Alabama’s political circles are abuzz today, after Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks yesterday publicly pondered a campaign to unseat Sen. Jeff Sessions. On DailyKos, Sparks said that it was definitely something he was considering, but that he still had some thinking to do. On his initial post in his DailyKos diary, “Sparksmania,” he wrote:

The decision to run for any public office, particularly one as high as that of a U.S. Senator, is not one to be taken lightly, and there’s a long road of soul-searching and deliberation ahead before I make a definitive decision on 2008. But I do know that we will have a golden opportunity to build our influence in Washington and take even more meaningful steps toward taking our country back.

Sparks might look like the Simpsons’ Ned Flanders, but he is an unapologetic Democrat from the progressive Southern mold. And he might be the only chance the Dems have got.

Ever since Don Siegelman fell to federal bribery charges last year and Lucy Baxley suffered a stroke, the Alabama Democrats’ backfield has consisted almost exclusively of three people — Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom, Rep. Artur Davis and Sparks. The good news for the Dems is that the GOP lineup might be even thinner.

In recent weeks, there has been something of a Draft Sparks movement beginning to crystallize — including posts on DailyKos and the Swing State Project. What’s more, Sparks is now the man of the hour at a new blog, Sack Sessions, dedicated to … well, sacking Jeff Sessions.

If he does decide to run, Sparks faces a daunting fundraising challenge. Already, Sessions has raised a considerable war chest, most recently holding a fundraiser at THEEE Club with Vice President Dick Cheney. But if Sessions has a war chest secured, he still has the war to answer for. And if the fundraiser last week is any indication, he’s not apologizing for his Iraq War support. In fact, he said as recently as February (and said repeatedly) that the Iraq War was necessary because Saddam Hussein claimed he won the first Gulf War.

Clearly, Sparks is counting on a grassroots campaign, and if his live blogging on DailyKos is any indication, he is hoping to beat Sessions with a netroots campaign. Democrats seem to have an advantage on the Internet (whereas Republicans still rule talk radio), but this is still Alabama.

If name recognition is an issue, one of our staffers brought up a good point in the office today. When I wondered out loud if anybody in Alabama knew Sparks, Phillip Jordan pointed out that Sparks has God’s own plenty of little ads already.

“His name is on every gas tank in the state.”

Indeed, the Agriculture Commission licenses filling station pumps in Alabama, and his name is on every sticker. For Sparks’ sake, let’s hope the voters don’t blame him for three-dollar gas.

— Kyle Whitmire

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