Last week, I wrote about the potential ramifications of the gubernatorial run of Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore in Alabama, where he plans to challenge sitting GOP Gov. Bob Riley. Now it appears this out-and-out battle for the soul of the Republican Party will indeed play out. The Associated Press has the story.
Gov. Bob Riley said Saturday he will seek re-election, setting up a hotly-contested Republican primary against ousted Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Moore announced his plans to run for governor Monday in Gadsden, where he first gained national recognition for his legal fight to display the Ten Commandments in his courtroom.
The two will meet in the Republican primary on June 6, but the field may grow soon. State Sen. Harri Anne Smith said she will decide in December whether to seek the GOP nomination.
If Moore is able to pull out a win in the primary, it will be a clear sign that the religious right is in ascendence in the country. While this might galvanize the social conservatives in the party across the nation leading into the 2006 midterms, it could also have the effect of pushing more moderate voters either not to vote or to vote Democratic, thus hurting the GOP.
If, however, Moore is defeated in the primary — perhaps even with the vast infrastructure of the AL GOP and national Republican Party against him — it is entirely possible that the religious right will either stay home on election day or bolt for a third party, the most likely beneficiary of which being the Constitution Party.
for more of this and other discussions, visit my blog at Basie.org