By Beth Clayton
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—At a meeting in Birmingham last week, Representative Mike Hubabrd (R-Auburn) rallied the Young Republicans to protect the GOP supermajorities against fake Republicans trying to take back the power in Montgomery.
“I’m telling you the race will be determined in the primary,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard called out groups like AEA, who intend to support pro-eduction candidates on both sides of the aisle.
“We cannot let those entities infiltrate and highjack our primary. They are going to try. AEA in their propaganda has made it clear that Republicans are going to have alternatives in the Republican primary,” Hubbard said.
State political parties are not allowed to endorse in primary elections, however Hubbard’s PACs can.
Network PAC lists Hubbard as the Treasurer and the Storming the Statehouse PAC lists Hubbard as the chair. The two PACs have a collective $159.951 in cash on hand, according to the January 31 filing reports.
Hubbard plans to use his PAC money to protect incumbents and defeat challengers. “We’re in the incumbent protection business right now,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard says he wants to separate the real Republicans from the fake ones.
But what about the so-called fake Republicans who are in his guarded supermajorities?
In the incumbent pool are several party-switchers, who ran on Democratic principles and were elected to hold public office as Democrats. Representatives Steve Hurst (R-Munford), Lesley Vance (R-Phenix City), Mike Millican (R-Hamilton) and Alan Boothe (R-Troy) all switched into the Republican Party shortly after the 2010 elections.
Later, Representative Alan Harper (R-Northport) switched to join the Republican ranks.
In the senate, three men can be flagged and challenged as Hubbard’s “real republicans.”
Senator Jerry Fielding (R-Sylacauga) switched to the Republican party after running as a Democrat.
Senator Richard Laird (I-Roanoke) left the Democratic Party to hold office as an independent, but caucuses with the Republicans.
Most interestingly, though, is Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn), who supported the Democrats long before he ever became a Republican.
Whatley donated a significant amount of money–$2,300–to the Obama campaign in July, 2008. This donation occurred around the same time that Whatley applied for an appointment, under the Obama administration to become the state director of USDA Rural Development in Alabama.
Whatley did not get the appointment, and many believe it was due to inaccuracies on his resume. Shortly after, Whatley joined the Republican Party and ran against Senator Ted Little, a 32-year incumbent, riding into the seat on the Republican landslide of 2010.
Hubbard has vowed to protect his incumbents against challengers, saying that he feels an “obligation to help defend these men and woman.”
The 2014 primary elections will be June 3, 2014. Hubbard fears that there will be people “running to the right of our folks, running to the left of our folks,” and he has made it clear that he wants none of them to hold office.
