The next
Alabama
Gubernatorial Election will take place
November 2,
2010. Barring any unforseen reason for
Bob Riley to not
finish his term, this will be an "
Open Seat" as he is barred from seeking
re-election because of term limits.
Democrats
The
early
front-runner for the
Democratic Party's
nomination in 2010 is current
lieutenant governor elect
Jim Folsom,
Jr. Folsom is well known in Alabama politics. He served as
public service commissioner and was a
U.S. Senate candidate in
1980. He served as Lieutenant Governor previously from
1987-1993 until being elevated to Governor after Gov.
Guy Hunt was removed from office on
an ethics conviction. Folsom was defeated in
1994 by another former Governor,
Fob James. He returned to the
private sector until 2006 when he ran for Lieutenent Governor and
defeated Republican Luther Strange.
State Commissioner of
Agriculture and Industries
Ron Sparks has expressed interest in seeking the
state's top constitutional office as well. He was first elected to
public office in 2002 in the position that he is currently serving.
He was relected in 2006.
Cheif Justice-elect
Sue Bell Cobb has also
been mentioned as a possible candidate, but she has not publicly
acknowledged any interest in the position.
Congressman
Artur Davis is
seen as a top candidate for the Governor's office in 2010 as well.
He has been serving
Alabama's 7th congressional
district since his election in 2002. Davis has expressed
interest in seeking higher office on numerous occassions, but it is
currently undecided about what office he plans to seek. He is also
mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate seat
currently held by Republican
Richard Shelby. It is widely speculated
Shelby will retire in 2010 when he will be 76 years old. Recently
Davis confirmed he may challenge Alabama's other US Senator,
Jeff
Sessions who will be up for reelection in 2008.<ref>
</ref>
Alabama Speaker of the House
Seth Hammett has openly
considered running for governor and decided against doing so in
2006. He may be considering a run in 2010.
Former
National Basketball
Association star
Charles Barkley has been mentioned as an
early candidate, saying that if he does run it will be as a
Democrat. However, under current state law, to be elected governor
one must have lived in the state of Alabama for seven years prior
to being elected. Under this law, even if Barkley moved back to
Alabama now, he would be ineligible for the office until
2014.
Former Gov.
Don Siegelman has run for govenor in every
election since 1990 with the exception of 1994, however after his
recent felony conviction and huge loss to
Lucy Baxley in the 2006
Democratic Primary, most pundits consider his political career to
be over.
Lucy Baxley, the 2006 Democratic nominee who was
defeated by Republican Gov. Bob Riley, is not expected to run again
in 2010. She has not announced any offical plans, but it is likely
she will retire in January 2007 when her term as lieutenant
governor expires. Baxley also recently suffered a mild stroke and
will be 72 at the time of the gubernatorial election in 2010. Both
of those factors suggest she has no future political plans.
Republicans
No
Republicans have been
mentioned, yet. However, Former
Alabama
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who ran in 2006, hasn't said whether he
will run or not.
There is also some speculation
Attorney General
Troy King may run
for governor in 2010. King was appointed by Gov. Riley to the
position in 2004 when President
George W. Bush nominated
Bill Pryor to serve as a judge on the
United
States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. King defeated
his Democratic opponent
Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson, Jr. in
2006 and would be eligible to run again for attorney general in
2010 if he chooses.
Others
No "Minor Party" or
Independent candidates have yet announced intentions of running.
However, 2006 Gubernatorial
write-in candidate
Loretta Nall of the
Libertarian Party has not
said if she will run again or not.
Another possible Independent
candidate exploring his options is
2002 Pennsylvania Treasurer candidate Darryl W.
Perry.
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