Graddick May Run as Write-in Candidate for Alabama Governor

MONTGOMERY, Ala. —  Atty. Gen. Charles Graddick told supporters Friday that he will run as a write-in candidate for governor of Alabama if court appeals fail to win him another chance at the Democratic nomination.

“We’re going to be on the ballot in November one way or the other,” Graddick said after a rally attended by 300 supporters at his campaign headquarters. “We’re going to go out and face them.”

The Democratic Party already has a nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. Bill Baxley, who was chosen by a five-member party subcommittee after a week of hearings.

Runoff Contested

Baxley contested the June 24 primary runoff, which Graddick led by 8,756 votes, contending that the attorney general encouraged Republicans who had already voted in their primary to cross over and cast ballots in the Democratic runoff.

The party selected Baxley after a panel of three federal judges ruled Aug. 1 that Graddick had flagrantly misused his office by calling for the GOP crossover voting. The judges said Graddick violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by diluting black voting power.

Graddick was back in federal court again Friday to appeal both the party ruling and the order issued against him by the three federal judges, but he said he was not optimistic about winning in that arena.