he banned all ads, which saw advertising revenue plummet, a large portion of the transit system's income. Within a couple of years, the traditional system of large buses and fixed routes and the historical Montgomery buses were abolished in favor of a demand system equal to a public taxi shuttle, which many citizens found unfair and troublesome for impromptu use, requiring 24-hour advance booking. Race for governor Folmar ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1982 winning just over 40% of the vote. Folmar lost to George Wallace, who was seeking an unprecedented fourth term. The election was noted as being the first truly competitive two-party campaign in Alabama history due to strong Republican political gains on the national, state and local levels after a long history of state Democratic domination in Alabama. However, Alabama remained largely Democratic at the state level, dooming Folmar's campaign. Afterward, he served as chairman of the Alabama Republican Party from 1985 to 1989. With his high position in the party and with Ronald Reagan enjoying widespread popularity, Folmar could have sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination again in 1986, which instead went to Guy Hunt who was thought to be the Republicans' "sacrificial lamb". The Democratic side featured two strong candidates, Bill Baxley and Charles Graddick. Graddick won the primary, but the Alabama Democratic Party argued that many Republicans had crossed over and "illegally" voted for Graddick in the Democratic primary. However, Alabama had no party registration laws to restrict participation in either party primary by voters. Democratic party leaders successfully managed to have Graddick's win nullified in favor of Baxley. The resulting negative press led to a voter backlash against Democrats and Guy Hunt was subsequently elected the first Republican Alabama Governor since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. Folmar later became state chairman for George H. W. Bush's 1988 and 1992 US presidential campaigns. He is largely credited for helping guide the Republican Party back to legitimate status in the state. Since his unsuccessful bid against Wallace and subsequent state party leadership, of the four elected governors, three have been Republicans. A second Democrat was governor during the period. Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, Jr. served out the remainder of Hunt's term after he was convicted of misappropriating campaign contributions. Folsom was then defeated by former governor Fob James, a Democrat turned Republican. References External links Emory Folmar short bio at Alabama State Archives Archived article from