What I learned from reading over 200 Alabama political campaign sites

We here at Alabama Reflector take state government reporting seriously. That’s why we released this comprehensive guide to Alabama’s elections last week.

To get that guide together, or to address some unresolved Catholic guilt, I read more than 200 web and Facebook pages. All hosted by state officials or those aspiring to join their ranks.

Journalism is glamorous.

The material was not scintillating. Politicians try to position themselves in the center of their voters’ moods, and there’s almost never anything original or surprising in their material. There’s far too much awfulness about immigrants and transgender people. And there seem to be just three presentations for an Alabama politician, according to their campaign photos: Stranded in the woods with your family; stranded in the woods with a firearm and exiting a church laughing, presumably after the rangers found you.

And these sites can’t tell us the whole story about a candidate or a campaign. You need to see what candidates say to voters and what they shove into their mailboxes. 

Still, across all those URLs, some patterns emerged.

Everyone hates the grocery tax: The levy never won a popularity contest. But legislative candidates on both sides of the aisle are committed to reducing or repealing the 2% state tax on groceries.

They might have the chance next year. Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, the chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, is drawing up a bill to abolish the levy in the next session. Budget issues could make that complicated. But if politicians keep their promises, the grocery tax may be on borrowed time.

Democrats seeking a state minimum wage: Alabama lacks a state minimum wage, meaning it defaults to the federal wage of $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009. When Birmingham tried to set its own minimum wage in 2016, the business community got Republican lawmakers to crush it.

So it’s notable to see many Democratic candidates calling for Alabama to set its own wage floor. The party hasn’t ignored the issue in the past. Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, this year introduced a $10-an-hour minimum wage bill. It went nowhere in the Republican-controlled Legislature, even though it exempted businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Still, among Democrats, the issue never went front-and-center like Medicaid expansion or a lottery. It’s certainly a lot less appealing to the powerful Business Council of Alabama.  

Republicans are almost certain to hold onto the Legislature next year, so minimum wage measures will likely remain aspirational. But it’s a sign of where the caucus might go in the future.

Republicans (mostly) forget Trump: The crowds around the Alabama Republican Party’s altar to Donald Trump have thinned out. There are still plenty of people worshipping at the president’s feet. But after a decade of Trump’s will being the only issue for Alabama Republicans, the president’s cratering popularity may finally be catching up to him.

Many GOP candidates went to Trump’s Mobile rally on Friday to pay their respects, including Tommy Tuberville, the gubernatorial nominee. But Tuberville, once a human kazoo for the president, has yet to mention him in a general election ad. Further down the ballot, many if not most Republican legislative candidates avoid talking about him.

Trump won’t lack fans in the next legislative session. But far fewer Republicans seem compelled to follow him.

Candidate mismatches: Democrats drew candidates to more legislative races this year than in 2022. That’s a hopeful sign for the party. But many of those candidates are first-timers. They have a lot of enthusiasm and little experience getting votes. That won’t end well in deep-red regions with entrenched incumbents.

Do Republicans also have first-time candidates? Of course. But it’s a different dynamic for the majority party. The GOP has locked down far more districts and can put a dominant organization behind those venturing into less congenial areas. The Democrats, once again, are driving and building the car at the same time. Keeping the vehicle on the road will be an accomplishment.

To become more competitive in those state contests, the Democrats will need to make major investments in local races — particularly county commissions, which have produced several state senators. Enthusiastic candidates will help get Alabama Democrats back to political relevance. Becoming relevant will require candidates who know how to bring voters with them. 

Competition decreases silliness: It’s hard to say how Huntsville-area legislative races will go. The city and surrounding areas have been edging toward Democrats for years. But Republicans have organization and the power of incumbency. That’s made for some potentially tight contests.

From here, it appears the competitiveness has focused candidates on actual issues, like housing prices and infrastructure. I’m sure that’s not the whole story: I can’t tell you what flyers are hitting people’s inboxes. And I’m skeptical that seriousness can be sustained to Election Day.

But after going through hundreds of political websites, and seeing a lot of issues pages littered with irrelevancies, it’s refreshing to see some earnestness.

And it’s a reminder that politicians can improve our lives or damage them. So we better have candidates who understand that. The stakes are always high.