Author: Virginia Martin
Verify Your Registration and Polling Place
Research Campaign Financing
God and Politics, 2017 Edition: Roy Moore Brings Religion to the Forefront Like Few Campaigns Before It
John F. Kennedy faced questions about his Roman Catholic religion in the 1960s, when he ran for president and won. Religion’s role in elections grew with the rise of politically outspoken religious figures such as the Rev. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
But in Alabama’s special U.S. Senate election this year, religion is featured front and center — due in large part to the presence of Republican candidate Roy Moore, who gained fame years ago as the “Ten Commandments Judge” and proclaims his views today on issues linked to religious values, such as same-sex marriage, abortion rights and prayer in public schools.
A Google search turns up dozens of articles mentioning Moore’s name along with the word Bible. His campaign rallies are mostly in churches.
Moore was removed from his first term as chief justice of Alabama because he refused to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments that he had installed in the state Judicial Building. After being re-elected to the post, he was kicked out again when he ordered county clerks to disregard a federal court ruling allowing same-sex marriages. Both acts were in keeping with his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. Read more.
Jones Condemns Divisiveness During GOTV Concerts Across the State
Doug Jones called for a rejection of divisiveness and a change in the “face of Alabama” during a Saturday night get-out-the-vote rally, featuring a performance by local soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
The concert was the fourth get-out-the-vote event of the day for Jones, the Democrat widely seen as the underdog in the special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Read more.
Little-Known PACs Fund a Deluge of Ads in the Days Leading Up to the Senate Election
Alabama’s two U.S Senate candidates and independent groups working on their behalf have raised more than $20 million that they are using to bombard voters with broadcast and internet ads, mail, and phone calls as the Dec. 12 special election approaches.
The candidates’ final pre-election financial reports, filed with the Federal Election Commission on Nov. 22, show Democrat Doug Jones has raised $11,707,585 this year, with $10,182,025 coming in since Oct. 1, a few days after the Republican runoff. Republican Roy Moore reported a total of $5,260,974, with $1,767,693 of that collected during the same period.
The FEC has not finished processing the detailed lists showing people, PACs and committees and the amounts they gave to Moore and Jones.
In addition to the money contributed to the candidates, outside groups and political action committees reported spending about $5.7 million in support or opposition of Moore and Jones since Moore won the GOP nomination Sept. 26. Much of that money flooded in during the final few weeks of the campaign.
Some PACs supporting each of the candidates have found legal loopholes that allow them to avoid naming contributors until after the election.
The majority of the money spent by independent groups came from Highway 31, a super PAC working to elect Jones. Read more.
CPI Tracks Conflicts of Interest of State Legislators
The Center for Public Integrity has collected and released financial disclosure reports from 6,933 state legislatures nationwide, including 140 from Alabama, as part of an investigative report on lawmakers’ conflicts of interest. Read more.
Moore Campaign Promises Lawsuit for “Patently False” Pro-Jones Ad
Roy Moore’s campaign announced Wednesday morning that it would consider legal action against television stations continuing to air what it describes as a “patently false” advertisement from the pro-Doug Jones Highway 31 Super PAC.
The 30-second ad in question focuses on rumors, as reported in a Nov. 13 New Yorker article, that Moore had been banned from the Gadsden Mall for soliciting sex from teenage girls. Moore has denied these accusations, as well as multiple other allegations of sexual contact with underage women.
Stories of the ban have been corroborated by some former Gadsden Mall employees and dismissed by others. Former mall manager Barnes Boyle told WBRC that, “to my knowledge, he was not banned from the mall.” Read more.
Three Indictments Handed Down in Investigation of Birmingham Water Works
The state grand jury investigating Birmingham Water Works Board and other aspects of Birmingham and Jefferson County government yielded three indictments Wednesday.
The attorney general and FBI officials announced the arrests of Sherry Lewis, the chairwoman of the Birmingham Water Works’ board of directors, Jerry Jones, a former vice president at Arcadis, and Terry Williams, the owner of Global Solutions International, Inc., on felony state ethics charges.
All three surrendered Wednesday at the Jefferson County Jail.
The charges stem from allegations Lewis used her office for personal gain of herself, a relative or companies with which she is associated, took part in decisions that could benefit her or a relative, and solicited or received something of value to influence her official action. Jones and Williams are accused of aiding and abetting Lewis and offering something of value to influence official action. Read more.
Jefferson County Commissioners Agree to Root Out Sewer Problem
Dec. 5, 2017 – The Jefferson County Commission on Tuesday approved plans to use chemical treatment to clear sewer lines of damaging roots, reduce sewage spills and prevent back-ups into homes and businesses.
The county will award Dukes Root Control Inc. a contract for $1 million to perform the service.
“In a lot of cases, we will send a mechanical rod (into the line) that turns and rips out the roots,” said Department of Environmental Services Director Daniel Denard. “But six months later, those roots are still alive and growing.” Read more.
Senate Candidate Doug Jones Disses Roy Moore, Says People of Both Parties Need to Work Together
U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones in a speech Tuesday didn’t mince words about his opponent and the ramifications of electing a man embroiled in a scandal, while also stressing a need for unification, civility and a willingness to work across the political aisle to move Alabama forward.
The Democratic Senate hopeful was in Birmingham for a campaign stop at Pepper Place on Southside. Jones told the crowd of about 100 supporters that electing former state Chief Justice Roy Moore could have dire consequences for the state’s business climate as it tries to lure automobile makers Toyota-Mazda. Alabama and North Carolina are in the running for a $1.6 billion plant that would create about 4,000 new jobs.
Jones also said Moore was an “embarrassment” to the state, and he said he supports the women who have complained that Moore had inappropriate sexual contact with them as minors.
The candidate said the “extreme partisanship” in Washington has hampered the government from making progress on critical issues, and he would work with Republicans as well as Democrats to find solutions. Read more.
