Pubdate: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 Source: Mobile Register (AL) Copyright: 2002 Mobile Register. Contact: http://www.al.com/mobileregister/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/269 Author: Bill Barrow LIBERTARIAN COULD THROW WRENCH IN ELECTION GEARS MONTGOMERY -- John Sophocleus has no illusions of becoming Alabama governor, but he has every intention of helping control who does. And some independent pollsters and political scientists around the state say he just might succeed. The Libertarian nominee for the state's top office comes into the waning days of a high-profile campaign with little name recognition and less money, as Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman and Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Riley spend millions of dollars to saturate airwaves and dominate political discourse. Against that backdrop, Sophocleus describes as a "small miracle" the scenario that would give him anything approaching 10 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election. But as most polls show either a statistical dead heat or a slim Riley lead, Sophocleus talks of a more modest goal: drawing more votes than the final margin separating the front-runners. That, he said, would make the drivers of the Alabama electoral machinery listen. "There is no competi tion in Alabama politics," Sophocleus told the Mobile Register in a recent interview. "If Don Siegelman or Bob Riley edges the other by one (percentage) point, and John Sophocleus is sitting there with two points, then they'll have to pay attention." Recent surveys, including those from the Alabama Education Association, the Business Council of Alabama and the University of South Alabama Polling Group, have shown Sophocleus with anywhere from 1 percent to 3 percent support. Still, Siegelman and Riley supporters said they give the economics professor little consideration. "This just really isn't anything that we are concerned with," said Marty Connors, executive director of the Alabama Republican Party. At Siegelman's campaign headquarters, spokesman Rip Andrews said, "Our strategy now is very similar to what it has been all along: to focus on what is a very clear choice between Don Siegelman and Bob Riley." It's precisely that choice, Sophocleus argued, that should draw voters to the Libertarian ticket. He pushes his own specific proposals as alternatives to his opponents' repetitive themes: Siegelman hammering Riley for proposing no new education funding; Riley blasting Siegelman for a series of ethics scandals, one of which spawned an investigation by state and federal authorities. Alabama's education funding crisis, Sophocleus said, would be fixed by eliminating all extracurricular activities, including band and sports. Both, he said, should become local community functions. Prison overcrowding would be eliminated by relaxing what he described as over-bearing drug laws, which he said puts drug users and small-time dealers in prison cells that should be reserved for violent criminals. Further, Sophocleus said, he wants to expand the size of the Alabama Legislature to provide better representation. He points out that the size of that body has remained the same since ratification of the 1901 Constitution, though the state's population has more than doubled, leaving legislators responsible for more constituents. It's all part of the Libertarian philosophy, which, as explained by Sophocleus, favors personal freedom and responsibility above government intervention and regulation. His candidacy is part of the largest Libertarian ticket in state history. Libertarians qualified as a major party under state law after one of its candidates drew at least 20 percent of the vote in a 2000 statewide election. Experts said it is difficult to predict how well Sophocleus will fare on Tuesday. Next to impossible, they said, is pinning down the sources of his support. Keith Nicholls, a USA pollster, said Sophocleus' best showing would result from his most enthusiastic supporters combined with protest votes from those who normally cast ballots for Republicans or Democrats. Another pollster, however, said Sophocleus is in line to claim partial credit for the outcome, should Riley edge Siegelman. Alabama Education Association pollster Gerald Johnson explained that Sophocleus' numbers have risen from 1 to as much as 3 percent during October. Also increasing in the AEA polls is the number of undecided voters. Meanwhile, Riley's numbers have dropped in amounts greater than any gains by Siegelman, he said. "That data suggests that Sophocleus is taking votes from Riley," Johnson concluded. AEA executive secretary Paul Hubbert has endorsed Siegelman. At GOP headquarters, Connors said the neither the party nor the Riley campaign has seen any internal polling that would support Johnson's findings. Nicholls said he remained skeptical, too, as he disputed one conventional theory linking Republicans and Libertarians. While Republicans might like the applications of Libertarian philosophy to business and the economy, Nicholls said, the Libertarian effect on social policies about drugs and abortion is more in line with the Democratic Party. "I think that's a big part of the reason Sophocleus would draw from both sides, not just one," he said. Carl Grafton, an Auburn University Montgomery political scientist, said that whatever the outcome, Sophocleus' platform will cost him more votes than it could ever draw. "Ideology is fine," he said, adding that he was sympathetic to many Libertarian views. "But when it comes to winning elections, they've just got to connect to the real world." For Sophocleus, though, a principled loss is fine, he said, offering with seemingly equal parts of confidence and disdain: "I wouldn't be running if I didn't think I was the best candidate." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens