Off The Record: The latest rumors and rumblings in Alabama
Moore vs. Carl remix?
If Heather Moore, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore’s wife, jumps into the race for the First Congressional District and goes head-to-head with former Rep. Jerry Carl, it’s shaping up to be one of the most closely watched and hard-fought contests in the state. As you remember, this was Carl’s seat before redistricting consolidated his district with Moore’s, forcing the two incumbents into the same race, a contest Barry narrowly won. Heather Moore and Carl have solid fundraising networks with loyal bases and now that Barry Moore is running for U.S. Senate, we might get one of the most entertaining match-ups of the political season. Meanwhile, Carl will be making it official Monday at an announcement in Foley.
House District 10
We hear Jaylen Cotton is seriously considering a run for Alabama House District 10. The politically active young Republican has reportedly set his sights on turning the seat back to the GOP. A special election in 2024 saw Democrat Marilyn Lands take the seat in a “historic win.” The ALGOP famously called the victory “luck,” while one politico warned the general election is a whole new ballgame: “Double the number of Republican voters cast straight-tickets.” Cotton was defeated for Madison County School Board in 2022 and remained politically active ever since. Republican Aaron Thomas, who owns the Donato’s Pizza in Madison, is already in the race.
Dueling Polls
Last week in this column, we published poll results in the City of Madison Mayor’s race being distributed by supporters of Ranae Bartlett showing her with a wide lead. The Steve Smith campaign took exception to those numbers and sent out his own campaign poll results showing him with a wide lead. According to the Smith poll, he has 39% of the vote to 23% for Bartlett and 3% for Margi Daly with 35% remaining undecided. The election is only 11 days away so we shall soon see which of these polls are accurate.
The Hamburglar is back!
The Hamburglar, the McDonald’s character famous for trying to swipe burgers, will be in Decatur tomorrow. Decatur Fire and Rescue is hosting “Frozen with a Firefighter” at the 6th Avenue McDonald’s from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors can enjoy a free small frozen drink, tour a fire truck, and spend time with Decatur’s firefighters … just be sure to keep an eye on your burger.
