Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sue Bell Cobb has announced she’s staying out of the 2010 gubernatorial race.
There was chatter surrounding Cobb as a potential alternative to Representative Artur Davis and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, both of whom are rumored to lack some support from the miniature Beltway of Montgomery.
There’s no indication that Cobb would have been an absolute shoe-in to take the primary; however, she would have been required to resign her Court seat immediately, giving Republican Governor Bob Riley the opportunity to appoint a Republican in her place. Justice Cobb will be finishing her term and is up for re-election in 2012.
In the statement she released today, Justice Cobb makes it clear her primary focus is serving the people of Alabama in the capacity to which she was elected which is frankly best for her, the Democratic primary, and the state.
The Artur Davis campaign released this response:
“I have respected and admired Sue Bell Cobb for many years, and I have been fortunate to count her as a personal friend,” Davis said. “I know that she will continue to serve our state well as an outspoken children’s advocate and a champion of judicial reform. Sue Bell would have been a formidable candidate and we would have had a dignified campaign about where our state should go in the next decade. As Governor, I would work closely with her to improve the quality of life for Alabama’s children; and I look forward to supporting her re-election in 2012 to the Alabama Supreme Court. I wish her the best and fully appreciate that this decision was a difficult one for her and her family.”
