special interests Archives • Alabama Political Reporter

For the sake of the state, please sine die soon

Every year, there is hope that the Alabama Legislature will come to Montgomery with the goal of making our state a better, more prosperous place to work and live, and every year, they fail to deliver mostly. With just days left in the 2019 session, it is difficult to see any real long-term, positive accomplishments … Continued

May 20, 2019

An ethics-less day at the Alabama “ethics” commission

Alabama does not have an ethics commission. Oh, sure, there’s a group of people who meet once per month in a room in Montgomery, and the sign out front reads “Alabama Ethics Commission,” but trust me, they’re not. Because an ethics commission — a real one — has one primary goal: To uphold the ethics … Continued

December 20, 2018

Attorney General’s campaign ends month with rivals nearly even in cash on hand

In the attorney general’s race, appointed Republican Steve Marshall out-raised his Democrat opponent, first-time candidate Joe Siegelman, two to one, but the pair ended the month essentially dead-even in cash on hand. Despite raising millions in the Republican primary, Marshall only raised $224,700.00, according to his Oct. 2 FPCA report. On the other hand, Siegelman reported … Continued

October 4, 2018

Marshall’s former law partner supporting Siegelman for attorney general

Corporate and special interests are fueling the campaign of Republican attorney general nominee Steve Marshall while mostly small individual donors are driving his Democrat challenger, Joseph Siegelman. Over half of Marshall’s contributions in August came from lobbyist-controlled PACs and businesses with interests before the state. FCPA reports for August show just the opposite for Siegelman, … Continued

September 11, 2018

Alabama Republican Party incorporates repeal of Common Core into platform

Saturday, the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee passed its first ever platform. The 550 member executive committee was meeting for their summer meeting on the Tuscaloosa campus of the University of Alabama. Among the other planks in the platform is an expressed opposition to the controversial Common Core curriculum. The platform explicitly says: “We oppose … Continued

August 31, 2018

Inside the Statehouse: Primary runoffs next week

Well folks, if you vote in the Republican primary you may want to go back to the polls next week and finish selecting the GOP nominees for several important state offices. If you are a Democrat the only reason you will need to vote on Tuesday is if you have a runoff in a local … Continued

July 11, 2018

Milton McGregor still on the scene

By Steve Flowers Inside the Statehouse As the June primaries for our statewide races get closer, there is a lot of media attention and stories written about the power being wielded by special interests, PACs and big money. They focus on the large amount of cash and influence being bet on the horses for governor and … Continued

March 7, 2018

Activists once again come for payday lenders

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Just as the Trump administration’s acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working to repeal federal restrictions imposed on payday loans under the Obama administration, certain Alabama Republicans aligned with left-leaning special interests are once again pushing to regulate the industry further. In a year when Republican … Continued

January 18, 2018

Mike Huckabee endorses Roy Moore

By Brandon Moseley Alabama Political Reporter Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, former Arkansas Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee announced on his website that he has endorsed Roy Moore for U.S. Senate in the Republican special primary election runoff. Huckabee said in a statement, “Frankly, I wasn’t planning on making an endorsement in the runoff … Continued

September 6, 2017