening. The House spent 15 hours debating the bill on Tuesday and early Wednesday.
The Alabama House of Representatives passed the bill 52-49 at about 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The bill would stop the state from deducting dues or funds for political action committees from state pay checks for organizations that are politically active including the AEA and the ASEA.
Republicans have said that state resources should not be used to collect dues for organizations that are politically active.
Democrats believe the bill is politically motivated and aimed to hurt the AEA, which typically supports Democratic candidates. The association is a force in state politics and the bill could hurt its financial resources.
Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said the bill is targeted at the AEA because that organization supported Robert Bentley in the Republican primary instead of Riley's candidate of choice, Bradley Byrne. He said it is one of the most political bills he has seen since he was first elected to the Legislature in 1982.
Paul Hubbert, head of the AEA, agrees with Bedford and believes the bill is retaliation. The AEA traditionally supports Democratic candidates for the Legislature and other state offices including governor.
Hubbert and legislative Democrats are concerned that, if these organizations are not able to automatically withdraw dues from state checks, that it could cut the number of employees who are members and hurt the representation those groups have at the State House. They have said some members of these groups, such as custodians and bus drivers, might not have checking accounts and be able to send in their dues.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Democrats criticize "Punish AEA Bradley Byrne Relief Act"

Senate Democrats criticized their Republican colleagues for beginning Friday's business considering a bill that would stop the state from taking out dues for organizations and political action committees.
Some organizations of teachers, state employees, and public safety officers opposed the bill, believing it would hurt them.
Republicans believe that state resources should not be used to collect dues for organizations that are often politically active.
Democrats believe the bill is targeted at the Alabama Education Association and the Alabama State Employees Association.
Paul Hubbert, head of the AEA, believes his organization is being attacked because it supported Robert Bentley in the Republican primary and fought against Bradley Byrne, who was the choice of several prominent Republicans including Gov. Bob Riley.
Riley, a Republican, called a special session that started Wednesday for lawmakers to address ethics.
Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, encouraged his colleagues to switch the first and last bills on the agenda for Friday so they would take up the ethics overhaul first and the "punish AEA Bradley Byrne Relief Act" last.
Bedford said if they were truly addressing ethics in this session then they should address that and then get to the ban on automatic payroll deduction if there is time.
Democrats said the payroll deduction is not an ethics issue.
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said it is about ethics because state resources should not be used to collect those dues. He said Republicans have the vote to pass the bill today in the Senate.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Bradley Byrne joins regional law firm

Former gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne, who last month lost in the Republican primary runoff to Robert Bentley, has joined the law firm of Jones Walker as a partner.
Byrne, who is also a former state senator, chancellor of the state's two-year college system and member of the state Board of Education, will work in the firm's Birmingham and Mobile offices in the Business and Commercial Transactions Practice Group, according to a release from the firm's New Orleans office.
"When considering my return to the practice of law, I was impressed with the attorneys at Jones Walker, the complexity of the firm's practices, and the wide range of clients they serve. I chose to join Jones Walker because of the firm's strong reputation of serving business clients, the firm's commitment to improving the community, and particularly, the firm's commitment to Alabama, as demonstrated by Jones Walker's phenomenal growth in the state," Byrne said in a statement.
As chancellor of the two-year system, Byrne served as chairman of the State Workforce Planning Council, overseeing Alabama's workforce development efforts. He was also the candidate of choice for the Republican establishment, including Gov. Bob Riley and much of the state's congressional delegation, and of the Alabama business community.
"He plans to continue his commitment to economic development by working on behalf of the firm's business clients throughout Alabama and focus his practice on assisting with business transactional matters and legislative and administrative advocacy," said William H. Hines, managing partner of the firm.
Byrne, who graduated from Duke University and received his law degree from the University of Alabama, has practiced law in Mobile for more than 27 years.
Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P. represents national and international corporate clients in highly regulated industries through offices in Alabama, Arizona, Washington, D.C., Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, according to the release.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Republican slams AEA involvement in Republican primary

A local Republican activist started a campaign to try to deflate membership in the Alabama Education Association because of what he believes are the dishonest and deceitful tactics the powerful teachers union is using to influence the outcome of the Republican primary for governor.
Rick Sellers, a member of the Alabama Republican Executive Committee and his party's nominee for U.S. Senate in 1992, said he will start picketing out in front of the AEA's Dexter Avenue office today and will continue until the July 13 runoff.
When he worked for the National Rifle Association and it ran negative campaigns against Democrats, Sellers said those had the name of the NRA on them and were truthful.
He is talking about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that AEA is spending, through political action committees, against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne. None of that money is coming directly from AEA, Sellers said.
Instead, much of it was directed through a political action committee called True Republican PAC.
Byrne, former chancellor of the state's two-year college system, and state Rep. Robert Bentley are in the Republican runoff for governor.
Paul Hubbert, head of the AEA, did not return a call to his cell phone on Monday.
Sellers said they have started an e-mail campaign and are working on a website to inform AEA members that the group is liberal and dishonest. He said he will picket in front of the AEA headquarters from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. starting Tuesday. He said he did not have the permit to picket, but hoped to receive that approval from the city.
Sellers, whose wife Heather is on the Montgomery County Board of Education and is the county chair for the Byrne campaign, said his purpose is to get AEA members to drop their membership. To drop their membership, he said they need to write a letter to the payroll office with the local board of education before Sept. 30, to ensure they are not a member next year.
Those dues help to pay for the millions of dollars AEA contributes to political campaigns every cycle.
More than 60 percent of AEA's 105,000 members are Republican or independent, according to a release the union sent out last week asking members to vote in the runoff.
Byrne and his campaign have expressed concerns about AEA and other interests pushing Democrats to cross party lines and vote in the Republican runoff.
"Educators have every right to participate in the party elections of their choice, especially since elections are funded by taxpayers, and we will continue to encourage them to vote July 13," AEA spokesman David Stout said in the release.
The AEA release pointed out that pro-business special interests including the Business Council of Alabama, the Alabama Retail Association, the Home Builders Association of Alabama, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama, and the Alabama Association of Realtors have encouraged their members to vote for Byrne.
Byrne's campaign has accused Bentley of being too close to AEA, which is operated by two vice chairmen of the Alabama Democratic Party, and voting with the union on major issues including charter schools and double dipping.
Bentley told the Montgomery Advertiser on Friday that he treats AEA and Hubbert like other special interests. He said he votes with them when they are right and against them when they're not.
Bentley said he has had his picture in the AEA's Alabama School Journal almost every year as a "bad guy."
He said he has disagreed with the union on some issues, including his support of putting a teacher code of ethics into state law and using a 15-year rolling average to determine the size of state budgets.
Sellers said he absolutely believes AEA will be instrumental in determining who is the Republican nominee for governor and calculates that the money spent on ads and other avenues to attack Byrne could top $3 million.
While AEA has attacked Byrne, he has also spent much of his time and resources attacking the association. Before his ads and speeches on the campaign trail, he battled the AEA as a state senator and even more so as chancellor of the state's two-year college system. The AEA is still fighting some of the policies he pushed as chancellor in the state court system.
Byrne tried to stop double dipping, which allows legislators to also work in the two-year college system, and he disagrees with the AEA on charter schools, which he believes provide more options for high-risk students in under-performing schools.
AEA points to charter schools failing in some other areas. Association officials and supporters believe that charter schools would be "exclusive" and drain money from other public schools.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Flap Over GOP Primary Recount Continues

Attorney General Troy King is firing back against accusations that he is attempting to block Republican candidate for governor Tim James from having a recount.

James, who came in third during the state's primary elections, has said he wants a recount, and King said the opinion he issued at the request of Secretary of State Beth Chapman doesn't stop him from getting one. He hopes that a recount will net him the votes he needs to knock Dr. Robert Bentley, who edged James out of the runoff with former two-year college Chancellor Bradley Byrne, with 167 votes out of second place.

But King issued a statement Monday, to "set the record straight."

"Tim James accused me of blocking his recount from going forward," King said in a statement. "That is simply not true. My opinion said the recount could go forward, and, it is indeed going forward tomorrow."

King said if James wants to challenge the results after the recount, he can do that, but his challenge would be before the Alabama Republican Party, not King. King also said in his statement that James, nor the party, are required to follow his opinion, it was intended for the guidance of the Chapman, who requested it.

The primary runoff will take place July 13.

-- posted by Markeshia Ricks

Tim James to request recount in all 67 counties

Tim James has decided his campaign can afford to recount the votes in all 67 counties in his bid to pick up almost 170 additional votes and secure a spot in the Republican runoff for governor, according to his campaign spokesman.
James, a Greenville businessman, must request the recounts by noon Thursday. He requested recounts in 40 counties on Wednesday after he finished 167 votes behind state Rep. Robert Bentley in the battle to be the second Republican in the runoff.
Former state senator and two-year college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne finished ahead of the pack of seven Republicans and secured a spot in the July 13 runoff.
James said Tuesday, after a count of the provisional ballots, that the campaign would ask for the most populated counties to be recounted first and would have the other counties counted if the campaign had the resources.
His spokesman, Brett Hall, said Wednesday night that they believed the campaign would be able to have the votes recounted in all 67 counties for less than $200,000.
"Tim is happy to have a full statewide recount," Hall said.
The campaign that requests the recount, according to the secretary of state's office and the Alabama Republican Party, must pay for the recount.
Hall said campaign officials will be driving throughout the state Thursday to serve petitions requesting the recount to county party officials.
He said probate judges in some of the state's most populated counties including Jefferson and Mobile said the recount could be done there in a day or less.
"This will not be drawn out," Hall said.
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democratic nominee Ron Sparks in the November general election.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Bentley claims lead over Byrne in runoff

State Rep. Robert Bentley has a clear lead over Bradley Byrne in the Republican runoff for governor, according to a poll released by Bentley's campaign on Wednesday.
Dresner, Wickers and Associates LLC conducted the statewide survey on June 5 and June 6 among 400 people registered to vote in Alabama and considered likely to vote in the July 13 Republican primary runoff election.
Bentley, a Tuscaloosa dermatologist, leads Byrne 45-29 among likely voters.
"Despite being outspent by over 3 to 1 by Bradley Byrne, Robert Bentley is now the clear front runner in the GOP runoff election for governor of Alabama," according to the summary of the poll. "Robert Bentley holds double digit leads over Bradley Byrne among all likely voters, key media markets, and among likely Republican, Democrat, and independent voters. ... Robert Bentley is well-positioned to win the runoff and the general election for governor."
Bentley was strong across all three groups with 53 percent of Democrats preferring him compared to 20 percent for Byrne. Forty-five percent of Republicans preferred Bentley compared to 31 percent for Byrne.
Byrne, former chancellor of the state's two-year college system, and Bentley finished ahead of five other Republicans. Greenville businessman Tim James finished 167 votes behind Bentley and has asked for a recount.
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democratic nominee Ron Sparks in November.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Tim James to request recount

Tim James will ask for a recount in the Republican race for governor after a tally of the provisional ballots failed to yield the more than 200 votes he needed to gain to move into second place and secure a spot in the runoff.
After provisional ballots from across the state were counted, James finished in third.
"The vote margin remains razor thin. Because of this, I have decided to move forward with a recount of the Republican gubernatorial primary vote," James said Tuesday at his Montgomery headquarters.
Former two-year college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne finished ahead of James and five other Republicans to secure a spot in the July 13 runoff.
State Rep. Robert Bentley of Tuscaloosa finished in second, just 167 votes ahead of James.
Through the counting of the provisional ballots, James picked up about 40 votes on Bentley.
Byrne finished 13,488 votes ahead of Bentley and received 137,448 votes statewide. Those totals were called in to the Alabama Republican Party from probate offices across the state, according to a release from the party.
The party will certify the vote with the secretary of state's office on Friday, but the results could be amended following a recount, according to the statement from the party.
James must pay for the runoff, according to the Alabama Republican Party and Secretary of State Beth Chapman.
Chapman said Tuesday that an opinion from the attorney general confirmed her office issued appropriate guidelines for the runoff and counting provisional ballots.
"I have said all along that the taxpayers of Alabama should not have to foot the bill for a primary recount," she said. "Today the attorney general's opinion confirmed that we are providing sound and accurate guidance in the best possible way in this unprecedented and historic election."
Chapman, the state's chief election official, and other leaders have said the close three-way election is unprecedented.
James, a Greenville businessman, said he is prepared to spend up to $200,000 on the recount. He said the campaign will begin requesting recounts in individual counties this morning beginning with the most populated.
The candidate said the 25 most populated counties in the state account for 85 percent of the population so the campaign will have at least those counties recounted. He said the campaign might request recounts in additional counties depending on resources.
A candidate has 48 hours after votes are canvassed at the county level to request a recount so James has until Thursday to make his request to counties. James said he will also petition state Rep. Mike Hubbard, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, and the secretary of state’s office requesting the recount.
"The Alabama Republican Party will proceed with the certification of the vote totals for all primary races to the secretary of state by Friday at noon, as required by law," Hubbard said. "The party respects the decision of any candidate to request a recount to ensure every vote has indeed been counted, and counted correctly. Should a recount be requested, the party will follow the guidelines set forth by the secretary of state and in accordance with Alabama law. We will work through the process in an orderly and lawful manner. Once our gubernatorial nominee is selected by the voters on July 13, we look forward to working closely with the campaign to ensure victory in November."
James said he had not heard about any irregularities during voting.
He said he is in a virtual tie with Bentley for the second spot.
Bentley has declared he is the other Republican in the runoff and is moving forward with his campaign.
"Now that every vote has been counted, I am honored to declare victory and move forward with the runoff campaign," he said. "I congratulate Tim James for waging a hard fought campaign, but am ready to debate the key challenges facing Alabama with my runoff opponent."
Bentley said he will reach out to the supporters of his primary opponents and earn their votes.
James said he wants to see the process move forward as soon as possible, expecting it to be done by Monday or Tuesday, so the winner following the recount can campaign in the runoff.
He said the runoff needs to be done cordially and with integrity to avoid animosity that could hurt the party. James said there were no disagreements about the procedure during a Monday meeting between all of those involved.
With a recount, he said the accuracy should improve and reduce the margin of error.
James, his father and former Gov. Fob James, his mother, wife and other family members were at his campaign headquarters in east Montgomery on Tuesday watching the numbers come in from the counting of the provisional ballots.
Bentley, a dermatologist, finished 208 votes ahead of James after the initial count. He remained in the second spot after county officials looked through the provisional ballots, which were questioned because of various reasons such as the voter not having proper identification.
The winner of the July 13 runoff will face state agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, the Democratic nominee.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Republican candidates for governor meet with party about runoff

State Rep. Mike Hubbard, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, met with the potential runoff candidates for governor on Monday to talk about how the process will work and to try to ensure there will be transparency.
"Given the circumstances, and due to some confusion regarding the process, we felt that it was imperative to bring all of the parties involved to the table and have an open and honest discussion," Hubbard said in a statement. "The party understands that this situation must be addressed with the highest degree of transparency, out of fairness to all candidates and to the voters."
"Our goal is that when the vote is finally certified, everyone will be confident that the candidates in the runoff were chosen by the voters, and not the party."
Former two-year college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne secured a spot in the July 13 runoff, but the men who finished second and third are separated by 208 votes.
State Rep. Robert Bentley of Tuscaloosa, who is in the second spot behind Byrne, and Greenville businessman Tim James are waiting for the results of the Board of Registrars counting provisional ballots in their respective counties, which is expected to be completed Tuesday.
Secretary of State Beth Chapman also attended the Monday meeting.
Hubbard and Chapman have said that protocol must be followed, according to a release from the state party. He said each of the three campaigns understood the "importance of protecting the sanctity of the electoral process, and that the party will follow the law as it relates to any recount."
"We appreciate the willingness by each of the candidates to come together and agree to at least protecting the best interest of the party, and that of the electoral process," said Hubbard. "The party's role moving forward will be to ensure that any recount is carried out appropriately, and in accordance with the law."
The winner of the runoff will face Democratic nominee Ron Sparks in November.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Byrne goes after AEA, James in "Fear" ad

In his latest ad, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne attacks the Alabama Education Association and rival Tim James, who is among the six Republicans he will face in the June 1 primary.




-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Is this the ad everyone was worried about?

The Sons of Liberty purchased more than $1 million in TV spots to air beginning this week and running up until the June 1 election. Many of the candidates were concerned they would be targeted. They thought that they would be targeted with this large media buy in the waning hours before the June 1 primary.
The ad addresses the effects of gambling, alcohol and drugs, and how candidates have refused to take a stand.
The commercial shows pictures of Democrats Artur Davis and Ron Sparks and Republicans Robert Bentley, Bradley Byrne and Tim James. The groups asks people to contact those candidates and ask them whether or not they support gambling in the state.
The only top tier candidate who is not shown is Republican Roy Moore.

You can view the ad by going to:
http://newlibertysons.com/

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Byrne releases ad on education

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne released the following ad about education on Monday.



-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Byrne, James battle over toll bridge

Bradley Byrne is slamming fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James as an insider who benefited from his father's service as governor, which his opponent alleges enabled him and partners to build a toll bridge to the beach.
Byrne, one of seven Republicans running for governor, is talking about the work on the Foley Beach Express, a toll road that connects Foley with Orange Beach allowing people to skip much of the traffic.
James has talked about the expressway as one of his successes as a businessman and has said no public money went to the building of the project.
"Bradley Byrne continues to be wrong on the facts. This is what I've come to expect from a desperate campaign," James said in a statement on Friday.
Byrne questioned if James would have been able to accomplish one of his biggest achievements without help from the state while his dad was governor.
James was a partner in the Baldwin County Bridge Company L.L.C., which built the Beach Express.
Brett Hall, a spokesman for James, said Byrne is confusing two different roads. He said there is the toll road and bridge built by James and his partners, and a bypass.
The toll road received no government funding.
Foley received about $7 million from the federal government for the bypass, which connects Alabama 59 to the expressway.
Byrne said the connector makes the toll bridge viable.
"You would have gone through a lot of lights and wouldn't save any time," he said.
In May of 1996, then-Gov. Fob James signed legislation approved by state lawmakers that allowed city and county governments in the state to build toll roads and bridges.
Tim James and Tim McInnis, according to records with the secretary of state's office, incorporated the Baldwin County Bridge Company L.L.C., in July 1996 to "build/maintain/operate toll bridge."
Tim James' campaign pointed to an article in the Mobile Press-Register in April 1996 outlining other toll roads that were planned before James sought a license to build the expressway.
Fob James lost the 1998 general election to Democrat Don Siegelman and left office on Jan. 18, 1999.
Just days before leaving office, the state signed a contract with the city of Foley for construction of a connector to the expressway. The agreement, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, led to the construction of a corridor from County Road 20 to Alabama 59, according to the construction agreement.
Fob James signed the agreement on Jan 6, 1999.
"There is nothing wrong with building a bridge in Orange Beach. Orange Beach needed a bridge," said Byrne, who lives in Baldwin County, which he represented in the state Senate.
The problem, he said, is Tim James had no experience building bridges.
Hall said James was already in the infrastructure business and that his partner, John McInnis, has built bridges throughout the nation.
Foley, which is home to an outlet mall that is a popular stop on the way to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, can become congested.
The toll road was expected to help people traveling to the beach save 15 to 45 minutes, and help with evacuations during hurricanes, according to a 2000 article on tollroadsnews.com.
McInnis Corp. of Mobile, who partnered with Tim James and his brother on the project, is a "long-established bridge contractor," according to the toll road news.
Hall said the genesis for the bypass started before the Foley Beach Express and that the city of Foley had received grant money for the project from the federal government. He said the state was a conduit for the money.
"That was a totally separate deal and didn't have anything to do with the Baldwin County bridge," Hall said. "He's mixing it all up as if it were one."
He said Fob James' signature was "basically a rubber stamp."
Hall said James and his partners did not have to go through the state for most of its permits. "They didn't have to get state permits other than curb cuts and stop lights," he said.
Hall said issues related to the bridge were vetted when James ran for governor in 2002.
"His father did great things to avoid any appearance of impropriety on anything," he said.
Hall said James has regularly talked about the expressway when discussing his qualifications as a businessman "because of the impact it had on Baldwin County both on economic development and the impact on public safety. It is an evacuation route. The county needed it and did not have the funds for it and he came up with a solution. It is a win-win for the county and landowners and all of the people of Baldwin County."
James and his partners sold the bridge to a foreign company. Byrne said James is using those profits to help fund his campaign for governor.
Byrne criticized James outside the studio of WMRK-107.9 FM, where he was on air on a conservative talk radio show for two hours on Friday. He said James did not want to come on Friday to talk about the expressway even though he has talked extensively about the project and his success as a businessman.
James issued a challenge to Byrne on April 22 to participate in a series of debates.
"It's time to bring all of the attacks and allegations out in the open. Let's take this beyond dueling press releases and talk show chatter. I call upon Bradley Byrne to debate me, face-to-face, in a public forum," he said in a release at the time.
The men appeared together last week on the Leland Live program in the Birmingham market.
"Basically our polling numbers show (Byrne) is falling and he's in third place and going down. It just wasn't wise or feasible at this time to go on the show," Hall said. "We had a debate on Leland Live and we were there for two hours. ... It was a thorough conversation between the two of them. They debated the issues. That was as good as it gets."
James' original challenge stemmed from the first public dispute between the two men following an April 20 article in the Montgomery Advertiser, which pointed out that ads attacking Byrne were funded by a political action committee that received money from PACs that received hundreds of thousands of dollars directly and indirectly from the Alabama Education Association's PAC.
Byrne has had to dedicate much of his advertising to defending ads attacking him as a liberal trial lawyer who supported Democrats.
Byrne's campaign alleged, because some of the money went through PACs operated by a consultant who was hired by James to help raise funds, that his campaign was involved in the attack.
James said his campaign did not conspire directly or indirectly with AEA to run the ads against Byrne. In later ads, he alleged Byrne was desperate.
Hall said Byrne had dropped to third place in their polling.
An independent poll released this week indicated Byrne with a narrow lead over James. Byrne said Friday that he leads a very tight race between the two candidates with others in contention including former Chief Justice Roy Moore and state Rep. Robert Bentley of Tuscaloosa.
Other Republican candidates include Bill Johnson of Prattville, James Potts of Bibb County and Charles Taylor of Daphne.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Byrne responds to attack ads

Click below to see Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne's response to attack ads:



-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

James Challenges Byrne to Debate

Tim James, Republican candidate for governor wants to challenge fellow Republican candidate for governor, Bradley Byrne, to a series of public debates "to bring all of the attacks and allegations out in the open."

"Let’s take this beyond dueling press releases and talk show chatter," James said in a press release Thursday. "I call upon Bradley Byrne to debate me, face-to-face, in a public forum."

James said that there are key differences between him and Byrne that voters need to see. With 40 days left in the primary campaign, James said that it’s time for the people of Alabama to learn the real records of the candidates for Governor.

-- posted by Markeshia Ricks

GOP races for governor, AG wide open, according to poll

The Republican primaries for governor and attorney general are wide open, according to an independent poll released on Monday.
Bradley Byrne and Roy Moore are close in a race in the Republican primary for governor while Troy King and Luther Strange are virtually deadlocked in the race to be the state's chief law enforcement officer, according to the poll conducted by Baselice and Associates of Austin on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4.
In both races, almost half of those polled were undecided.
Brett Hall, a spokesman for gubernatorial candidate and Greenville businessman Tim James, said the campaign conducted a poll at the same time and disputes the numbers released on Monday.
Hall agreed that the undecided voters make up more than those selecting any one candidate. He said 31 percent were undecided in their poll.
The poll conducted for the James campaign has Moore with 26 percent while Byrne and James are in a "dead heat" for second. Moore is the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
In the James poll, James finished with 18 percent and Byrne with 17 percent. Byrne is a former state senator and former chancellor of the two-year college system.
"What we see is a wide open race," Hall said.
He said both sides have the objective of converting the undecided voters.
"From other sources I am getting, this poll is way off," Hall said.
For its poll, Baselice polled 1,007 likely Republican voters with a margin of error of 3.1 percent. Mike Baselice is the pollster for Texas Gov. Rick Perry and has polled for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Montgomery firm of Public Strategy Associates, a Republican consulting and marketing firm, paid for the poll.
Brent Buchanan, senior partner at Public Strategy, said they decided to conduct the poll because other groups had conducted polls and not released them. He said the firm has a relationship with Baselice and decided to conduct the poll to show where the candidates stand because they did not have a candidate in the race.
"We've got four months and a lot of money to be spent," Buchanan said of the GOP primaries.
Public Strategy did represent state Rep. Robert Bentley, a Republican running for governor, from March through October, but no longer works with the candidate.
Byrne had 20 percent of the support from those polled while Moore was at 17 percent. James had 8 percent, Bentley had 4 percent, state Treasurer Kay Ivey had 3 percent, and Bill Johnson, former director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, had 2 percent.
Forty-six percent of people were undecided.
When people were asked about ideology, 55 percent of those polled said they were "very conservative" with 29 percent as "somewhat conservative" and 14 percent as moderate or liberal.
"It may not be this conservative if we were talking about a general election survey," Baselice said.
Ninety percent of those surveyed also said they would definitely vote in the June primary.
Moore had stronger support from the "very conservative" Republicans voters while Byrne was better among the "somewhat conservative" and more moderate voters.
When looking at media markets across the state, Byrne finished well ahead of the pack in Mobile while Moore's numbers were consistent in each of the markets.
Baselice said if a candidate for governor is persuasive "he could move into the top tier very quickly" because no one has distanced themselves from the competition.
Hall said he knows the James campaign is in better shape than the numbers in the Baselice poll.
"We're happy with where we are," he said. "We're where we need to be according to the poll. We have a clear strategy to win this race."
In the Baselice poll, King garnered 27 percent of the vote in the Republican primary for attorney general while Strange had 24 percent. Strange is a Birmingham lawyer and lobbyist. King is the sitting attorney general.
Almost half of people were undecided.
"It is still wide open," Baselice said.
The participants were also asked about their Republican choices for president in 2012. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee finished ahead of the pack in the state with 33 percent of the vote with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin finishing with 23 percent.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished with support from 12 percent of those polled while U.S. Rep. Ron Paul had 5 percent. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had 3 percent.
Twenty-four percent of the Republicans polled said they were undecided on their pick for president in 2012.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen