Jim Folsom Jr.
James Elisha Folsom Jr. is an American politician who was the 50th Governor of Alabama from April 22, 1993 to January 16, 1995. He has also served as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama on two separate occasions. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and education
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, he is the son of former First Lady of Alabama Jamelle Folsom and legendary two-term Alabama Governor James E. "Big Jim" Folsom Sr. Jim Folsom Jr. is therefore known as "Little Jim" even though he is well over six feet tall. In 1974, he graduated from Jacksonville State University, where he presently serves as a trustee.Early career
During his first run for a political office, he lost the primary to incumbent Democratic Congressman Tom Bevill by an overwhelming margin. However he was elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1978.In 1980, Folsom ran for the U.S. Senate and attacked the incumbent, Donald W. Stewart, as being too liberal for Alabama and called him a "puppet of the great Washington power structure." Although Stewart outspent Folsom $500,000 to $75,000, he very narrowly missed winning a majority in the primary and Folsom won the runoff. In the general election, Folsom lost by a narrow margin to Republican Jeremiah Denton, who was aided by the Ronald Reagan landslide, which helped Republican candidates across the country.
Folsom was re-elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1982.
James Folsom was elected Alabama Lieutenant Governor and served from January 19, 1987 to April 22, 1993. During both terms, as a matter of law, Folsom was also President and Presiding Officer of the Alabama State Senate. He served under Governor H. Guy Hunt, the first Republican Alabama Governor since Reconstruction. Hunt and Folsom also happen to be from the same county. Folsom also was a member of the National Association of Lieutenant Governors.
Governorship
In 1993, Hunt was convicted of state ethics law violations regarding the funding of Hunt's second inaugural ceremonies. Like most states, Alabama's constitution prohibits convicted felons from serving in office. As a result, Hunt was forced to resign on April 22, 1993 and Folsom automatically became governor.Only weeks after Folsom assumed the office, state officials were approached by Mercedes-Benz about the possibility of locating its first manufacturing plant outside its native Germany in Alabama. Over the following months, Folsom led Alabama's efforts to recruit the facility, culminating in an October 1993 announcement that Alabama had beaten 30 other states for the coveted facility. The prestige of the Mercedes plant opened the door for future automotive plants to locate in the state.
Within six days after taking office Governor Folsom ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol to a memorial. His de facto Chief of Staff was his longtime friend and confidant, Charlie Waldrep, an attorney at Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick, LLC. Governor Folsom also appointed a number of African Americans and women to his staff.
In 1994, he ran for a full four-year term in his own right. Although some regarded Folsom as a popular Governor, he was primaried by three candidates, the most serious being Paul Hubbert, the executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association and nominee for governor in 1990. Folsom after a fierce and sometimes nasty primary, fended off Hubbert's challenge with 54% of the vote. But Hubbert's primary challenge damaged Folsom, who in the General Election, was narrowly defeated by former Democratic Governor Fob James, who was running as a Republican. Even though 1994 was a tough year for Democrats and that Folsom was facing a popular former governor in James and had spent a lot of money to win his primary against Hubbert, the result was narrow. In fact, Folsom lost by less than 10,000 votes or 49.7%-50.3% to James.
Compared to other prominent Democratic incumbent Governors who lost that year such as Ann Richards in Texas, Bruce King in New Mexico, and Mario Cuomo in New York, Folsom ran much more strongly they did. He also ran stronger than Democratic nominees in other Southern states with key governor's races, such as Phil Bredesen in Tennessee, Jack Mildren in Oklahoma, and Nick Theodore in South Carolina.
Post-governorship and return to politics
In 2006, Folsom reentered state politics, running again as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. He won the Democratic nomination unopposed, and in the general election, he narrowly defeated Republican lawyer Luther Strange for a third, nonconsecutive four-year term in all with the previous six years he served as lieutenant governor, Folsom is the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Alabama history with 10 years of service with his third term ending on January 17, 2011.Folsom endorsed former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey in the 2000 Democratic presidential primaries, Governor of Vermont Howard Dean in 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, and U.S. Senator and future President Barack Obama of Illinois in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. In 2016, he was a strong supporter of former Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley for president.
He announced on April 1, 2009, that he would seek re-election as lieutenant governor in 2010 rather than run for the Democratic nomination for governor. On November 2, 2010, Folsom was defeated by three percentage points in his re-election bid for a fourth term by the Republican nominee, Kay Ivey. Folsom explored a potential 2018 bid for governor.
Folsom is married to the former Marsha Guthrie. They have two children. He is an Episcopalian.
Electoral history
Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives – AL 4th district, 1976- Tom Bevill – 90,168
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 21,335
- Donald W. Stewart – 222,540
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 163,196
- Finis St. John – 51,260
- Margaret E. Stewart – 20,582
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 204,186
- Donald W. Stewart – 199,365
- Jeremiah Denton – 650,363
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 610,175
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 331,527
- John Teague – 277,899
- Hinton Mitchem – 203,112
- Melba Till Allen – 66,439
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 517,724
- John Teague – 382,836 – 726,111
- Don McGriff – 447,978
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 510,814
- William McKinley Branch – 120,861
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 768,988
- Bob McKee – 373,072
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 380,227
- Paul R. Hubbert – 285,554
- Margaret E. Stewart – 24,254
- Tom Hayden – 13,532
- Fob James – 604,926
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 594,169
- Jim Folsom Jr. – unopposed
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 629,268
- Luther Strange – 610,982
- Write-in candidates – 3,029
- Kay Ivey – 764,112
- Jim Folsom Jr. – 718,636
- Write-in candidates – 1,945