Voters will head to the polls today in Alabama to vote on party nominees for Governor, U.S. Senate, Congress and a host of other offices.
In the crowded GOP primary for Governor, with five main candidates struggling to win votes, it’s expected that a July run-off will be needed.
Bradley Byrne, a former state Senator and former chancellor of the state’s community college system, is holding a slight lead in the race according to most polls. Byrne has won the endorsement of Jeb Bush, the majority of the state’s major newspapers and many of the key statewide associations.
Fighting for second place, and a spot in the run-off, are controversial former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore and real estate developer Tim James. Both men are mounting their second bids for Governor.
James, the son of former Alabama Governor Fob James, was a candidate in 2002 but finished in third place in the Republican primary. He’s won national attention by running a television ad in which he stresses that he won’t allow the state to offer driving exams in any language other than English if he’s elected.
Moore was a candidate for Governor in 2006, but he lost by a wide margin. Ever since being removed from the State Supreme Court for his refusal to take down a monument to the Ten Comandments from his court room, Moore has been considered a potential target for a third party presidential bid on the Constitution Party’s line.
In fourth place among most polls is State Representative Robert Bentley. His campaign has been quietly plugging along and he’s slowly gained support as Moore and James take shots at each other.
A former one-term Birmingham City Councilman, Bill Johnson is also waging a long-shot bid.
Another son of a former Governor is also in the mix today. Further down the ballot, in the race for Alabama State Treasurer, is George Wallace Jr. — son of controversial Governor and Presidential candidate George Wallace.
The younger Wallace has served two terms as Treasurer in the past, lost a bid for U.S. Congress and mounted two failed bids for Lt. Governor. Most recently he’s served two terms on the state’s Public Service Commission.
Young Boozer, a former State Finance Department official, is his primary opponent.
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