Alabama Democratic Party Chairman and State Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) believes he can keep his party unified, even if that means allowing socialists into the tent.
Singleton also serves as the Alabama Senate’s top Democrat. Last month, he was elected to lead a state party he previously said he needed “like I need a hole in my head.”
Alabama Democrats have spent the better part of a decade consumed by leadership feuds, lawsuits and clashes with the national party over control – all while Republicans held every statewide office and supermajorities in both legislative chambers.
Monday on “The Rightside” with Allison Sinclair and Amie Beth Shaver, in partnership with Yellowhammer News, Singleton discussed how he plans to keep the party together.
“Well, you know, we talk about Democrat socialists, but they’re Democrats,” Singleton said. “It’s no different than what right wing Republicans, or skinheads, or other folks who say that they’re on the other side, Republicans. I mean, they’re just the extremes on each side, and people have the right to their opinion.”
While socialists have been winning Democratic nominations across the country this year, Singleton said he hasn’t seen that in the Yellowhammer State as of yet.
“It’s not happening here in the state of Alabama,” he argued. “We have not seen an influx of that, and I think that it’s just a tag that we give to people. I think that when you start looking at what what people really believe in, there’s not a whole lot different than what we all believe in terms of the the core factor that is being American.”
“We might disagree on some things, and I don’t agree with everything that every Democrat come up with, but at the end of the day, whether we put a socialist on them, whether or not we put a right wing on them, they are still Americans and still Alabamians, and they still have a right to have a voice,” he added.
Singleton said he would describe himself as a liberal, not a socialist, but still believes that the party can be a “big tent.”
“Socialism, you know, it’s not something that we project out there that we want to to defend,” he said. “As an African American, I’m being called a liberal all every day, which is sometimes seen to be no different than someone calling someone else a socialist, you know. But being a liberal is something that, you know, I believe in. That I think that I can help people and be just like Christ, who I think was a liberal and made sure that people had the things that they need. So, you know, to be a socialist in this party, we’re a big tent. We open our tent up to a lot of people to come into our party, and we will deal with those issues as they come here in the state of Alabama.”
Singleton also said he plans to support legislative restrictions on Flock cameras, the automated license plate readers that have drawn mounting scrutiny over privacy and the collection of motorists’ information.
“I think that we got to do something with Flock cameras,” Singleton said. “These Flock cameras that seem to be able to be more intrusive again now with people, and I am not for that.”
Singleton said he expects to work with State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), who has discussed legislation placing new limits on the cameras, during the next legislative session.
“I don’t think my party is going to be for that,” Singleton said. “I will not lead them down the road to be with that, and as a legislator, I’m not for that.”
On data centers, Singleton took a more measured position. He said the facilities are necessary for technological growth but should face safeguards addressing their effects on local communities and the environment.
“I have no real problem with data centers, but I’ve always said that once data centers introduced, that we need to to be able to put some guardrails on where we are because we just didn’t know a whole lot about it,” he said.
“Data centers are here. They’re going to be here. They’re coming,” Singleton added. “And so I just want to make sure that we, as a party, and also as an individual, want to make sure that data centers are safe for community and for our environment, and yet it still give them the opportunity to advance technology to be able to be competitive in this world market.”
Singleton also discussed his experience working in the Alabama Senate as the chamber shifted from Democratic control to a Republican supermajority.
He credited former Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh with improving cooperation between the parties and said he has continued working with Republican leaders, including current Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger.
“Do we have our disagreements? Yes, we have our disagreements, and do we fight? Yes, we fight,” Singleton said. “But we fight for those things that we feel that we’re trying to protect for our our constituency and our districts.”
“But on the other hand, we are one when it comes to those things that we fight for the state of Alabama and trying to make this state better,” he added.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
