Free Republic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The cast: A Republican incumbent who alienated his base with a proposal to raise taxes. A chief justice who lost his job over his Ten Commandments stand. A former governor under indictment. A lieutenant governor who helped her ex-husband run for governor. The show: Alabama's gubernatorial primaries of 2006. In a state where George C. Wallace and James E. "Big Jim" Folsom made races for governor a must-watch event on the political stage, the current campaigns may be every bit as memorable. On the Republican side, ousted Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, the Ten Commandments defender,...

A little-known state senator from Slocomb is moving toward a race for the 2006 Republican nomination for governor, entering a field that includes Gov. Bob Riley and Roy Moore. Though she has said only that she is considering running, Harri Anne Smith, 43, has created a campaign committee and cashed the check on a major donation from Mignon C. Smith, 74-year-old Avondale Mills heiress and longtime Republican Party promoter. Wallace Malone, the longtime CEO of SouthTrust, has a long-standing relationship with Sen. Smith. John Grenier, another prominent Republican, has sent out letters advising donors that she would be calling. And...

Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley may not be the only woman running for governor next year. Republican state Sen. Harri Anne Smith says she's seriously considering entering the race. "Over the next couple of months, I'll be traveling the state and meeting with party people and people in the community," she said. Smith, R-Slocomb, said she is so serious that she has had polling done, and she expects to make a decision before the end of the year. No Republican has officially announced yet for the 2006 governor's race, but Gov. Bob Riley and former Chief Justice Roy Moore are...