Good morning! Here’s your Daily News for Wednesday, October 17.

1. The knives come out.

• Gov. Kay Ivey is disputing claims that she had a “mini-stroke” three years ago.
• Ivey was hospitalized for what she called altitude sickness during a 2015 trip to Colorado. Her doctor, Brian Elrod, said he examined her back then and going forward, never finding signs of a mini-stroke or other cardiac problems.
• The claims came from former ALEA Director Spencer Collier and were first published by Bill Britt in Alabama Political Reporter.
• Read the whole story, including the letter from the doctor, HERE.

• Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE remotely involved with Alabama politics has known this was coming.
• Many thought the “Colorado hospital thing” would be used against Ivey in the GOP Primary.
• But, seeing how churning a sexuality rumor backfired so badly for Scott Dawson (to say nothing of Rep. Patricia Todd), this opposition research was left on the shelf.
• Age and vigor were always going to be themes for the Walt Maddox campaign (his first ad referenced his being 45 years old), so expect them to try to fan these flames over the next three weeks.
• Uber Democratic consultant Joe Perkins, who is Maddox’s adviser and probably the most well-known opposition researcher in Alabama politics, was among the first to push it out via Twitter yesterday along with several Maddox staff.

• I’m working on profile stories for both Ivey and Maddox (coming soon!), so I spent a day traveling with both.
• Talking with Mayor Maddox, he acknowledged Ivey’s popularity and superior polling numbers, but suggested they were “soft.” In other words, those polling numbers could be brought down with a few damaging attacks.
• Will this be damaging for Ivey? Maybe.
• But, just like with the sexuality stuff from the primary, there is a serious risk of backlash. People know a politically-motivated hit when they see one. Scott Dawson lost respect and Patricia Todd lost her job when the public deemed their behavior unfair and unseemly.
• We’ll see how far the Democrats try to go with this and what Republicans do to come to Ivey’s defense.

2. Race profile: Clarke & McNair battle for HD 97.

• There’s a race to watch in Mobile this year: House District 97.
• Rep. Adline Clarke is the incumbent. She has represented the reliably Democratic seat since 2013, when she replaced long-serving Rep. Yvonne Kennedy.
• Stephen McNair is the Republican challenger and he’s counting on new conservative votes from the redrawn district and a bi-partisan message to lift his chances.
• Another reason this is a race is the recent criticism Clarke has received in the pages of Lagniappe for her handling of the Mobile Housing Board.
• Caroline Beck has all of that and more in her profile of the race HERE.

3. New Ad: dog vote or Bama vote?

• Gov. Kay Ivey’s campaign is out with a new TV ad.
• It touts Ivey’s “love” for “God, country, and family,” “the state of Alabama,” and “my dog, ‘Bear.'”
• I have to say pandering to both the dog lover vote and the Bama fan vote in the space of 30 seconds is impressive.
• How many thousands of dogs in Alabama over the years have been named Bear? Veterinarians, help me out.
• To be fair, there are a ton of “Bos” and “Tigers” too. My parents have a very good dog named “Tiger.”
• Lots of “Gus” doggos have have been confused by their new surname prefix “Dadgummit” lately.
• Anyway, watch the ad HERE.

4. Roby urges Ag secretary to declare farm disaster in Wiregrass.

• U.S. Rep. Martha Roby is urging Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to declare portions of the Wiregrass as agriculture disaster areas in the wake of Hurricane Michael.
• Roby recently toured farms in her Southeast Alabama congressional district that received catastrophic and irreparable damage to their crops.
• Cotton farms in the path of the storm were particularly affected as high winds and heavy rains made crops impossible to harvest mechanically.
• In her letter, Roby calls agriculture the “backbone” of Alabama’s economy and says she’ll help Sonny out with any “needs” the USDA has. She’s on the House Appropriations Committee.
• Read more HERE.

5. News Briefs.

• The new Legislative Advisory Committee on School Safety and Security held its first meeting Tuesday.
• House Speaker Mac McCutcheon formed the group earlier this year and tasked it with reviewing and vetting legislation involving school security issues.
• The panel is chaired by State Rep. Terri Collins and includes legislators, law enforcement officials, educators, and mental health professionals.
• State Reps. Alan Baker, Rod Scott and Rex Reynolds are also on the committee.
• Read more HERE.

• Selma Mayor Darrio Melton has notified 68 city employees that they will be laid off effective Nov. 5.
• Melton and the Selma City Council are in a dispute over whether the city’s budget passed in September was balanced. Melton claims the council didn’t account for $1.2 million in debt payments.
• Melton says the city may not be able to make payroll this week. He says services will be cut back and some public buildings may close.
• Read more HERE.

• Democrats nationwide have a clear strategy for the midterm elections: motivate non-white voters.
• Many black and hispanic voters tend not to vote in non-presidential years, and Democrats are trying to reverse that trend in 2018.
• “2016 was a low point for a lot of us,” said Jamal Watkins, vice president of engagement at the NAACP. “People have awakened and said, ‘Wait a minute, we can’t lose, and we can’t lose like this.’ Folks are fired up to reinvest in turnout.”
• Read more HERE.

 

Headlines.

 

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