The most obvious political question of the 2022 election has finally been answered.
U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) is not running for the United States Senate. She never was going to.
Trust me, I get it.
Doug Jones is out as well, so who’s up? Aldotcom’s Kent Faulk asked that question today:
Doug Jones has already said he won't run and now the next biggest name out there says she won't run either. Will the Democrats put up a viable candidate? Rep. Terri Sewell won’t run for Alabama Senate seat, aims to stay in U.S. House https://t.co/jy8nJQdpAb
— Kent Faulk (@krfaulk) March 24, 2021
The word viable is quite the stickler here because Doug Jones wasn’t viable until the Washington Post decided allegations are convictions and declared that Roy Moore was the Gadsden Mall creeper decades ago. Faulk’s outlet ran with that ball, but they were merely errand boys.
So, let’s talk about those “viable candidates” for the Alabama Democratic Party.
They will have to be well-known amongst power-brokers, connected and alive.
How about Parker Griffith? He’s been a member of every political party (even independent) and chased multiple offices. He has quite the record so far. He ran for mayor of Huntsville (lost), Alabama State Senate (won), U.S. House (won and then lost twice) and lost a race for governor, too. That’s a lot of big losses. There’s no benefit to the 78-year-old Griffith getting beat again.
A possible choice is House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), but he’s not going to give up his safe seat and leadership position in the House Democratic Caucus to jump in and get crushed in 2022.
Alabama Democratic Party Chairman and State Representative Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) faces the same issue.
So now we are left with non-State House or State Senate Democrats, and there are two that come to mind.
Mayor Walt Maddox of Tuscaloosa and Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham.
Maddox already faced a statewide election and a weaker candidate in Kay Ivey than he would face in a U.S. Senate race, and he got destroyed, even with a sycophantic and hopeful media selling his positives and false hope.
Woodfin is the guy, if I were an Alabama Democrat. If I were Woodfin, I would be all over this — even knowing that I was going to lose badly. The Senate election does not coincide with the Birmingham mayoral election cycle, so Woodfin would not have to forgo reelection to run in 2022.
He could be this cycle’s Jamie Harrison — completely unknown outside of the state but an attractive candidate for MSNBC hits and “here is the guy going against Mo Brooks” stories that will bring in big money.
Harrison was a complete nobody. He raised over $100 million and got obliterated by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Graham was straight-up rooted against by the media. They wanted him to lose to punish him for supporting former President Donald Trump.
He didn’t. Graham won 54.2 to 44.2.
Harrison was assisted, carried, promoted and protected, and still lost. That will all probably happen here.
But look where Harrison is now — the head of the Democratic National Committee.
Woodfin has nothing to lose by doing this and everything to gain.
Show up, get beat, raise your profile and go home a net-winner.
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 AM weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10AM to noon.
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