Gubernatorial race: Never a dull moment

When we last left the Alabama's gubernatorial race in November 2002, there was quite a fuss.

Incumbent Don Siegelman was shouting that Republicans had stolen his re-election bid in south Alabama. Original vote totals from a GOP-leaning county showed Siegelman had earned enough votes there to defeat challenger Bob Riley.

The vote totals were corrected late on election night and Siegelman was left 3,120 votes short in an election that attracted 1.4 million votes.

That commotion has silenced in the past four years. Don't fret, though. This year's race has all the makings of a can't-miss TV serial.

First, Riley and Siegelman are both back in the fray. But with both facing serious challenges just to win their party nominations, neither is assured to be there for the rematch in November's general election.

But there are plenty of other sub-plots in this race, especially for the political junkies.

On the Republican side, you have Riley, who angered his own loyal GOP supporters by introducing a $1.2 billion -- yes billion -- tax increase proposal early on. The measure failed woefully, but memories are long for elephants.

His opponent will be former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. His claim to fame is being ousted from office for defying federal law by continuing to display a Ten Commandments monument at the state's judicial building despite a court order mandating him to remove it.

On the Democrats' side, there's Siegelman, who has been indicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges. His fate won't likely be known before the June party primaries.

Lucy Baxley, his challenger and current lieutenant governor, tried unsuccessfully twice to have her ex-husband elected as governor.

Polls show Siegelman can beat Baxley unless he is found guilty. But to do so, he must receive a huge percentage of the state's black vote, which has followed him throughout his political career. Black voters, who have traditionally gone for Democrats in this state, are being courted heavily by Moore. His people are counting on black preachers to round up the once-solid Siegelman vote -- in the name of the Ten Commandments.

If successful, Siegelman could be in trouble in his race with Baxley, while Moore would gain a significant push. Moore already has ultra-religious Alabamians on his side.

Moderate Republicans, on the other hand, appear to be willing to forgive Riley for the tax proposal, mainly because they are uncomfortable with the thought of Moore being in the governor's office.

If Moore wins the party's nomination, some of those moderates would consider voting for the Democrat -- namely Baxley. It's hard to find many Republicans, moderate or conservative, who like Siegelman.

Baxley seems to be well liked by voters, but they say they don't know what she stands for at this point. Yet, she could be viewed by many as the safest candidate.

And you say politics is boring.

Mike Goens is the TimesDaily managing editor. He can be reached at 740-5740 or mike.goens@timesdaily.com.