“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. The rumor mill went into overdrive early this week with word that a well-known GOP consultant had a criminal complaint filed against him accusing him of embezzling money from a former business partner. This is a developing story.
2. Senator Vivian Figures will be taking over for Sen. Roger Bedford as Minority Leader in the Senate for the coming session. Insiders say that Bedford had to cut a deal to get the post in the first place and part of the deal was that Figures would takeover as Minority Leader for the second half of the quadrennium. Sen. Marc Keahey will also take over for Sen. Rodger Smitherman as the number two man in the Democrat caucus.
3. There are rumblings within the Tea Party, some trade associations, and non-profits concerned about the Sept. 18th Constitutional Amendment. “Groups are trying to figure out how to make sure the public is aware of and informed about the upcoming amendment,” said one insider. “A more public effort to put out information about the amendment is likely in the coming weeks.”
4. There has been a flurry of activity in Montgomery surrounding the news that a Huntsville area woman filed complaints against nine statewide judicial candidates seeking to diqualify them before the November elections for failing to comply with campaign disclosure laws. “This is a ploy to remove [Democrat Chief Justic candidate] Harry Lyon from the ballot,” said a source with knowledge of the situation. “[Democrat Party Chairman] Kennedy is serious about trying to take the Republican judges out as well. But this began as a shot at Lyon.”
5. UPDATE: Will Independent Sen. Harri Anne Smith get a challenge from Dothan Mayor Mike Schmidtz in 2014? That just may be the case according to sources on the ground in the wiregrass.
6. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell today informed Sen. Cam Ward that he will be Vice-Chair for the Sub-Committee on Constitutional Governance and Judicial Activism as part of his role on the platform committee at the Republican National Convention.
7.
If the Democrats want to remove Harry Lyon, do they wish to replace him with another candidate? If so, whom?
I would almost guess that the Alabama Democratic Party knows that Judge Moore will handily win this race and they want to take him off the ballot to keep North Alabama Democrats from voting for too many Republicans. The Dems may be worried about African-American splitting their tickets to vote for Moore.
Well well, rocket science, when you put it that way, I have to choose whats behind door number 1
Hmmm – I can dispel that rumor for you that it’s not our firm.
The realm of well-known GOP consultants in this state isvery small. You have Jack Campbell and Brent Buchanan, Chris Brown and Paul Glass, and the Swatek Conglomorate.
Yallahamma coming into his own
Methinks #1 could be coming from Tuscaloosa…
DTP
Tuscaloosa?
Where the consultant lives. No inside informatin on this one, just a gut feeling. Would’ve probably helped had I been more straight-forward in my first statement – sorry SHH.
What well-known consultant lives in Tuscaloosa?
hey cliff, what sort of trade associations would be against the amendment? more specifically, how could they be impacted besides companies that deal with medicaid etc. ?
More about certain trade associations getting hit up by their membership who are philosophically opposed to the amendment than it is about the amendment hitting them directly.
If yellowhammer doesn’t give more details on #1 soon the entire city of montgomery may implode.
Fo’real. Let’s hear it Cliff.
Why must you tease us and toy with our emotions!