My big date with James?

I am sure you are reading that title and wondering, "Wow! Matthew finally has a date!" Well not so fast, pal.
First off, it is not really a date.
Second...OK there is no second (other than, you really thought I had a date with someone named James?).
To straighten -- no pun intended -- things out, the James I am referring to is Greenville businessman Tim James, who will be in town today (Tuesday, Sept. 30).
James is the son of former Alabama Governor Fob James.
Fob James, for those not familiar with Alabama politics, did something no other lawmaker has ever done in the state's history. When he won his first bid for governor in 1978, Fob James ran as a Democrat. In his second stint as governor, Fob James switched parties, again, winning the governor's race in 1994 as a Republican.
His flip-flopping from party to party was big news in Alabama and it is worth noting that when Fob James first pondered running for governor, he was a Republican, before joining the Democratic ticket and winning the race.
It is interesting to note that when he won the '78 race, Fob James edged another prominent Alabama politician Bill Baxley in the first primary. In the second primary, Fob James easily defeated Baxley, a Democrat, again, and knocked off the Republican candidate Guy Hunt.
A sidenote on Hunt, again for those not familiar with the state's politics. Hunt, after losing the race in '78, did not give up. He held a position in Ronald Reagan's state campaign organization, which kept him at the forefront of Alabama's Republicans.
In 1986, with the support of his party, Hunt won the governor's race after a split in the Democratic Party gave him an advantage. Proving that the '86 election was not a fluke, Hunt was re-elected in 1990, by defeating Alabama Education Association director Paul Hubbert.
Trouble soon followed Hunt throughout his second term. He was charged and found guilty of illegally using campaign and inaugural funds to pay personal debts.
Hunt was removed from office on April 22, 1993.
Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, Jr., was sworn in as governor the same day.
You may be asking why did I go into so much background on these other politicians when my "date" was to be with Tim James, son of Fob James?
Well, I am getting to that.
See, today, I get a phone call while I was in my office and the gentleman on the other end introduces himself and lets me know that he is Tim James' campaign manager. I sit there for a second wondering what Tim James wants to do with me -- I mean I could not remember writing an editorial about him or anything.
Well the campaign manager clued me in. Seems Tim James will be in town tonight to speak to the Etowah County Republicans fundraising dinner and since he was going to be in town, would I, the Editorial/Opinion Page Editor want to sit down with the man. I said sure, especially since he is running for governor in 2010.
Should be an interesting time. I have read that Tim James seeks the "Roy Moore" support.
For those of you who do not know Roy Moore, for one, you are probably not from this state, or two, you just do not read a lot of papers.
To fill you in, Judge Roy Moore was in Gadsden and he was best known for the replica of the Ten Commandments hanging in his courtroom. He was ordered to take it down but he would not.
He got so popular with Evangelical Christians that when he ran for the state's Supreme Court he won by a rather hefty margin.
While in Montgomery, Moore continued with the Ten Commandments, only this time it got larger and larger. The iceberg-size display was in the rotunda of the courthouse. Moore fought and fought rulings and appeals, before he was ordered to remove it. It took like two or three crews and numerous lifting and construction machines to do it.
Well, getting back to Tim James, it seems that Tim James thinks that Alabama is made up of about 30 to 40 percent of conservative evangelicals and he is basing his run on that voter bloc to win him the election.
What I might have to tell Tim James today when we are sitting in my office is that it is going to be crowded on the governor's highway to the state Capitol.
I mean, just on the Republican side you have Tim James; State Treasurer Kay Ivey announced her run by dropping a cool $1 million of her own money into her war chest; as mentioned earlier in this Alabama political history lesson was Jim Folson, Jr., who is expected to join the race early next year; and Attorney General Troy King.
Others seeking to take the spot Governor Bob Riley is vacating after fulfilling his term limit are two-year college Chancellor Bradley Byrne; Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins; former lieutenant governor candidate Luther Strange; retiring U.S. Rep. Terry Everett; and last, but not least, Mike Hubbard, who is now the state GOP Chairman.
As far as Democrats are concerned, no one has tossed their hat in the ring just yet. But after his performance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, just might have the momentum. He is currently raising funds for a possible run in 2010.
Also too, do not forget Charles Barkley, who has joked about running for governor of his home state for years. Even last year while delivering a speech, Barkley joked about whether he is Republican or Democrat.
Many outsiders might think Barkley is a Democrat, but in the past he has called himself a Republican and has said he is "rich like a Republican."
In this state, there is no telling who will show up and what will happen with politicians and elections.
All I know is that I hope there will be no weirdness or strangeness or freakiness around me today when I talk to one of the many Republican gubernatorial candidates.