Today, Monday Oct. 3, fmr. Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore will reveal his political plans in his hometown of Gadsden, Alabama.
The general speculation is that Moore will announce his plans to run for governor as a Republican. This would pit Moore against incumbent and fellow Republican Bob Riley in the GOP primary. Riley, though generally a conservative Republican, aliented much of his base with his advocacy of a billion dollar plus tax hike to improve Alabama's educational systen. Riley also earned the enmity of some of his copartisans by refusing to intervene to stop the federal courts from removing a 10 Commandments monument placed in the State Supreme Court building by then Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Riley has tried to bridge the gap between himself and his natural base, but it is difficult to tell how successful he has been. Riley did win plaudits for his handling of the Hurricane Katrina preparation and aftermath.
A Moore/Riley primary is difficult to predict, but it almost certain to work to the advantage of the Democratic nominee. Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley is widely considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, but fmr. Gov. Don Siegelman is likely to run to regain his old office even though he is under an ethical cloud from a federal investigation.
You can read more about the Roy Moore, the governor's race, and Alabama politics in general at my blog.
http://alelections.blogspot.com