Smoke-filled Backroom

Bill Blount, former Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss a career at the confluence of business and politics, the future of political finance, and Alabamans' penchant for forgiveness.

Bill Poole, AL State Rep. and Chairman of the Ways and Means Education Committee, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss Alabama's open Senate seat, the demands of managing a $3 billion program, and putting family first.

Bill Stewart, Professor Emeritus of Politics at the University of Alabama, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss his latest work, "Alabama Politics in the 21st Century,"; the Democratic Party's white flight problem; and the role of the political scientist in shaping public discourse.

Natalie Davis, Howell T. Heflin Prof. of Political Science at Birmingham-Southern College, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss Trump's surprising victory, our preoccupation with polling, and why we must rethink the rural vote.

Randall Woodfin sits down with Brett Janich to discuss his vision for Birmingham's 99 neighborhoods, why 2017 is a change year, and how, at 35 and with little establishment backing, he plans to unseat a two-term incumbent to become the Magic City's next Mayor.

Artur Davis, former four-term Congressman, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss his vision for AL and the City of Montgomery, some of the challenges shared by the national GOP and the AL Democratic Party, and the political lessons the Black Lives Matter movement should draw from the Civil Rights Movement.

John Merrill, Secretary of State of Alabama, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss the art of voter registration, his Reagan-like embrace of incremental change, and the threat of election tampering.

David Mowery, Chairman of Mowery Consulting and FIXRDigital, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss the role of the political consultant, the pressures of delivering a Congressional race, and the zen of letting the right candidate come to you.

Alice Martin, Chief Deputy Attorney General of AL, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss her time as US Attorney, the costs and rewards of a life in public service, and her future as one of AL's most prominent female Republican figures.

Bill Baxley, former Lt. Governor of Alabama and longtime political fixture, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss his decades long climb through the ranks of the Democratic party, his political achievements and shortcomings, and his recent return to the spotlight as defense counsel in the Mike Hubbard corruption trial.

Bill Armistead, former Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, sits down with Brett Janich to discuss the ascendancy of the AL GOP, the infighting that has plagued it in recent years, and the rise of Donald Trump and what his movement could spell for Alabama in the 2018 election cycle.