When voters head to their polling places for the March 13 primary, they will see more Republicans than Democrats on the ballot.

Once a Democratic stronghold, the tide in Limestone County has turned from blue to red since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. It was most evident during the 2010 General Election, which saw popular local and state Democratic officials washed out of office in favor of Republican candidates.

Sensing the winds of change, some decided to switch parties and were welcomed with open arms by the Limestone County Republican Party.

County Commission Chairman Stanley Menefee, a longtime Democrat, made the switch prior to the 2010 election and beat opponent David Seibert. Circuit Court Judge Bob Baker announced his new love for the GOP on Valentine’s Day last year three months after being elected to a new term as a Democrat.

Bradley Davidson, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, said counties in the Tennessee Valley are “the toughest nuts to crack,” though he and local party leaders are working to revitalize the party’s mission and message.

“The party is not on the wane, though some folks have described it as temporarily in the wilderness,” he said, adding that the switch from blue to red in Limestone and Jackson counties was disheartening. “We relied for a long time on Tennessee Valley Democrats whose grandparents idolized Franklin Roosevelt. That generation is quickly leaving us, and we can’t rest on our laurels.”

Ronnie Coffman, chairman of the Limestone County Republican Party, said the primary reason for the shrinking Democratic presence is President Obama. He said there were about 3,000 more straight-ticket Republican voters in November 2010, which represented a first.

Coffman, who qualified to run as a Republican against Democratic incumbent Greg Tucker for license commissioner, said the county’s “old-time” Democrats has conservative principles, but the party has become too liberal for them.

“Four years ago, it would have been hard to get elected as a Republican in Limestone County,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of people who have moved into the eastern part of the county, and most of them are Republicans.”

Davidson said part of the reason for the switch could also be because after ruling the state’s political roost for 140 years, Democrats became complacent and lazy. He said the party is now looking to rebuild its infrastructure through technology and simple grass-roots tactics.

“We’re rebuilding the databases and providing different programming and training on ‘Get Out the Vote’ and voter ID, so we can identify who the Democrats are,” he said. “We’re trying to give the parties some direction so the counties don’t feel like they’re on their own. We’re teaching old dogs some new tricks.”

Democrats may still have some influence with teachers and farmers affected by the Republican-sponsored immigration bill, Davidson said.

“There may be some people out there who may not be marrying us, but at least trying to date us,” he said. “They are now open to talking to us again, so all is not lost for the Democratic Party.”

In the thick of things

The state Legislature voted in 2011 to move the state’s primary from February to March 13, which could mean more attention is paid to Alabama’s presidential preference.

Depending on the outcome of the primaries that precede it, it could also mean more visits from presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Perry.

Shana Kluck, spokesperson for the Alabama Republican Party, said moving the primary also resulted in a cost savings to the state’s taxpayers by eliminating the need for both a presidential preference primary and one for local races.

There is also the added benefit of Alabama’s primary being held at the same time as only two other states — Mississippi and Hawaii — which would keep Alabama from being lost in the field.

“We wanted to attract as many potential candidates as possible, and (the new date) gives candidates a good incentive to visit and gives voters a chance to shake their hand,” Kluck said. “It makes us very relevant in the process.”

The presidential aspect of the March 13 primary matters less to Democrats who already have a nominee in Obama. Davidson said the Democratic Party would use the primary as an opportunity to prepare for the general election.

“We’ll use the process to train volunteers, ‘Get Out the Vote’ teams and local community teams for the Obama campaign,” he said. “Since we don’t have that mad crush of having a (presidential) candidate on the ballot, we’re practicing.”