Former Aggies football coach and state Sen. Gerald Dial squares off this November against Ashland attorney Greg Varner for the opportunity to represent the residents of Senate District 13. The district includes parts of Cherokee, Cleburne, Clay and Lee counties.
There’s a distinct point between the two cities along Alabama 9 where signs beside the road turn from black and white “We Need Dial Back” signs to yellow “Greg Varner for State Senate” signs.
Neither side is conceding the other city, however. Both strongly believe they can carry Clay County and the election.
“I expect this to be one of the most-watched senate races in the state,” said Varner, the Democratic candidate.
Beyond just municipal rivalry, the race will be watched closely because Dial — longtime Democrat who served four terms in the state Senate and two in the House — switched parties after losing to current Sen. Kim Benefield in the Democratic primary four years ago.
“I was conservative before you could spell conservative,” said Dial, laughing as he leaned back in his chair.
Already, the race is getting chippy. The Tennessee Valley Development Authority — a PAC run by state Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe — ran a television commercial for Varner stating that Dial was paid $380,000 by the governor for his position at the helm of the Rural Alabama Action Committee. Dial says he was paid an average of $50,000 a year for fewer than four years he held the position.
In-kind donations like this leave the attorney from Ashland running his first political campaign beholden to powerful Senate figures such as Barron, Dial says.
“At no point have I ever made any promises of any sort to any individual,” Varner said, a painting of the Statehouse in Montgomery hanging over his shoulder. “My duty is to pursue the common good.”
Both candidates agree the common good lies in creating and sustaining jobs in the district, as well as continuing to improve the education system in the counties.
“The major issue … is jobs and how you create jobs,” Dial said.
In his capacity as head of the Rural Alabama Action Committee, Dial said he had a hand in re-opening Plantation Patters, a furniture factory in Wadley, just months after it closed down. He said he secured money and grants to restart the business, which employs 200 people and is expanding to 500 by next year.
Dial also said he is working with a Korean delegation to bring in manufacturing jobs complementary to the new Kia plant just across the state line in West Point, Ga.
Varner’s plan is to take Dial’s approach to recruiting and attracting international businesses and apply it to small local businesses.
He plans to develop and push schools in the district to perform competitively on the international level, citing statistics that the U.S. school system regularly finishes around the same level as former Third World nations.
“Our goal is to have a world-class school system,” Varner said.
His opponent believes the way to improve the school system is by promoting dual enrollment in high school and area colleges. It’s one of the Dial campaign’s main educational goals, as well as encouraging participation in technical schools.
Both candidates have criss-crossed the district many times so far — Varner’s car broke down once already, and Dial described his travel day as stretching “around the world.”
Dial carries the know-how and connections of an incumbent, while Varner is running with the support of the state Democratic Party.
Perhaps the best description of the upcoming race comes from Varner’s young daughter.
“My 5-year-old asked Kelly, my wife, ‘How far does daddy have to run to get to the state Senate?’” Varner said.
