Heart of Dixie

We have six living past governors. How are they doing?

Some of you may wonder how many past governors we have in Alabama who are still living and how they are doing. We have six living past governors. Former Gov. John Patterson is our oldest living chief executive. Patterson is 99 years old and living on his ancestral family farm in rural Tallapoosa County in … Continued

Steve Flowers

August 19, 2020

Opinion

U.S. Senate race will be decided in runoff

We have a great race for the U.S. Senate. When the votes from the first primary were counted Jeff Sessions and Tommy Tuberville were in a virtual tie at 32 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Mobile-Baldwin Congressman Bradley Byrne garnered 25 percent of the vote which is significant and Judge Roy Moore’s 7 percent is … Continued

Steve Flowers

March 18, 2020

Opinion

Primaries next week

Folks, our primaries are next week! On the Democratic side, the Presidential Preference Primary will be the big show and will be interesting to watch. On the right, the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate Seat will be the marquee event. In addition to the Senate Race, you have two open Republican Congressional Seats in … Continued

Steve Flowers

February 26, 2020

Opinion

Methodists have dominated high offices in Alabama history

Even though there are more Baptists than Methodists in Alabama, historically Methodists have held more of the prominent political posts in the Heart of Dixie. If you look closely at these leaders’ lives, a good many of our leaders have been sons of Methodist ministers. The most famous Methodist minister in the state over … Continued

Steve Flowers

January 15, 2020

Opinion

The race is on for the U.S Senate

We are less than three months away from the election for our number two U.S. Senate Seat. The winner of the Republican Primary on March 3, 2020 will be our next U.S. Senator. Winning the GOP Primary for any statewide office in a presidential year is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie. Jeff … Continued

Steve Flowers

December 4, 2019

Opinion

Two open congressional seats in the Heart of Dixie in 2020

Governor Kay Ivey has had a very successful first year as governor. One of the coups she pulled off was getting the legislature to pass legislation granting the governor the power to appoint the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The new law will give her all the new appointments to the Parole Board. Previously, the … Continued

Steve Flowers

September 4, 2019

Opinion

The story of Floyd Mann

One of the legendary figures in Alabama political lore is Col. Floyd Mann. Mann was public safety director for two governors. His lifetime friend, John Patterson, made him his public safety director while he was governor, 1958-1962 and Gov. Albert Brewer chose Mann to be his director while he was governor, 1968-1970. The public safety … Continued

Steve Flowers

August 14, 2019

Opinion

2020 U.S. Senate race

The long hot summer has brought some crystallization to the 2020 U.S. Senate race. This seat is the Senate Seat held by Senator Jeff Sessions for almost two decades. He unwittingly made a strange and probably very regrettable decision to join President Donald J. Trump’s administration as attorney general. Very few U. S. Senators with … Continued

Steve Flowers

July 24, 2019

Opinion

2020 races around the corner

Folks, don’t look now, but the 2020 Presidential Election is upon us. Indeed, as many as 21 Democratic aspirants are already announced and campaigning. They are quite a liberal group as you might expect. Leading the pack of Democrats trying to take Donald Trump out of the White House is an avowed, true socialist, Bernie … Continued

Steve Flowers

July 10, 2019

Opinion

Sen. Richard Shelby turns 85 this week. He is a treasure.

Our Senior U.S. Senator, Richard Shelby, turns 85 this week. In March he reached another milestone – he surpassed Senator John Sparkman as the longest serving U.S. Senator in Alabama history. Shelby has been our senator for 32 plus years. Alabama has a treasure in Richard Shelby. He is not only the longest serving U.S. … Continued

Steve Flowers

May 8, 2019