CENTRE — As much as it is possible for someone who stands 6-foot-9, attorney general candidate Luther Strange presents himself as an unassuming man.

A lawyer from Birmingham in town for a lunchtime visit to the local Republican party, Strange glides into the room, folds his oversized frame into a chair, and smiles pleasantly.

Strange's soft voice belies his physical stature. But as he speaks he becomes animated, and soon there is no hiding the 57-year-old's focus, intelligence and thorough familiarity with any and all issues relating to Alabama politics.

As a first-time candidate for statewide office in 2006, Strange outlasted George Wallace, Jr. in the Republican primary, then nearly won the lieutenant governor's race against Jim Folsom, Jr. Before that, he managed campaigns for GOP candidates and quite successfully oversaw his party's effort to control the Alabama Supreme Court. (Today, eight of the nine judges are Republican.)

This time around, Strange has his eye on the office currently held by fellow Republican Troy King. As he is quick to make clear, in his campaign ads and in one-on-one interviews with small-town newspaper reporters, Strange believes the attorney general has been a disappointment, both to his party and the people he was elected to represent.

“As I have told people, it's not personal,” Strange said. “It's all based on principle and a different approach to how I would run the office in general.”

Strange said his first problem with King is simply his approach to enforcing the law.

“No matter how complicated it is, or how controversial, this casino gambling outbreak is something the attorney general has to address,” Strange said. “Never before in the history of Alabama has the governor been forced to create a task force to do the attorney general's job.”

Strange said his first act AG would be to assume control of the governor's task force and shut down casinos.

“That's critical from the standpoint of people respecting the rule of law in the state,” Strange said.

Strange said King's ongoing disagreement with Gov. Bob Riley over gambling also means a lot of other important legal issues are not being addressed. Among them, Strange said he feels he can do a better job than King of working closely with law enforcement and local district attorneys to lower crime rates in Alabama.

“The attorney general and the district attorneys should be working together, but for whatever reason, they have gotten crossways, too,” Strange said. “I'm glad to have endorsements from DAs around the state who want to partner with me. It's important for every community in Alabama; I'm not sure how it has gotten to this stage.”

Strange is also adamant that King's relationship with – and ultimate hiring of – Montgomery-based trial lawyer Jere Beasley is harmful to Alabama's economic development efforts.

“When the attorney general takes a $50,000 campaign contribution from a trial lawyer like Jere Beasley, then turns around and gives him a big, contingency fee-based case to sue on behalf of the state, that puts Alabama on the list of states that are not business friendly,” Strange said. “If someone needs to be sued or prosecuted, that is the job of the attorney general.”

Apart from what he perceives as King's shortcomings, Strange said he also has a serious problem with what he calls the “massive power takeover” from the nation's capital.

“The health care bill is the most recent attempt to get involved in every single person's life, and I think the attorney general is the first line of defense in protecting the rights of the people of Alabama,” Strange said. “People should be allowed to decide these things for themselves.”

Strange said his background is in economic development, and he believes the state's top law enforcement official should play an important role in helping to grow jobs.

“The attorney general issues opinions to state and local municipalities on bond issues, and can hire lawyers to represent the state with other states, like Georgia in the water wars battle,” Strange said. “The level of leadership the AG provides can make a difference in how our business climate is perceived.”

Illegal immigration is another problem Strange said he plans to tackle, if he survives the June 1 Republican primary and outlasts his Democratic opponent in November.

“I recently spent a day in Guntersville, and it is a big problem there,” he said. “I will aggressively go after illegal immigration. I'll give local sheriffs, police, district attorneys every tool at my disposal to go after this.”

Strange said he believes the federal government has “dropped the ball” on the issue, although one means of tackling the issue is already being promoted by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile. Strange said this new computerized verification system will help businesses make sure their employees are not illegals.

“The E-Verify system, which I talk about on my website [www.lutherstrange.com], is a system that other states have already adopted, and that we need to strengthen in Alabama,” Strange said. “If you dry up the source of jobs for people who are here illegally, then that's probably the best tool to fight illegal immigration.”

Strange said another problem with the attorney general's office that he plans to correct, if elected, is the lack of priority regarding public corruption.

“Politicians are getting away with things, and moving money around, and everybody is losing confidence in the entire system,” Strange said. “I will re-tool the office to make that a top priority.”