Governorship
Folsom assumed the governorship when Hunt was removed from office, convicted of state ethics law violations regarding the funding of Hunt's second inaugural ceremonies.
Only weeks after Folsom assumed the office, state officials were approached by Mercedes-Benz about the possibility of locating its first manufacturing plant outside Germany in Alabama. Over the following months, Folsom led Alabama's efforts to recruit the facility, culminating in an October 1993 announcement that Alabama had beaten 30 other states for the coveted facility. The prestige of the Mercedes plant opened the door for future automotive plants to locate in the state.
Within six days after taking office Governor Folsom ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol to a memorial. His "Chief of Staff" was longtime friend and confidant, Charlie Waldrep, of Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick, LLC. Governor Folsom also appointed a number of African Americans and women to his staff.
In 1994, he ran for a full four-year term in his own right. He was very narrowly defeated by former Democratic Governor Fob James, who was running as a Republican. Although some regarded Folsom as a popular Governor, he won only 54% of the vote in the Democratic primary and a Republican landslide across the country during midterm elections aided James enough to unseat Folsom by a slim margin, where Republicans gained ten governorships.
Read more about this topic: Jim Folsom, Jr.