A voter's guide to the Democratic statewide primary candidates

Brian Lyman | Montgomery Advertiser

There was nowhere to go but up after the Alabama Democratic Party’s dismal performance in the 2014 state elections.

Heading into Tuesday’s primaries, Democrats have far more candidates on the ballot than they did four years ago, and unlike 2014, they can point to a recent victory: Doug Jones’ victory in December’s special U.S. Senate election, the first statewide victory for the party in nearly a decade and its first victory in a U.S. Senate race in Alabama in 25 years.

But it’s still to be determined whether the party, once so dominant in Alabama, can translate that victory and newfound enthusiasm into more statewide victories. Jones managed to put a statewide infrastructure in place, but he benefited from drawing Roy Moore, who was a divisive figure long before he faced allegations of assault and harassment.

Below, a guide to the statewide races.

GOVERNOR

Sue Bell Cobb

Age: 62

Profession: Judge

Family: Married; three children, four grandchildren

Education: B.A., University of Alabama, 1978; J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1981.

Offices held/offices sought: Conecuh County District Judge, 1981-1995; Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, 1995-2007; Alabama Chief Justice, 2007-2011.

PROFILE: In gubernatorial race, Sue Bell Cobb stresses bench experience

Finances: Cobb has raised $831,072 since May 1, 2017 and spent $689,019.

Campaign themes: One of the few remaining Democrats who has enjoyed statewide success, Cobb is putting a strong emphasis on her experience on the bench, and touting ethics reforms and traditional Democratic platforms of investments in health care and infrastructure.

Issues: The centerpiece of Cobb’s platform is a lottery whose proceeds would go fund pre-kindergarten and vocational programs, while also providing money for assistance for families with child care expenses. Some funds would go toward bridging the gaps for Pell Grants for college education. Cobb also supports an increase in the gas tax — which has not been raised since 1992 — to pay for needed improvements to roads and bridges in the state. She supports Medicaid expansion, though she says the state will have to do “a variety of things” to find matching funds, and wants much greater state investments in ensuring clean drinking water. Cobb also opposes HB 317, a bill that gave economic developers exemptions from state lobbying laws, and calls for a total revision of state ethics laws generally.

Walt Maddox

Age: 45

Profession: Education support

Family: Married; two children

Education: B.A., UAB, 1996; M.P.A., UAB, 2004.

Offices held/offices sought: Tuscaloosa City Council, 2001-05; Mayor of Tuscaloosa, 2005-present.

PROFILE: Walt Maddox focuses on health care, education in run for governor

Finances: Maddox has raised $979,187 since May 1, 2017 and spent $827,471.

Campaign themes: Maddox highlights the growth and prosperity Tuscaloosa has experienced during his time as mayor, as well as the city’s recovery from the tornadoes of April 27, 2011, which won Maddox national praise. He criticizes Republicans’ focus on social issues, saying “they’re talking about things that are not going to change outcomes” in the state’s education, infrastructure and health care.

Issues: Maddox strongly supports Medicaid expansion and proposes a major education program that would create something equivalent to Georgia’s HOPE scholarship; improve funding equity for public schools in the state’s poorer areas; increase pre-kindergarten funding and provide “wrap-around” services in schools for students’ health needs, both physical and mental. To pay for this, Maddox proposes a state lottery, agreements with the state’s existing dog tracks and a gambling compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which operates three casinos around the state. Maddox also opposes HB 317 and wants new investments in infrastructure.

James Fields

Age: 63

Profession: Minister

Family: Married; seven children, 18 grandchildren

Education: A.A., Gadsden State Junior College, 1975; B.S., Law Enforcement and Sociology, Jacksonville State University, 1977

Offices held/offices sought: Alabama House of Representatives, 2008-10; Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, 2014.

Finances: Fields has raised $52,888 since May 1, 2017 and spent $25,498.

Issues: Like other Democrats, Fields supports Medicaid expansion and a lottery to provide funds for education, particularly in addressing education equity. Fields also supports dual enrollment programs and community colleges He also calls for $1.2 billion to invest in infrastructure in the state, greater protection of the environment and continued efforts to reduce prison overcrowding. Fields also support closing tax loopholes to address some of the regressive elements of Alabama’s tax system.

Christopher Countryman

Age: 39

Profession: Activist

Family: Married

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

Finances: Countryman has raised $2,946 since May 1, 2017 and spent $2,821.

Issues: Countryman supports Medicaid expansion and investments in clean energy which he says will bring jobs to Alabama and help cut the state’s carbon emissions, a chief contributor to climate change. He also supports a statewide lottery to create funding for the state’s education system; regulated electronic bingo and raising the state minimum wage above the current federal level.

Anthony White

Age: 36

Profession: Minister and small business owner

Family: Married; four children

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office.

Finances: White has raised $4,850 since May 1, 2017. His campaign has not reported any expenditures, according to records with the Alabama Secretary of State's office.

Issues: White proposes to work in a bipartisan fashion “to build a stronger and greater Alabama and make things better for 100 percent of the people in 100 percent of the communities throughout our state.” Like other Democrats, he proposes a lottery, which he would use to fund education, health care, and infrastructure, as well as expansion of Medicaid and job creation.

Doug Smith

Age: 78

Profession: Business owner

Offices held/offices sought: Democratic nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, 2014.

Finances: Smith registered a campaign committee with the Alabama Secretary of State on May 18. There are no records of the committee raising or spending money through Saturday.

Issues: Smith, who is running under the nickname “New Blue,” has worked in several capacities in state government. He told al.com last month he wants to improve Alabama’s ability to capture federal funds and said state voters should have a chance to vote on a lottery.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Chris Christie

Age: 59

Profession: Attorney

Family: Married; three children

Education: B.A., Political Science, Rhodes College, 1981; M.A., Public Policy, Duke University, 1985; J.D., Duke University School of Law, 1985.

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

PROFILE: Chris Christie wants AG's focus on ethics and consumer protection

Finances: Christie has raised $294,925 since May 1, 2017 and spent $278,123.

Issues: Christie says he wants to prioritize consumer protection in the attorney general’s office, as well as ethics enforcement. He is critical of HB 317 and says he wants to create a “culture of compliance” in Montgomery. Christie also wants to use the resources of the office to address violence within state prisons, and says he would generally leave gambling enforcement to local authorities. He believes the state’s response to opioids needs to keep focused on the public health component. Christie has also criticized recent efforts by Alabama attorneys general to join lawsuits over social issues in other states, saying those are wastes of resources better used within Alabama.

Joseph Siegelman

Age: 29

Profession: Attorney

Family: Single

Education: B.S., Finance, University of Alabama, 2010; J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 2013

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

PROFILE: Joseph Siegelman seeks independence in campaign for AG

Finances: Siegelman has raised $175,591 since May 1, 2017 and spent $43,403.

Issues: Siegelman outlines his priorities for the attorney general’s office as consumer protection, addressing opioid problems and prison overcrowding. Siegelman criticizes Attorney General Steve Marshall for only joining a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers earlier this year. He criticizes HB 317 and wants a stronger ethics law. Siegelman would also invest more of the office’s resources in consumer protection, and calls gambling a “non-issue.”

ALABAMA CHIEF JUSTICE

(Note: Robert Vance was unopposed for the Democratic nomination and will not appear on the primary ballot, which only includes contested races.)

PROFILE: Supreme Court colleagues vie for chief justice job

Robert Vance

Age: 57

Profession: Judge

Family: Married; four children

Education: Bachelors, Princeton University, 1982; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1985.

Offices held/offices sought: Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge, 2002-present; Democratic nominee for Alabama Chief Justice, 2012.

Finances: Vance has raised $268,928 since May 1, 2017 and spent $66,114.

Issues: Vance says he wants to rebuild trust in state government after leadership scandals that toppled a number of prominent state officials, including former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Like his Republican opponents, Vance also sees a need for improved funding for the state’s court system, and wants to see more investments in drug and mental health courts.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

(Note: Will Boyd was unopposed for the Democratic nomination and will not appear on the primary ballot, which only includes contested races.)

PROFILE: Weakness of lieutenant governor's office doesn't faze candidates

Will Boyd

Age: 46

Profession: Pastor and bishop

Family: Married; three children

Education: B.S., Engineering, University of South Carolina, 1994; MBA, Regis University, 2003; PhD, Christian Bible College, 2003

Offices held/offices sought: City councilman, Greenville, Illinois, 2009-11; Write-in candidate, U.S. Senate, Illinois, 2010; Democratic nominee for U.S. House of Representatives, Alabama 5th District, 2016; Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, 2016.

Finances: Boyd has raised $12,743 since May 1, 2017 and spent $10,983.

Issues: Boyd touts an ambitious “blue-collar agenda” that includes increasing education funding, establishing a state minimum wage and expanding Medicaid. He says he wants “every Alabamians to have a fair shot at the American dream.”

SECRETARY OF STATE

PROFILE: Voting access, options, the priority for secretary of state challengers

Lula Albert

Age: 73

Profession: Retired sergeant major in the Army Reserve

Family: Widow

Education: A.A., Business and Nursing, Laney College; Bachelor’s, Business, University of California.

Offices held/offices sought: Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Alabama congressional district, 2013; Democratic nominee for Alabama Secretary of State, 2014.

Finances: Albert has formed a campaign committee, but there are no records of contributions or expenditures with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.

Issues: Albert wants to make it easier for voters to obtain absentee ballots and would mail out biographies of candidates to voters. She says she would like to increase voter participation to 51 percent.

Heather Milam

Age: 39

Profession: Business professor

Family: Married

Education: Bachelor’s, Public Relations and Spanish, Auburn University; Masters, Public and Private Management, Birmingham-Southern College

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

Finances: Milam has raised $21,602 since May 1, 2017 and spent $13,514.

Issues: Milam prioritizes making voting easier, including mailing absentee ballots to all registered voters and advocating for automatic voter registration and early voting. She also said she would use her business background to analyze the operations of the Secretary of State’s office and where money is spent, and would look to improve the functionality of the Secretary of State’s website.

STATE AUDITOR

(Note: Miranda Joseph was unopposed for the Democratic nomination and will not appear on the primary ballot, which only includes contested races.)

PROFILE: : Zeigler celebrates achievements while challengers look to shift office's focus

Miranda Joseph

Age: 33

Profession: Private auditor

Family: Single, one son.

Education: B.A., UAB; M.A., UAB.

Offices held/offices sought: Democratic nominee for State Auditor, 2010 and 2014.

Issues: Joseph says the office needs to do a better job tracking lost property, and questions some of the audits already completed. She also wants to see the auditor’s appointments to boards of registrars to show more oversight.