I had never heard the name Yolanda Flowers until a few weeks ago. I doubt most of the 50,000 Alabamians who voted for her knew much more than I did when they cast their ballots. In spite of not really campaigning, Flowers has emerged as the Democrats’ nominee for governor. The five opponents she defeated – also unknowns – give me cause to believe the Alabama Democratic Party has thrown in the towel for the foreseeable future.
I visited Mrs. Flowers’ campaign website and learned she is 60 years old and lives in Birmingham. After a career in vocational rehabilitation she considers herself semi-retired with a small herbal tea business on the side. She has three children, twelve grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and no political experience. The most press Flowers’ campaign has received came after she made a confusing post on Facebook that indicated she did not support abortion rights.
I guess it was inevitable; the downward spiral of the Alabama Democratic Party hasn’t been sudden. Alabama has not voted for a Democrat for president since Jimmy Carter in 1976. All but one of Alabama’s seven congressional seats is held by a Republican. A Democrat has not been elected to a statewide constitutional office in 20 years, and I can almost count the number of Democrats in the Alabama Legislature with my fingers and toes.
So I can understand the difficulties in recruiting candidates. But come on, you’ve got to do better than a gubernatorial nominee who has less than $1,000 in her campaign account.
There was a glimmer of hope for Alabama Democrats five years ago when Doug Jones was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election against flawed candidate Roy Moore. But Democrats were not able to capitalize on that victory and Jones was defeated by Tommy Tuberville in the next election.
In 2018, Democrats had several formable candidates running for governor that included former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb and eventual primary winner Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox. Either’s odds of defeating Gov. Kay Ivey were about as good picking the right numbers in the Mega Millions, but their candidacies kept Alabama Democrats relevant.
In 2014, former Congressman Parker Griffith led the Democratic ticket, and in 2010 Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks defeated Congressman Artur Davis to become the nominee. Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley defeated former Governor Don Siegelman in the 2006 primary. They all went on to lose, but at least they were viable. They ran real campaigns and made sure you knew who they were,
Nationally, there is a group of former Republican and Democratic officials trying to create a new political party called Forward in an attempt to appeal to what they call the “moderate, common-sense majority.” It’s not a new concept and I’m not a fan. We need to keep what little “common-sense” remains in the two major political parties we have.
Outlier political parties are nothing new. The Libertarian Party has actually qualified 65 candidates to run for various offices across Alabama this election, including another option for governor.
The Whig Party won the presidency in 1850 with the election of Millard Fillmore, but no third party has come close since, though every few years a new one pops on the radar. There’s been the Progressive Party, Socialist Party, Dixiecrats, Reform Party and Tea Party, just to name a few. George Wallace was the presidential candidate for the American Independent Party in 1968. He won five southern states and received 46 electoral votes. Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot got 19% of the popular vote in 1992.
But third parties haven’t turned out so well for Democrats in the past. Does the name Ralph Nader ring a bell? The Green Party’s presidential candidate was blamed by many for Al Gore’s loss to George W. Bush in 2000.
Creating a new political party for “mainstream” Americans sounds enticing, but if you consider yourself part of the “common-sense majority” I’d encourage you to get involved with the two-party system we have; plant a seed, make your mark.
Which brings me back to Alabama politics. Rep. Chris England, who has chaired the Alabama Democratic Party since Nancy Worley’s ouster in 2019, is stepping down. Executive Director Wade Perry recently left, and Yolanda Flowers will be a footnote come November.
Democrats will elect a new chairperson next week. Is there a doctor in the house? Because the Alabama Democratic Party has found itself on life support. That said, I wish whoever finds themselves at the helm the best of success, because the most functional political system is a two-party one.
