Steve Flowers

Steve Flowers served 16 years in the state legislature. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve may be reached at [email protected].

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers Last week we discussed the presidential race. The GOP race for the nomination has been one of the most illuminating in history. Never before have political novices been the frontrunners. It is obvious that voters prefer an outsider with no governmental experience. Donald Trump and Ben Carson would both … Continued

January 13, 2016

Predicting the Presidential Race

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers Folks, we are in the midst of a presidential race. It has been ongoing for well over a year. We will select a new president in November. Barack Obama has served his eight year limit. Thus, the parade of candidates seeking to occupy the Oval Office has been long, … Continued

January 6, 2016

Remembering Those Who Passed

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers As we close the final page on the 2015 book, my year-end tradition is to reminisce about the passing away of significant players on the Alabama political stage. The first obituary is not a person but an entity. The Alabama Education Association is essentially dead as a political organization. … Continued

December 30, 2015

Moore Has Found His Horse

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers As we look back over the past year’s political events one week stands out. During one week in the middle of 2015, three momentous events occurred. All three came down bang, bang, bang in the week leading up to the fourth of July. First was the landmark decision by … Continued

December 23, 2015

Rounding Out the Field

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers This week we will conclude our analysis of the potential horses in the 2018 Alabama Gubernatorial Derby. First, let me briefly recap the horses we have already handicapped. The list includes, in descending order, Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (18), Supreme Court Justice Jim Main (17), Sen. Greg … Continued

December 16, 2015

Handicapping the Race: Week Three

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers This week we will continue our analysis of the potential horses in the 2018 Alabama Gubernatorial Derby. So far, we have counted down from 18 to 8. In descending order the list includes, Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (18), Supreme Court Justice Jim Main (17), Sen. Greg Reed … Continued

December 9, 2015

Handicapping the Governor’s Race (Continued)

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers This week we will continue counting down and handicapping the prospective horses in the 2018 Alabama Gubernatorial Derby. We handicapped the following horses in descending order last week, Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (18), Supreme Court Justice Jim Main (17), Sen. Greg Reed (16), Sen. Arthur Orr (15) … Continued

December 2, 2015

Vetting the Horses

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers Last week I gave you an alphabetical list of the 18 potential horses in the 2018 Alabama Gubernatorial Derby. We will begin this week handicapping them in descending order. The Number 18 horse is current Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. We will know whether the beleaguered Speaker of … Continued

November 25, 2015

Prelude to the Alabama Derby

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers We Alabamians love the governor’s race. When talk turns to politics in our beloved state, it usually leads to the governor’s race. It does not matter if the governor’s race is four years away, political gossip starts early as to who will run for governor. As each new race … Continued

November 18, 2015

Political Friends and Neighbors

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers As a young boy I would sit for hours contemplating and analyzing the next governor’s race. At that time the governor could not succeed himself. He was limited to one four-year term. Therefore, we had developed a tradition whereby the man who had run second in the last governor’s … Continued

November 11, 2015