Last night I touched on some rumors about Lilly Ledbetter being a candidate for Congress in AL-03.
After thought and some good conversation, I've got an even better idea. That we try and recruit Lilly Ledbetter to run in AL-04 against Robert Aderholt.
Joshua Segall is a great candidate to take on Rogers for a second time. He ran an impressive campaign being both a tireless fundraiser and fearless on the stump and vice a versa. He's also being encouraged to run again and I think that there is a good chance he might run again in 2010.
Where did you get this idea? - This is what you are probably thinking
Ledbetter worked at a Goodyear plant in Gadsden which is actually in the 4th Congressional District. This is an area that has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs and certainly her message about equal working rights needs to be heard here.
I definitely would not advocate a primary between Ledbetter and Segall. I don't think that would happen. Segall is a rising star in the Alabama Democratic party and our best shot at beating Rogers. He is very well versed in the issues, has a vision of what kind of Congressman he would be and also really knows how to campaign. He definitely forced Rogers more center and scared him. Rogers even voted for SCHIP this time go around. Something you cannot say about two of Alabama's three Democratic Congressmen.
The Benefit of This Idea
That being said, I'm advocating that we push the DCCC to move heavily into AL-03 if Segall runs and I think that there is a very good possibility he may. We certainly need to keep encouraging him to take a look at running against Rogers again. The DCCC has no business spending money in AL-02 and AL-05 to the detriment of not winning AL-03 and heck even AL-04 if we can get Ledbetter to run.
I still am feeling that Ledbetter probably won't run, but encouraging her to run for AL-04 is a win win situation for everyone. It would certainly boost the statewide Dem ticket in the 4th Congressional District. The 4th CD is somewhere that statewide Dem candidates certainly need to pick up votes and do better than they have. A stronger Congressional Candidate in AL-04 would be a major boost to Dem chances in Alabama in 2010. We haven't even come close in AL-04 (which was held by Dem Tom Bevill for something like 30 years) since Bob Wilson almost beat Aderholt in 1996 I think.
Your thoughts?