The day after seven of nine local political races were won by Democrats, the chairmen of the county’s Democratic and Republican parties could agree on one thing. Tuesday was a day for the incumbents, with one glaring exception.

In an outcome that surprised many Tuesday, West Point Middle School Principal Hank Allen accomplished something that hadn’t been done in more than a quarter century, if ever. He unseated the incumbent, Nancy Horton, who also happened to be the first woman ever elected superintendent.

“I was very anxious at the beginning of the night and again at the end when we were waiting for the final few boxes to be totaled in the superintendent’s race,” said Keith Kugler, chairman of the Cullman County Democratic Party. “The superintendent’s race was sort of the last play of the ball game so to speak, and we were able to hold them in the red zone.”

In regard to the superintendent of education race, Cullman County Republican Party Chairman Bill Floyd said simply, “we didn’t work hard enough.”

“We had an excellent candidate in Nancy Horton. She did an excellent job. I think she inherited some problems from her predecessor that primarily centered around the Harmony School. I think that could have impacted the election,” Floyd said. “One thing I know for certain is that Nancy Horton is concerned about the children and she wants to do what is best for the school children in Cullman County.”

Kugler said he is confident Allen will do a great job as superintendent.

“Hank worked very hard and I think the outcome reflects that,” Kugler said. “I believe he will go into that position with a fiscally conservative approach. Our operating reserve has been slowly dwindling and I see him putting the brakes on that and hopefully turning the county’s finances around. I also think his message of wanting to put the community back into the schools struck a responsive chord with the voters.”

Kugler said he was not surprised that Democrat incumbent Tyler Roden was elected sheriff for a fourth time, and that probate judge candidate Leah Patterson-Lust was successful in her first bid for public office.

“The sheriff’s race was very close between Tyler and Max Bartlett, and I suspected it might be, but in the end Tyler was able to hold on for the mere fact that a lot of people know him, and they know how dedicated he is to doing the best job he can possibly do as the protector of our community,” Kugler said. “In Hank Allen and Leah Patterson-Lust, the Democratic Party introduced voters to two bright, young, and positive candidates who provided a clear choice.”

Probate Judge

What appeared to be positive on the service regarding the probate judge’s race, actually had an uglier side that made it one of the most negative campaigns in the state, Floyd said.

“Bridgette (Little Reeling, the Republican challenger) was unmercifully trashed in this race and she should not have been,” Floyd said. “I’m not talking about in the newspaper and radio ads, but rather by word of mouth by some of Leah’s supporters. In my opinion that sort of thing has nothing whatsoever to do with the job or Bridgette’s qualifications. I feel she was a good candidate, who was well qualified and worked very hard.”

Circuit Court Judge

Floyd also made no bones about his disappointment in the outcome of the circuit court judge’s race which saw two-term Democrat incumbent Don Hardeman defeat Cullman attorney Melvin Hasting.

“I was very disappointed that we did not take that race,” Floyd said. “Melvin Hasting is the first Republican candidate to challenge a circuit judge. He worked hard and is an excellent attorney. I have been told by people in the judicial system that Melvin works hard on all of his cases and he will beat you if you’re not careful due to his thoroughness.”

County Commission

Kugler also expressed disappointment that Democrat candidates Norman “Pete” Tucker and Faye Whisenant weren’t able to break the Republican hold on the Cullman County Commission. Incumbent Doug Williams defeated Whisenant to win election to a second term, while West Point Mayor Wayne Willingham defeated Tucker, who was seeking a third election to the commission.

“Democrats won seven out of nine local races Tuesday and the two we didn’t win were in the county commission,” Kugler said. “Faye and Pete ran good races. They had both held those offices before. It was left up to the voters to decide and they chose to go with the Republicans.”

Kugler also promised the Democrats will be back in two years with an excellent candidate to challenge incumbent commission chairman Wiley Kitchens.

Floyd said he was very pleased with the outcome in the commission races.

“I think they have an opportunity to do an excellent job of reflecting the values of the Republican Party,” Floyd said. “I also think their unity will enable them to accomplish a lot for the citizens of Cullman County.”

Circuit Court Clerk

In the circuit court clerk’s race, which was won by incumbent Democrat Robert Bates, Floyd said young Republican challenger David Chambers handled himself very well.

“David worked exceedingly hard in that campaign. He was an excellent candidate and he surpassed a lot of expectations to come within 1,300 votes of beating a 24-hear incumbent who has a good performance record,” Floyd said. “I expect David to be around and we’ll see him again in the future.”

State legislature

On the subject of state legislative races, Floyd said it is his understanding that state Democratic Party co-chairman, “Paul Hubbard,” invested millions of dollars in the last few weeks to maintain Democratic control of the Legislature.

“Until that machine is cracked and we start getting some individuals in the Legislature who are independent thinkers, nothing is going to change in Montgomery,” Floyd said. “Jeremy Oden (incumbent District 11 representative) ran a very positive race against a hard fighting opponent in Jim Boyd. I was pleased to see Republicans maintain that seat.”

Kugler again emphasized that at least on the local front, this was a very good election for incumbents.

“Jeremy and Jim Boyd are both fine candidates. I believe the county would have been a winner with either one,” Kugler said. “As for the other races, Neal (Morrison) is always strong and he easily won re-election in the District 12 race and Zeb (Sen. Zeb Little) proved once again how popular he is with the voters. The people supported him despite one of the most negative mail-out campaigns I have ever seen.”

Cullman connections in Montgomery

With the Senate majority leader (Zeb Little) and the lieutenant governor (Jim Folsom) both being from Cullman County, Kugler said there are a lot of reasons why Cullman countian should feel good about the next four years.

“Jim Folsom, I believe, will work well with representatives of both parties. He’s proven in the past that he can build coalitions. I don’t think you would have seen that same cooperation with Luther Strange as lieutenant governor,” Kugler said. “So this speaks well for all of Alabama.”

Floyd doesn’t share Kugler’s optimism.

“I feel the state would have benefited from having a Republican governor and lieutenant governor. Luther Strange was a very good candidate. He was knowledgeable of how government works and he would have brought experience to the table that would have benefited the states industrial recruitment efforts,” Floyd said. “I’m also concerned as to how involved the Folsom family will be in Montgomery. Where the Folsom family has been involved, family members have been on the payroll and I hope that doesn’t happen again.”

State court races

Floyd said he was pleased to see Cullman County voters vote overwhelmingly in support of Republicans on the ballot for appellate courts and the Alabama Supreme Court, although he was disappointed that Republican Supreme Court Justice Drayton Nabers was defeated by Democrat Sue Bell Cobb.

“Drayton was an imminently qualified candidate for that job and that was certainly a surprise. He had done an excellent job of leading the courts and I thought he would win election to a full term,” Floyd said.

“I also want to express my congratulations to Cullman County District Court Judge Terri Willingham Thomas for being elected to the State Court of Civil Appeals. I’m disappointed that she didn’t receive 100 percent of the votes in Cullman County, but she did very well here and statewide,” Floyd said. “It speaks well of her and her family, which was trashed terribly by her opponent in that campaign.”

National impact

Nationally, all eyes were on the states of Montana and Virginia Wednesday as the nation waited to see if the Democrats would assume control of both houses of Congress, having captured control of the House of Representatives by a sweeping margin early on.

“I think the loss of the House and possibly the Senate is really a referendum for George Bush and the War in Iraq. I don’t see it as a vote for the Democrats,” Floyd said. “People are opposed to the way the war is going. I would interject that it’s a scary thought to think that Nancy Pelosi is now second in line behind the vice president to become president if anything were to happen to Bush or (Dick) Cheney.”

Kugler has a different perspective when it comes to the national political scene.

“People are looking for a change in direction whether it be in the Iraq war, the economy, the fact that jobs are leaving America, taxes, or whatever. The Bush tax plan will be up for re-evaluation in a couple of years. It grants tax breaks to the top one percent wage earners in the nation. I think the general public is tired of the rich getting tax breaks, while the middle class carries the load,” Kugler said. “There was a huge middle class vote for Democrats on Tuesday. Millions nationwide stood up and proclaimed they are tired of being treated this way and they voted for change.”