Old Fob James had an unusual political personality. When he was out of the governor’s office, he showed a tremendous yearning to get back. The proof is that he sought the office in 1986 and lost in the Democratic primary and lost again in 1990 in the primary. However, he came back and won in 1994 as a Republican. However, once he got the job, he acted as if he did not want it.
James set a new standard for alienating his friends and supporters during his first term.
He seemed completely out of focus during his second term and gave the appearance that he was completely uninterested in being governor. James made multiple mistakes right out of the gate and seemed to not really care. By the middle of his term, it was assumed that whoever ran against James would beat him. When polls indicated this to be true, Don Siegelman made the decision to pull the trigger.
Siegelman had been elected lieutenant governor in 1994 as a Democrat and now saw his chance to grab the brass ring. In the 1990 governor’s race, Siegelman ran second to Paul Hubbert in the Democratic Primary, this being his only defeat. Hubbert, who now had two losing battles under his belt, one in 1990 and again in 1994, would not be a candidate again.
Siegelman, who had been secretary of state, attorney general, and was currently lieutenant governor, focused on being elected governor in 1998. He started running hard and scared off any major Democratic opposition. He outdistanced Birmingham lawyer Lenora Pate 85% to 15% in the Democratic primary, even though she received lots of editorial support.
James was not so lucky in his GOP Primary. The Democrats were not the only ones who were disenchanted with James and sensed his vulnerability. However, he had the religious right wing of the party in his corner because he had done their bidding.
Winton Blount III had been toiling in the Republican Party vineyards for a decade. He had plenty of time as his father, Red Blount, had made his son wealthy by birth. Winton III took his father’s millions and went after James with a vengeance. He cornered the moderate wing of the Republican Party and spent millions on media trying to corral conservative independents into the Republican Primary. This worked to some extent. It was a tough 50/50 race, but James edged out a victory in a tough runoff primary that split the Republican Party.
James was weakened and had spent all of the money he could raise. He was not a good fundraiser and although the religious right is big on talk, they are small on giving, and the business PACs could see the polling that showed James would lose in the fall. Blount’s supporters never came home. The primary fight had been too bitter. Blount never even endorsed fellow Republican James.
Siegelman worked tirelessly. It was the chance for the job he had been working toward all of his adult life. He ran hard on a platform favoring a state lottery. When the votes were counted in November, Siegelman trounced James. Siegelman won the 1998 governor’s race and became one of only two Democratic governors in the south. Republicans had won in all of the other southern contested governors’ races. Indeed, Alabama has not elected a Democrat as governor since the 1998 Siegelman victory.
Editor's note: This article first appeared in the Capital City Free Press on September 30, 2014.
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