“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here.
1. Speculation is starting to make the rounds about Secretary of State Beth Chapman’s next move. She has spoken openly in the past about wanting to run for congress in the 6th District. However, Congressman Bachus’ retirement does not appear imminent and she has no desire to challenge him. With no other statewide offices opening up in 2014, what will she do?
2. Greg Pappas, who has been clerk of the Alabama House of Representatives since 1991, is retiring at the end of the 2012 session. Several folks inside the State House are jockeying for the job and the almost $200,000/yr. paycheck that comes along with it.
3. Is Jeff Sessions considering retirement ahead of his next reelection bid in 2014? The whispers have been simmering below the surface for the last several months but have started to bubble up with a little more regularity as of late. We would hate to lose one of the Senate’s most respected conservative voices and his retirement could potentially spark a wildly unpredictable game of political musical chairs. We expect the GOP’s progress in the Senate in 2012 to play a major role in his decision.
UPDATE: I’ve received numerous emails regarding Sen. Sessions’ 2014 intentions. One D.C. insider said of Sessions’ possibly retiring, “I find that HIGHLY unlikely for a number of reasons, but interesting nonetheless.”
Another emailer sent along the below fundraiser invitation from a Sen. Sessions event in Montgomery two weeks ago and stated firmly, “Session is running again in 2014. He has other events planning throughout Alabama.”
4. With Twinkle Cavanaugh winning the GOP nomination for President of the PSC in last night’s runoff, she’s now setting her sites on Alabama’s last remaining statewide elected Democrat — Lucy Baxley. Meanwhile, insiders are eyeing the potential for Gov. Bentley to appoint Cavanaugh’s replacement to her current PSC seat should she win in November. Numerous potential appointees — including state legislators — have already started positioning themselves for a chance at the appointment.
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