From My Cousin-

Hicks Could Factor Big in Alabama Primary

But in Alabama, the home state of Taylor Hicks, the chubby, Birmingham-born
finalist, Idol has become a bit of a nuisance for some of the professionals
whose business it is to focus on the old-fashioned kind of election -- and
the state of Alabama has a big one on June 6.So popular is "Idol" that the
show's viewership in the state has exploded, dwarfing anything else on
television. (more)