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REPUBLICANS TAKE CONTROL OF ALABAMA HOUSE AND SENATE
 | | Alabama Farmers Federation Executive Director Paul Pinyan, left, and Federation Commodity Director Steve Guy, right, congratulate John McMillan Tuesday night following his win as Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries. |
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Candidates endorsed by the Alabama Farmers Federation fared well in Tuesday's elections that saw Republicans take control of the Alabama House and Senate.The Federation gave a huge boost to Republican efforts this year with nine early endorsements of Republicans in Democratic House seats, eight of which were elected. Those elected were Ed Henry, Richard Baughn, Kerry Rich, Mark M. Tuggle, Wes Long, Terri Collins, Lynn Greer and Bill Roberts, while Jody Singleton fell just short. However, the Federation also knocked on hundreds of doors for conservative Democrat Steve Hurst, who went against the tide to hold his seat in a hard-fought race. The Federation surprised many by endorsing Kay Ivey over Jim Folsom Jr. Ivey rallied from a deficit in the closing weeks to win a narrow election. The Federation focused senate resources on five key races this year, winning four. Clay Scofield and Greg Reed won very tight battles in the primary, as did Tom Whatley and Paul Sanford. The one loss of the five targeted races was Tom Butler, who was defeated by Bill Holtzclaw. Scofield, Reed, Whatley and Sanford helped Republicans take the Senate by a 22-13 margin. Nationally, Republicans won the majority in the U.S. House, which places several Alabama congressmen in line for key committee assignments. A new farm bill will be written by new agriculture committee members who will be part of the 112th Congress. American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said the organization will work with committee members to help them understand the role of farm programs and develop a bill that provides an effective and responsive safety net for producers across the country. Stallman said AFBF also will work closely with congressional members on tax issues, such as the estate tax and capital gains tax, and will work for common-sense solutions on environmental issues, like the Clean Water Act and greenhouse gas regulations. Stallman said AFBF also will work with Congress to change trade opportunities by seeking passage of stalled free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea.
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