It's true that Figures' gender makes her a long shot in Alabama, but it's also worth mentioning her political pedigree-- when her husband, a state senator, died she successfully ran to compete his term. In the past, this type of move has boded quite well for female politicians (such as Mary Bono, now an influential congresswomen), and served as a springboard for their independent political careers. The deck may be stacked against Figures in some ways, but her family connections and boot-strap story may be the stuff of a low-odds winner.

The correlation (or lack thereof) of a state's presidential vote with the party of their elected senators is tricky to gauge. It's common for senators up for reelection to take advantage of the federal race's momentum and jump on the bandwagon of whatever presidential candidate shares their party affiliations. Sessions, on the other hand, made the interesting decision to not officially "endorse" John McCain, instead stating that he "strongly supports" his fellow Republican. Although he has subsequently helped fund raise for McCain, his failure to formally endorse does create a bit of distance between the two men. One can only assume that Sessions has his reasons, but it's not yet clear how this all fits into his greater campaign strategy. Ideas anyone?

Things are certainly looking good for John McCain in Alabama. A recent Rasmussen report showed the Republican candidate had won over 55% of voters to Obama's 37%. With such a sizable early foothold for Mccain, it looks likely that the state will go red this fall. it's interesting, then, that Senatorial incumbent Sessions has declined to officially endorse the Republican presidential candidate. Instead, Sessions has opted to state that he "strongly supports" McCain. Although Sessions has helped fund raise for McCain, his failure to formally endorse the candidate lends a fraction of distance to the two Republicans' relationship. In an electoral environment when the tradition is to gather moment for one's self by jumping on the party bandwagon, one must wonder what Session's reasons might be for keeping McCain just at arm's length-- and how they fit into his own campaign strategy for the fall.

It's true that Figures is running in a hostile environment, but she's marketing herself wisely. With the few dollars she has, she's pitching herself as a sort of anti-Washingtonian-- someone with a strongly defined sense of personal, professional and family identity. "Washington has forgotten its priorities", her website announces, and Figures touts herself as cure to that malady.

This angle is just one example of an increasingly popular campaign strategy for Democrats and Republics alike, particularly those running in local elections, wherein candidates aim to distance themselves from "Washington" and align themselves with the "regular folks" of their home state. It doesn't matter the voter's affiliation-- whether they're turned off by the Clintonian debauchery of the 90s or Bush and Cheney's corporate allegiance of the 00s--"Washington" is turning Americans off. For Figures, running against well-established incumbent Sessions, the fact that her opponent is so entrenched in politics might be an advantage if she can leverage her own image properly.

It's going to be tough to define this year's Alabama senatorial race as a hot issues extravaganza. That's because in terms of the issues, both candidates-- Republican incumbent Jeff Sessions and Democratic challenger Vivian Davis Figures-- are towing the party line pretty hard. For Figures, it's support the troops by bringing them home, squash corporate favoritism and amp up health care and education efforts. For Sessions, it's all about national security, with a side of the Republican's new issue de jour-- a conservative-friendly adaptation of sustainable energy planning. Not much new coming from either side.

President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection in the face of fierce opposition and record-breaking democratic voter recruitment proves just how strong voter inertia can be-- it takes a huge haul to unseat an incumbent. Bare-bones issues are rarely enough to bring in winning votes. In today's homogeneous political environment, voters aren't just looking for candidates to distinguish themselves from their direct opponents, they're also looking for a candidate that stands out from the political pack as a whole-- someone with fresh ideas and a new spin on the classic Washington identity. The only way to communicate individuality to the masses is through agressive advertising and branding-- and that takes large-scale wealth. In Alabama 2008, money might not be everything, but it might well be the deal-breaker.