Enterprise: Bringing a message of hope and encouragement, Alabama Democratic Party chairman Joe Turnham spoke before an enthusiastic crowd from the Wiregrass Democratic Women's Club.

In his remarks, Turnham spoke of the diversity of people he had met. He expressed a strong support for the military community, pointing out that it was a Democratic Congress that is appropriating funds to support that community.

"We can win elections down here. We're going to win," said Turnham. "It was a shot heard around the country when after 42 years, the Democrats won the Second Congressional District."

Joe Turnham

Statement from Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb:
"I am honored to have been sought out and encouraged to run for Governor by so many Alabamians from all walks of life. Their support has been humbling and perhaps made this decision the most difficult I have ever been called upon to make.

First and foremost, I want the best for the people of Alabama, whom I have attempted to faithfully serve for the last 28 years. I care greatly about where we are as a state and the direction in which we need to go.

Priscilla Dunn wins Democratic runoff for state Senate
Birmingham News, 6/30/09, by Anne Ruisi
State Rep. Priscilla Dunn of Bessemer is the Alabama Senate's newest member.

She defeated state Rep. Merika Coleman of Hueytown in today's special Democratic runoff election to fill the state Senate District 19 seat vacated by the federal conviction of E.B. McClain.

With 86 of 87 precincts counted, Dunn led the unofficial results with 3,444 votes to Coleman's 2,705, according to Jefferson County officials. That gave Dunn 56.01 percent of the votes, compared to 43.99 for Coleman.

Dunn and Coleman led an eight-candidate primary on May 12. Dunn received 33.7 percent of the vote, while Coleman received 29 percent. No Republicans entered the primary in May, so this Democratic runoff will decide the election. 

However, these elected officials that Byrne targeted were making nowhere near the $250K+ a year that he himself was making. What's worse is that Bryne never once called into question his own exorbitant salary during the entire tenure of his Chancellorship. Never once did he say, "Whoa, wait a minute, this is a lot and we can save the taxpayers some money." No, he just took it and every single raise thereafter too.

From a Dothan Eagle editorial:

"Now the pay for the chancellor of two-year schools is closer to $300,000 per year -- almost 20 percent higher than the average compensation and benefits for community college chancellors nationwide, and 50 percent more than the state school superintendent, who oversees Alabama's K-12 system."

Mr. Byrne, you've gone after "double dippers", but the fact is, you're the "biggest dipper" of all.

Former two-year college system chancellor Bradley Byrne tried to change many things he inherited from Roy Johnson, his disgraced predecessor who was ousted from the post and later pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

Byrne, who is now running a Republican campaign for governor billing himself as the candidate of reform, backed the state school board in banning two-year college employees from holding elected office and sought to lift morale in the bruised department.

But one part of Johnson's legacy remains unchanged -- a salary that included a 2005 raise of nearly 22 percent that put Byrne's and his successor's compensation well above the amounts previously paid.

MONTGOMERY -- The state GOP likely won't spend much trying to put a Republican in the seat of former Alabama Rep. Marc Keahey, D-Union Grove, a party spokesman said.

"I think it's a little early to tell, but from a numbers standpoint, this definitely is a district that we wouldn't target," said Philip Bryan of the Alabama Republican Party.

Bryan said Republicans in the district typically garner only about 40 percent of the vote.

No special election date has yet been set for the state House District 65 seat, which opened up after Keahey was elected to the state Senate early this month. Already, at least three candidates are preparing to run.

MONTGOMERY -- If elected governor, Bradley Byrne has promised to immediately call a special legislative session on ethics reform, specifically to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers.

But when Byrne was re-elected as a Republican state senator in 2006, he accepted political action committee money and distributed it to other PACs and other GOP candidates.

It's the same practice that the Fairhope lawyer and former two-year college chancellor now says he wants the Legislature to prohibit.

Phony news release under investigation by state AG's office

MONTGOMERY - The host of a Huntsville radio talk show who posted a fake news release bearing the official state seal could be facing a felony charge, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office said Wednesday.

Chris Bence, spokesman for Attorney General Troy King, said Secretary of State Beth Chapman had turned a copy of the phony press release over to the attorney general's office, and that a preliminary investigation is under way.

Tuesday morning WVNN radio host Dale Jackson posted on the station's Web site a release that said those who planned to vote for Democrat Laura Hall shouldn't vote until Wednesday because of expected overcrowding at the polls. Hall lost the state Senate special election to Republican Paul Sanford.

His quote came in reference to a fradulent letter posted to a website by Dale Jackson, a rightwing radio host out of Huntsville, that used the Secretary of State's seal and instructed voters for Laura Hall in Senate District 7 to vote on the day after the election.

We've seen these types of campaign tactics performed by the GOP all over the country. They are in no way, shape or form funny, and they have been used time and again to confuse and disenfranchise voters.

Hubbard called the letter "idiotic", but added "I don't think you prosecute a guy for being dumb."

Ya know, if we used that logic in our legal system, then people who commit dumb crimes, which is like ALL OF THEM, shouldn't be prosecuted. Mr. Chairman, we'll just assume you had a momentary lapse of reason.

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Secretary of State Beth Chapman has received notification indicating false information is being circulated regarding today's District 7 State Senate race between Democrat Laura Hall and Republican Paul Sanford.

She wants to inform all voters in this election they are to cast their ballots today.

Emails and fliers have been circulating that state that due to "heavy expected turnout" there will be two elections this week: Tuesday for Republican voters and Wednesday for Democratic voters.

"This information is totally false," says Secretary of State Chapman, who is Alabama's chief elections official. "The election is being conducted today and today only. There is no election being conducted on Wednesday."

Anyone having any questions should contact the Secretary of State's Office at 1-800-274-8683 or visit the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.alabama.gov.

In our worst economic crisis in a generation, President Obama's stimulus and rescue package for state governments and education staved off disaster for our children in Alabama public schools and our health care system for children and seniors. The budgets passed with bipartisan support.

MONTGOMERY -- The Alabama Republican Party made its first investment of Campaign 2010 funds, putting $100,000 into Greg Albritton's bid in a special election for Senate District 22. But in the end -- helped by Democratic special interest money -- Marc Keahey carried the seat.

Campaign 2010 is a fundraising effort launched by Gov. Bob Riley and fellow Republicans to help the party gain control of the Legislature from Democrats.

Not surprisingly, Democrats touted Tuesday's District 22 victory. A news release from the Alabama Democratic Party claimed that the outcome sent "shockwaves" through the Alabama GOP.

Marc Keahey, a Democratic State Representative and Grove Hill attorney, solidly defeated former Republican State Representative Greg Albritton Tuesday by double digits to win state Senate District 22. The seat had been held for many years by the late Democrat Pat Lindsey, who passed away in January of this year creating the need for a special election.

Unofficial results show Keahey winning by more than 2,300 votes, or a margin of 15.9%. Keahey won four of the eight counties by a landslide, while coming just short in the other four by only a small number of votes. The Alabama Democratic Party contends that grassroots efforts helped them win Mobile County, while coming only 143 votes shy of winning in the oft considered Republican stronghold of Baldwin County. Keahey's largest vote margins came from the counties that encompass his house district; Choctaw, Clarke and Washington.

County	Keahey (D)	Albritton (R)	Write-in
Baldwin	577	720	5
Choctaw	1171	654	0
Clarke	2505	1076	7
Conecuh	95	381	0
Escambia	1296	1832	13
Mobile	620	438	1
Monroe	138	234	1
Washington	2035	783	10
Total	8437	6118	37
Percentage	57.82%	41.93%	0.25%