PRESS RELEASE

Dennis Bates of Shelby County Announces His Candidacy for Democratic Party Chairman
For further information: ezrest2003@yahoo.com
For Immediate Release - July 3, 2014...Shelby County Alabama. Dennis Bates, a four term
State Democratic Executive Committee member elected from Shelby County and political operative
since 1978, announced today his candidacy for the Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.
Typically, the party elects a new chairman every four years after a new Executive Committee is elected
in the primary. The seat has not had an elected chairman since Judge Mark Kennedy vacated the seat to
form a start up movement, or rump group, citing dysfunction of the Executive Board among his
reasons.
Bates began a successful political career when he conceived and implemented what he called a
de facto news agency traveling with the James Campaign. The late Jack Miller, James' campaign
manager and later, state party chairman, gave him credit for being the difference in getting James, a
businessman, elected over the three favored candidates, a former Governor, and two former Lt.
Governors. Miller then referred a Florida State Attorney candidate, Jim Appleman, to Bates for creating
a winning media strategy and was successful in doing so, vanquishing an incumbent State Attorney in
the process.
The newly-elected Secretary of State Don Seigelman requested Bates' assistance for his state-
wide campaign for election law reform by filming and producing a documentary for the state legislators
to view as a tool in getting law reform passed in the Legislature.
A Congressman and candidate for the United States presidency, Phillip Crane, R. IL. was his
next candidate. Bates was responsible for acting as a co-pilot of the campaign plane and gathering as
much media attention as possible in Alabama for Congressman Crane. Candidate Crane finished third
in the primary behind the eventual president Reagan and vice-president Bush. That was the highest
finish in any state he campaigned. The late Ron Clements, an advance man for Governor George
Wallace's Presidential campaign, was heavily involved in the Crane campaign and requested Bates'
assistance, having observed his impact in the James campaign.
Bates ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Shelby County Commission in 2000. He ran for the
Democratic Executive Committee and won his first of four terms in 2002. He has won every race for
that position since, having opposition in three of his elections. He has agonized over the demise of the
party's influence in the state, beginning with the Governor's office and extending to local offices. This
last primary, only one state wide office was contested. His candidacy for the Chairmanship is an effort
to heal the impotence of the party into a positive direction again with Democratic winners statewide..
Former Secretary of State, Nancy Worley, was nominated and elected Party Vice-Chairman
previously, supported in large by Alabama Democratic Conference leader Joe Reed of the Alabama
Education Association. She assumed the temporary leadership of the party upon Judge Kennedy's
resignation from that office. Worley has indicated privately that she is considering standing for the
Chairmanship on an elected basis when the Executive Committee is called to elect party leaders.
Secretary Worley previously is accused of violation of Alabama law by pressuring her
employees of the Secretary of State's office to participate in her reelection campaign for that office.
That charge has not been resolved yet, according to Worley, with little or no activity regarding its
disposition.
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