Races of the week: Rogers vs. Turnham

Alabama's 3rd District

There may be another "Rep. Mike Rogers" in Congress next year joining the freshman Republican from Michigan of the same name.

But while Michigan's Mike Rogers is a cinch for re-election, Alabama's Mike Rogers faces a stiff battle to keep in GOP hands Alabama's open 3rd District that Rep. Bob Riley is vacating to run for governor. Reapportionment increased the AfricanAmerican population in the district from 25% to 33%-although, as Southern Republican activists proudly note, last year conservative Rep. Randy Forbes won a Virginia district that is 40% African-American and there are six other congressional districts in the South represented by Republicans in which the African-American population exceeds 31%.

But the ranks of traditional Democratic voters in the 3rd have also been enhanced by reapportionment. The new district includes Macon County, along with the southern and eastern part of Montgomery County, and part of the city of Montgomery-in all, 90,000 new constituents for the congressman to be elected this fall., And the counties of St. Clair, Bibb, and Chilton-all Republican-leaning-were excised by the redistricting performed by the Democraticcontrolled state legislature.

Thus, the picture is not rosy for the Alabama Rogers. But he is no stranger to facing long odds and beating them. Not only was he the youngest (28) person to be elected to the Calhoun County Commission, but he was the first Republican to win the office. From there, former United Way official and Birmingham School of Law alumnus Rogers went on to the state house of representatives and became Republican leader-thereby putting him at dagger's ends with liberal Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman on scores of issues, from taxes to proposals to legalize video poker.

Throughout his rise in politics in the Yellowhammer State, Rogers never trimmed his political sails. "I believe in the sanctity of life," said Rogers. "I have been a consistent and strong supporter of pro-life issues in the legislature, and will continue to do so in Congress. Voters should know that protecting life will be a top legislative priority for me in Washington." Along those lines, the lawmaker most recently supported a bill in Montgomery to require a 24-hour waiting period for women opting to have an abortion.

Rogers also has a consistent pro-2nd Amendment record and recently won the strong endorsement of the National Rifle Association. According to the NRA spokesman Chris Cox, Rogers' "strong and steadfast support of the rights of gun owners and sportsmen make him a natural choice for the NRA's support."

Such support helps discredit the claims of opponent Joe Turnham that he is a "conservative Democrat." The son of a longtime state legislator, Turnham served as state party chairman and was a close ally of Joe Reed, head of the black Alabama Democratic Conference, and of Alabama Education Association head Paul Hubberdt-not exactly card-carrying conservatives. As the Democratic opponent to Rep. Riley in 1998, Turnham drew just 42% of the vote and failed to carry his own home county.

And, as Rogers and his supporters frequently charge, it's impossible for Turnham to claim to be a conservative when the very first vote he would cast would be for liberal Richard Gephardt (D.Mo.) to be speaker.

"I came to Alabama because we need Mike Rogers in Congress to help us fight Dick Gephardt, the liberal Washington interests and their attempts to raise taxes on working families in the 3rd Congressional District," said Speaker Dennis Hastert at a recent luncheon for the GOP hopeful. "Mike Rogers is a conservative with integrity and strong values, and that's exactly the type of legislator we need in Washington." (Mike Rogers for Congress, -123 East 13th St., Anniston, Ala. 36207; 256-2352180)

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Jul 29, 2002
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