Just when you thought you had seen everything Alabama politics has to offer, something new comes along.

Not long ago, state Attorney General Troy King was being called the face of the future by state GOP'ers.

Appointed to his post in 2004 by Gov. Bob Riley to fill the term of Bill Pryor — who was appointed to the federal bench — King handily won re-election in 2006 with the help of the biggest names in his party. Since that office often has served as a stepping stone to the governor's mansion, it seemed as if King was on his way.

Many of those big names now have deserted him, and the state is left with an incumbent attorney general who does not have the backing of his party leaders.

Obviously, a great deal has happened.

The fact that U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa — who earlier supported King — counts King opponent Luther Strange as a close friend can explain the senator's decision to switch candidates. However, King also has lost the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile. Sessions claims neutrality, a stand that helps Strange far more than King.

King also has run afoul of his mentor, Riley, over how to classify and regulate electronic bingo machines in Alabama. The depth of this division became apparent when the governor set up his Task Force on Illegal Gambling and did not include the attorney general, the chief law-enforcement officer in the state.

Add to that the belief that King is a grandstander who does not work closely with local district attorneys when pursuing a case. This inclination has been noted by the Alabama District Attorneys Association; at least one of its Republican members has endorsed Strange.

So, today the state's Republican establishment is backing Strange, a candidate whose trial-lawyer resume is thin but whose insider credentials are solid. As a former lobbyist with a home in an upscale Birmingham suburb, Strange likely will again hear charges that he is out of touch with regular Alabamians. Those issues were thrown at him in his unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor in 2006, but this time those points may be made in the primary by members of his own party.

Thus, a political contest that should have been no contest promises to be hard, bitter and divisive for all involved. No one expected this, but here it comes.