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GOP looks to 2010 races
Published February 26, 2009
Fresh off a sweep of local races in November, the Marshall County Republican Party has an eye on 2010.
But the most powerful local Democrat, state Sen. Hinton Mitchem, says he’s leaning toward seeking another term.
The county GOP will have three prospective candidates speak at the party’s monthly meeting Tuesday.
John Wilson, of Huntsville, will be seeking the 9th District state Senate seat currently held by Mitchem, D-Union Grove.
Nathan Broadhurst, of Albertville, will be seeking the District 26 state House seat held by state Rep. Frank McDaniel, D-Albertville, since 1990.
Rusty Rowan, of Boaz, is expected to run for sheriff. A Democrat, Scott Walls, has been sheriff since 2007.
“Scott definitely will run for re-election,” Marshall County Democratic chairwoman Susan McKenney said.
The Republicans had their best local election cycle in at least a century last year.
James Maze won the District 2 County Commission seat previously held by Democrat R.E. Martin. Richard Kilgore won the District 3 commission seat previously held by Buddy Allen, who was elected as a Democrat but changed parties before the election.
Allen’s switch gave the Republicans their first majority on the County Commission since Reconstruction.
Joey Masters, another Democrat-turned-Republican, held off a challenge to keep the revenue commissioner seat. He defeated an employee of his office, Lynn Walls, wife of the sheriff.
Terry Kennamer won an open seat on the Marshall County school board previously held by Democrat John Allen.
All of the state’s legislative seats will be on next year’s ballot, and state Republican officials have said they want to wrest control of the Legislature.
McDaniel said he hasn’t decided if he’s seeking a new term next year.
“It’s too early for any of that,” he said Wednesday. “There’s always somebody out there ready to run, I think, but I’m not ready to get into any of that.”
Mitchem said he’s in good health and leaning to running for re-election.
“Right now, I’m probably going to run again,” he said Wednesday afternoon in a telephone interview from Montgomery. “I’m still wide-open and enjoy politics, so right now I’m probably going to run.”
Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, is expected to seek another term from House District 27. He was unopposed four years ago.
Three seats on the Marshall County Commission will be on the 2010 ballot.
Gov. Bob Riley appointed then-District 1 Commissioner Douglas D. Fleming to the position of chairman after Billy Cannon died in 2007, just months into his term.
The chairmanship will be up for election, as will the District 1 and District 4 seats.
Bill Stricklend, a Republican appointed by Riley, is the District 1 commissioner. The only seat held by a Democrat, District 4’s Tim Bollinger, will also be up for election.
The county school superintendent’s race will be on the ballot. It’s held by a Republican, Tim Nabors.
Two county school board seats — those held by Republican Bill Ingram and Democrat A.L. Bonds — will be up for election.
Two court seats will be on the ballot. One is Democrat Tim Jolley’s seat as a circuit judge, and the other is Republican Tim Riley’s seat as a District Court judge.
Riley was elected as a Democrat, but he changed parties in 2006 to make a bid for circuit judge. That seat went to Democrat Howard Hawk.
McKenney said the Democrats will field a candidate for the District Court seat, Albertville attorney Greg Price.
Tim Riley could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
McKenney said she expects Jolley to run for re-election as well.
The only other Marshall County judge in the Republican Party is Liles Burke, whom Bob Riley appointed to fill Hawk’s seat when he moved up from the District Court. Burke was elected to a full term without opposition in November.
District Attorney Steve Marshall, a Democrat, said his position will be on the ballot and that he is seeking another term.
Former Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat, appointed Marshall in 2001 when Democrat Ronald Thompson retired as district attorney. Marshall was elected without opposition to a full term in 2004.
The coroner seat, now held by Democrat Marlon Killion, will be up for election as well.
The governor’s race will be at the top of the ballot. Term limits prevent Republican Bob Riley from seeking re-election.
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