My Thoughts About The 2018 Alabama Primary Election And Who I Would Vote For

By Nathan Young on June 4, 2018

Tuesday is the big day in Alabama. People in Alabama will go vote in the 2018 primaries. Starting this year, people are no longer allowed to cross over and vote for the other party if there is a runoff. And for 2018, there have been some interesting ads and some bad candidates. On this post, I am going to explain why I am voting for that person in each race. Let’s start with the Democrats. If I was voting in the Democratic primary, I would vote for these candidates.

The Democratic ticket is very small. There are only a handful of races to vote from. Let’s begin with the governor’s race. I believe it will either be Sue Bell Cobb or Walt Maddox being the nominee. Both of these candidates would be a good governor. But as you know, this is Alabama. The state where Democrats are almost extinct. But, there are few good things these candidates are proposing. Sue Bell Cobb would like to make sure everyone has access to clean water, and help our rural hospitals survive by expanding Medicaid. Cobb would invest in Alabama’s failing infrastructure by slightly raising the gas tax. She would propose a lottery to help Alabama’s education system and to help those less fortunate fund college. She would also reform the criminal justice system, provide better mental health, and help to cleanup the corruption in Montgomery.

Walt Maddox also has some great ideas. Walt would provide better training for workforce by making college affordable in Alabama. Walt would also start an education lottery to improve education in Alabama including Pre-K. Walt would also expand Medicaid to help rural hospitals stay open. And he would try to pass legislation that would improve Alabama’s roads and bridges. Judging by the top two candidates on the Democratic ticket, I feel like Walt Maddox will become the nominee. His experience running the city of Tuscaloosa, especially after the April 2011 tornado, would prove to be great for Alabama.

As for Attorney General, both Chris Christie and Joseph Siegelman would oppose lawmakers making them exempt from ethics laws, a good example of that was HB 317. And they would not waste resources on gambling, and help to address problems with prison overcrowding. Then we get to the House District 3 race where I live. Mallory Hagan and Dr. Adia McClellan Winfrey are running in the Democratic primary. If I was voting in the Democratic primary, I would vote for Mallory Hagan, and it’s quite simple. If Mike Rogers is going to be defeated, the person running on the Democrat side has to be well-known by a lot of people. I feel like Mallory Hagan has the best shot to defeat Mike Rogers in November, if that happens.

Let’s discuss two more races on the Democrat ticket. The Secretary of State office will be very hard for the Democrats to win. I would vote for Heather Milam. And finally the District 32 House race where I live. I feel like Seyram Selase will be the best candidate. He did great serving as a City Councilman for Anniston. Sadly he got cheated from that office. And well that’s it for the Democrat side. But, I am going to vote on the Republican side, where there are many more races to choose from, and where many races in Alabama will be decided for November. Because let’s face it, being a Democrat in Alabama is extremely challenging.

Let’s start with governor. I feel like there will be a runoff between Kay Ivey and Tommy Battle. I mean, let’s be real Bill Hightower, no one will support combining the general fund and education budgets, and term limits are something the legislature is going to laugh off. Privatizing ALDOT would be a horrible move. And by saying banning earmarks, you mean cutting funds for things like the court system. And let’s talk about Scott Dawson, his campaign ads on the TV have been all about faith, with no issues being talked about. He thinks a lottery is not a good thing, and I guess he supports seeing millions of dollars leave Alabama each year. And it seems like Scott Dawson wants to ignore the federal government and the Supreme Court when issues he doesn’t like comes up. The country does not run that way sir. I am also concerned about eliminating licenses, I would think you want someone qualified when you hire an electrician or a house builder.

Okay let’s talk about the two candidates that have the best chance of winning the nomination. First Kay Ivey, she became governor after the last governor resigned. She would help the farmers and veterans, help to keep Montgomery corruption free, and that’s about all I see. She is only been running TV ads, and has refused to debate the other candidates, which is a horrible move. And then there is Tommy Battle. He would like to see the issue of the lottery go to a vote of the people. He would like to hire more state troopers, and evaluate sentencing guidelines. He would like to keep Montgomery corruption free, although that HB 317 bill was not good. And he would continue to expand Pre-K and create more economic development. And of course, fix Alabama’s roads. Tommy Battle is the Huntsville mayor and has done an amazing job, I am going to vote for him!

For Lt. Governor, it’s really a tossup. I feel like Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh has the best shot to win, just because of her name. But I will vote for Will Ainsworth. Then there is the attorney general race. I am pretty certain there will be a runoff in this race. I don’t support Steve Marshall because he was hand-picked during the Bentley corruption. And I think either Troy King or Alice Martin would do a great job. I am voting for Troy King. For the Senate District 12 race where I live, Del Marsh will win easily. For commissioner of agriculture and industries, I am voting for Gerald Dial.

Four Secretary of State, current officeholder John Merrill has been doing a great job and should win the nomination. For state treasurer, I support John McMillan. And for state auditor, current officeholder Jim Zeigler has been doing a great job. And then let’s get to the public service commission races. For place one, Jim Bonner is extremely toxic, so much the Alabama GOP will not even count votes for him, so vote for Jeremy Oden. For place two, I am voting for Chris Beeker.

For chief justice of the Supreme Court, I think Tom Parker will win. And for the Supreme Court place races. I support Debra Jones for place one, and Jay Mitchell for place 4. For the court of civil appeals, I support Pat Thetford for place one, and Chad Hanson for place two. And for the court of criminal appeals, I support Richard Minor for place one, Chris McCool for place two, and Bill Cole for place three.