MOBILE, Ala. — In an otherwise dull and hackneyed race for governor of Alabama this year, one long-shot candidate has a backstory too amazing not to relate to a nationwide audience, even if the polls show him trailing quite badly.

Meet Lew Burdette. He has an impressive professional record as the chief operating officer who took Books-a-Million public and who for 19 years has run a nonprofit home for women and children fleeing domestic violence.