They like him; they really, really like him

By Jennifer J. Foster

In introducing Riley, Hubbard called the governor “without a doubt, my political mentor.

“Being able to work with him, side by side ... he’s one of finest men I’ve ever known and without a doubt, the best governor we’ve ever had in state of Alabama,“ Hubbard said.

Hubbard ticked off the list of Riley’s accomplishments as governor, calling him “the most prolific creator of jobs this state’s ever had in its history.“ Riley has “invested more in education, including higher education, than ever in history,“ Hubbard said. In addition, he said, Riley has distinguished himself as an industry recruiter and has presided over the lowest unemployment rate in Alabama’s history. And his leadership during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath provided an example for “sister states” to follow, Hubbard said.

Riley was welcomed, predictably, with a warm standing ovation.

H-U-B-B-A-R-D, not H-U-B-B-E-R-T

By Jennifer J. Foster

Alabama House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) warmed up the jovial crowd before introducing Riley.

He described the day’s earlier events in Montgomery as a “firefight.“

“We got bowled over a couple of times, but we’re going to live to fight another day,“ Hubbard said, emphasizing that his name is H-U-B-B-A-R-D, not to be confused with H-U-B-B-E-R-T—as in Paul, the Alabama Education Association official widely regarded as the most powerful lobbyist in Alabama—and Hubbard’s archenemy.

Hubbard said that as far as Hubbert and state Democrats are concerned, “It’s all about the Legislature, because as long as they can control policies and the budget, they are going to be in charge.“

In addition, Hubbard A-R-D said Hubbert E-R-T and Alabama Democrats enjoy a tremendous financial advantage as a result of the $270,000 per month the AEA collects in addition to teachers’ union dues. After years of depending on the business community to keep GOP legislative candidates competitive, Hubbard said party officials decided to take matters into their own hands.

The result: “Campaign 2010,“ which Hubbard called “the most comprehensive, ambitious and aggressive fundraising initiative the Republican Party has ever put together.“ Its goal: Raise $4 million for use in legislative campaigns in hopes of wresting control of the Legislature away from Democrats in 2010.

The program offers four levels, from a Capitol Club membership available for $180 annually, to the Governor’s Circle, which involves a $40,000 commitment to be met prior to the 2010 elections.

Hubbard said the party set out to recruit 100 members to the Governor’s Circle; as of Thursday night, there were 87, including eight in attendance last night.

According to Campaign 2010 fliers available to attendees, money raised in the campaign will be used “to fund media buys, quality candidate recruitment, field staffing for candidates, grassroots efforts, get-out-the-vote phone banks, events for candidates and ballot security initiatives, among others.“

It’s safe to say some of the money will go to help the re-election campaign of Rep. DuWayne Bridges (R-Valley), who made news recently for casting a vote in the House Chamber from China.

Bridges was in attendance Thursday night.

“Lee County is what put (Bridges) over the top” when he was elected, Hubbard said. “We have to stand firm and make sure that he remains a part of the Alabama Legislature.

“We cannot go on if we don’t have him representing us,“ he said.

“Alabama has an enormous number of elected officials, but the hardest nut to crack is the Legislature,“ Hubbard said. “The Alabama GOP is going to be a constant counter to the Democrat Party.“

Roll call

By Jennifer J. Foster

Lee County Republican Party Chairman Rod Herring told me the dinner attracted more than 425 people, and it was apparent as I tried to find a seat. People were tightly packed around tables that were crammed into every corner of the room. Servers sometimes had a difficult time getting between tables with their plates.

Events like these are one-stop shopping for anyone interested in meeting candidates for office. Since the people who come to these functions are highly active party leaders, candidates never miss an opportunity to gladhand them. That was true Thursday, as hundreds of signs from at least 10 different candidates peppered the road leading into the Marriott Grand National in Opelika.

Elected officials and candidates in attendance included State Auditor Samantha Shaw; State Treasurer Kay Ivey; Public Service Commission presidential hopeful Jack Hornady; PSC candidate and former Alabama Republican Party chair Twinkle Cavanaugh; state representatives Mike Hubbard and DuWayne Bridges; Court of Criminal Appeals hopefuls Duncan Crow, Peggy Givhan, Beth Kellum, Chris Mixon, Judge Teresa Bearden Petelos and Mary Windom; Court of Civil Appeals Judge Bill Thompson; Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones; Lee County Probate Judge Bill English; Lee County Revenue Commissioner Oline Price; Lee County commissioners Mathan Holt and Johnny Lawrence; Lee County School Board candidate Milford Burkhalter; Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller; Opelika city councilmen Jerry Teel, Bill Lazenby and Eddie Smith; Phenix City Mayor Jeff Hardin; Phenix City Councilman Ray Bush; Smiths Station Mayor LaFaye Dellinger and Valley City Councilman Ray Edwards.

Riley: ‘I will never run for another office’

By Jennifer J. Foster

The biggest news to come out of the Lee County Republican Party’s annual dinner Thursday was delivered on the heels of a joke.

Delivering the keynote address at the event in Opelika, Riley was discussing the need for Alabamians to work to elect Republicans to the Legislature when he closed the door on speculation that he might run for vice president on the ticket with nominee-to-be John McCain.

Riley mentioned the dozens of “Riley for Governor” signs lining the roads to the dinner’s location and said no one was more surprised to see them than he.

“I will never run for another office,“ Riley said after the laughter died down, going on to explain that he fully intends to remain active in party politics—through fundraising, candidate recruitment, etc.—after he leaves office in January 2011.

Since McCain clinched the nomination after the Texas primary on March 4, talk among Republicans has centered on the importance his vice presidential selection will have on his ability to solidify his party’s conservative base. Riley has been mentioned as a potentially strong pick; he is a popular governor in a Southern state, he has a stellar record on job creation and his conservative credentials are impeccable.

But Riley maintains that his concerns rest primarily with wresting control of the Legislature from Democrats, whom Riley blames for railroading, reversing or just plain blocking needed reforms in tax policy, ethics and education, among other issues. He is committed, he said, to doing all he can to help elect and re-elect Republicans in Montgomery.

Gov. Riley in Lee County

By Jennifer J. Foster

For those of you who logged on at 7 p.m. for live blogging from the Lee County Republican Party’s annual dinner, I have just one question for you:

You know that guy Murphy? I’ve kind of had it with him today.

Actually, I don’t have anything against Murphy. It’s his law that’s been the trouble. You know, that whole if-anything-can-go-wrong-it-will mantra? Well, that’s been the theme of the day for me.

I won’t go into all the details, but suffice it to say that I was 35 minutes leaving my previous commitment and heading over toward Opelika and the Marriott for the event, which started at 7 p.m. I headed that way at 7:35. Not a great start. I knew it would take 20 minutes to get there, and that wasn’t considering getting inside, getting set up, etc. I honestly considerd ditching the entire thing because I just knew that by the time I got there and got set up, the governor would be finished.

I arrived just before 8, and I thought I had caught a break when a man headed back to the ballroom told me that Riley hadn’t spoken yet. I hurried to the ballroom, scoped out a seat in the back against the wall (it was actually the only unoccupied seat I saw) and opened up the computer. I’m all set, I thought.

But then, there was Murphy.

Ten seconds in, I realized I didn’t have an open internet connection. Two minutes later, I had talked with a hote employee who had good news—the room was wired for access—and bad news—no wireless capability. More bad news: Although the room has jacks, they were covered up by the tables. More bad news still: It would take 20 minutes to set up. The bad news kicker: They would charge me for it once they did set it up.

It was a non-starter for me.

Obviously, I was disappointed. I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way we had hoped. But I figured I would stay, because I thought Riley would offer some good nuggets for us political junkies (he did—more on that in a minute). I hope you find them as interesting as I did.