There is a new star rising over Alabama and it appears as though he could defeat incumbent Governor Bob Riley in the Republican primary: Roy Moore, the so-called "10 commandments judge."

A new poll shows Roy Moore with a lead over Gov. Bob Riley in the race for the 2006 Republican gubernatorial nomination, a potential boost for the former chief justice should he decide to run for the office.

A Mobile Register-University of South Alabama poll of likely Republican primary voters shows Moore with a lead of 8 percentage points over Riley in a hypothetical primary matchup. Moore drew support from 43 percent of respondents, while the governor garnered 35 percent.

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Ousted from the Alabama Supreme Court over his refusal to follow a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments office from the court building, Moore has been traveling the country speaking to conservative organizations and religious groups.

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If the Republicans believe that the man most qualified to be Governor of Alabama is most famous for dumping a two ton statue of the ten commandments in a courthouse, so be it.