2010 Alabama gubernatorial election

2010 Alabama gubernatorial election
	County results; Bentley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%; Sparks: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Governor before election; Bob Riley; Republican	Elected Governor ; Robert J. Bentley; Republican

The 2010 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Governor Bob Riley was term-limited and unable to seek re-election. The party primaries were held on June 1, 2010,^[1] with a Republican runoff on July 13. In the general election, Robert J. Bentley defeated Democrat Ron Sparks. This was the first election in which Republicans won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the state. This was also the first time since Reconstruction that a Republican carried Colbert County, Franklin County, and Lawrence County in a gubernatorial race.

Republican primary

Candidates

Robert J. Bentley, state representative
Bradley Byrne, former state two-year college chancellor, former state senator and former member of the Alabama State Board of Education^[2]
Tim James, businessman, son of former Governor Fob James and candidate for governor in 2002^[3]
Bill Johnson, former director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and former Birmingham City Councilman^[4]
Roy Moore, former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and candidate for governor in 2006^[5]
James Potts, perennial candidate
Charles Taylor, perennial candidate

Endorsements

Robert J. Bentley

State governors

Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and candidate for president in 2008

Bradley Byrne

Individuals

Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida^[6]
Jack Edwards, former U.S. Representative from Alabama's 1st congressional district^[7]
Jimmy Rane, president of Great Southern Wood^[8]
Brian LeCompte, conservative blogger
Ben Brooks, state senator
State Representatives Mike Ball, Phil Williams, Jamie Ison, Chad Fincher, Victor Gaston, and Jim Barton
Mobile City Council members John Williams and Connie Hudson^[9]^[10]

Associations

Alabama Retail Association^[11]
Alabama Home Builders Association^[12]
Alabama Association of Realtors^[13]
Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama^[14]
Right on Huntsville^[15]

Tim James

U.S. Representatives

Robert Aderholt, U.S. Representative from Alabama's 4th congressional district^[16]

Organizations

Alabama Republican Assembly^[17]

Roy Moore

Individuals

Bobby Allison, former NASCAR driver and founder of the Alabama Gang^[18]

Polling

Source	Date(s) administered	Robert J. Bentley	Bradley Byrne	Kay Ivey	Tim James	Bill Johnson	Roy Moore	Undecided
Research 2000^[19]	May 17–19, 2010	9%	29%	--	17%	3%	23%	17%
Public Strategy Associates^[20]	May 10–11, 2010	12%	24%	n/a	23%	2%	18%	21%
Ayres, McHenry and Associates^[21]	May 3–4, 2010	7%	20%	n/a	26%	n/a	21%	26%
Public Policy Polling^[22]	March 27–29, 2010	10%	27%	10%	9%	1%	23%	20%
Public Strategy Associates^[23]	February 3–4, 2010	4%	20%	3%	8%	2%	17%	46%

Results

Republican primary results^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bradley Byrne	137,451	27.89
	Republican	Robert J. Bentley	123,958	25.15
	Republican	Tim James	123,792	25.12
	Republican	Roy Moore	95,163	19.31
	Republican	Bill Johnson	8,362	1.70
	Republican	Charles Taylor	2,622	0.53
	Republican	James Potts	1,549	0.31
Total votes			492,897	100.0%

Republican primary runoff results (July 13, 2010)^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert J. Bentley	260,887	56.07
	Republican	Bradley Byrne	204,394	43.93
Total votes			465,281	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Polling

Source	Date(s) administered	Artur Davis	Ron Sparks	Sam Franklin	Undecided
Research 2000^[28]	May 17–19, 2010	41%	33%	--	11%
Public Policy Polling^[29]	March 27–29, 2010	38%	28%	9%	25%

Results

Democratic primary results^[30]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ron Sparks	199,558	62.44
	Democratic	Artur Davis	120,050	37.56
Total votes			319,608	100.00

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Cook Political Report^[31]	Likely R	October 14, 2010
Rothenberg^[32]	Safe R	October 28, 2010
RealClearPolitics^[33]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[34]	Likely R	October 28, 2010
CQ Politics^[35]	Lean R	October 28, 2010

Polling

Poll source	Dates administered	Robert Bentley (R)	Ron Sparks (D)
Rasmussen Reports^[36]	September 21, 2010	55%	35%
Rasmussen Reports^[37]	August 19, 2010	58%	34%
Rasmussen Reports^[38]	July 22, 2010	55%	35%
Rasmussen Reports^[39]	June 3, 2010	56%	37%
Rasmussen Reports^[40]	May 25, 2010	44%	31%

Results

2010 Alabama gubernatorial election^[41]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Robert J. Bentley (incumbent)	860,472	57.58%	+0.13%
	Democratic	Ron Sparks	625,710	41.87%	+0.30%
	Write-in		8,091	0.54%	-0.44%
Total votes			1,494,273	100.00%	N/A
	Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Jefferson County (largest city: Birmingham)
Butler (Largest city: Greenville)
Chambers (Largest city: Valley)
Montgomery (Largest city: Montgomery)
Henry (Largest city:Headland)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Franklin (Largest city: Russellville)
Marion (Largest city: Hamilton)
Walker (Largest city: Jasper)
Colbert (Largest city: Muscle Shoals)
Lamar (Largest city: Vernon)
Talladega (Largest city: Talladega)
Lawrence (Largest city: Moulton)

References

^ "Alabama Secretary of State's website". Sos.state.al.us. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
^ File photo (May 27, 2009). "Bradley Byrne announces run for governor of Alabama | al.com". Blog.al.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
^ "Alabama State Profile". KOMO-TV. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
^ "Former Birmingham City Councilman Bill Johnson enters Alabama governor's race". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2009.
^ Screen reproduction (June 1, 2009). "Roy Moore makes it official, he's running for Alabama governor | al.com". Blog.al.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
^ "Bush Backs Byrne in Alabama". Politico.com. March 5, 2010.
^ Jack Edwards' Endorsement of Bradley Byrne.
^ Jimmy Rane's Endorsement of Bradley Byrne.
^ "Various Individual Endorsements of Bradley Byrne".^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Byrne Endorsed by Conservative Leaders at Huntsville Campaign Fish Fry".^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "RetailPAC Endorses Byrne for Governor". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
^ "Alabama Home Builders Association Endorses Bradley Byrne". Archived from the original on April 18, 2010.
^ REALTOR's Endorsment [sic] of Bradley Byrne. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010.
^ ABC's Endoresment of Bradley Byrne.
^ "Right on Hunstville Endorses Bradley Byrne".^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Aderholt, Giles Endorse Tim James for Governor". Doc's Political Parlor. April 22, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010.
^ "Ala. Republican Assembly backs James, Erwin". Opelika-Auburn News. May 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
^ "NASCAR legend Bobby Allison endorses Roy Moore for Alabama governor". The Huntsville Times. Associated Press. April 21, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
^ Research 2000
^ Public Strategy Associates
^ Ayres, McHenry and Associates
^ Public Policy Polling
^ Public Strategy Associates
^ "Election Results – Republican Primary". sos.alabama.gov. Alabama Secretary of State. June 11, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
^ "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
^ "Ron Sparks announces run for governor". The Birmingham News. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
^ Dean, Charles J. (February 1, 2009). "Alabama U.S. Rep Artur Davis set to launch run for governor". The Birmingham News. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
^ Research 2000
^ Public Policy Polling
^ "Alabama Governor Primary Results". Politico. June 1, 2010. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
^ "2010 Governors Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
^ "Governor Ratings". Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
^ "2010 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
^ "THE CRYSTAL BALL'S FINAL CALLS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
^ "Race Ratings Chart: Governor". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
^ Rasmussen Reports
^ Rasmussen Reports
^ Rasmussen Reports
^ Rasmussen Reports
^ Rasmussen Reports
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

Alabama Secretary of State – Elections
Alabama Governor Candidates Archived November 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at Project Vote Smart
Alabama Governor 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for 2010 Alabama Governor from Follow the Money
2010 Alabama Gubernatorial General Election graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
Election 2010: Alabama Governor from Rasmussen Reports
2010 Alabama Governor Race from Real Clear Politics
2010 Alabama Governor's Race^{[permanent dead link]} from CQ Politics^{[dead link]}
Race Profile in The New York Times

Debates

Alabama Gubernatorial Debate, C-SPAN, September 16, 2010

Official campaign websites

[1] "Alabama Secretary of State's website". Sos.state.al.us. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.

[2] File photo (May 27, 2009). "Bradley Byrne announces run for governor of Alabama | al.com". Blog.al.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.

[komo-3] "Alabama State Profile". KOMO-TV. Retrieved April 18, 2009.

[johnson-4] "Former Birmingham City Councilman Bill Johnson enters Alabama governor's race". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2009.

[5] Screen reproduction (June 1, 2009). "Roy Moore makes it official, he's running for Alabama governor | al.com". Blog.al.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.

[6] "Bush Backs Byrne in Alabama". Politico.com. March 5, 2010.

[7] Jack Edwards' Endorsement of Bradley Byrne.

[8] Jimmy Rane's Endorsement of Bradley Byrne.

[9] "Various Individual Endorsements of Bradley Byrne".^{[permanent dead link]}

[10] "Byrne Endorsed by Conservative Leaders at Huntsville Campaign Fish Fry".^{[permanent dead link]}

[11] "RetailPAC Endorses Byrne for Governor". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.

[12] "Alabama Home Builders Association Endorses Bradley Byrne". Archived from the original on April 18, 2010.

[13] REALTOR's Endorsment [sic] of Bradley Byrne. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010.

[14] ABC's Endoresment of Bradley Byrne.

[15] "Right on Hunstville Endorses Bradley Byrne".^{[permanent dead link]}

[16] "Aderholt, Giles Endorse Tim James for Governor". Doc's Political Parlor. April 22, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010.

[17] "Ala. Republican Assembly backs James, Erwin". Opelika-Auburn News. May 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.

[18] "NASCAR legend Bobby Allison endorses Roy Moore for Alabama governor". The Huntsville Times. Associated Press. April 21, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2019.

[19] Research 2000

[20] Public Strategy Associates

[21] Ayres, McHenry and Associates

[22] Public Policy Polling

[23] Public Strategy Associates

[24] "Election Results – Republican Primary". sos.alabama.gov. Alabama Secretary of State. June 11, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2022.

[25] "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.

[26] "Ron Sparks announces run for governor". The Birmingham News. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.

[27] Dean, Charles J. (February 1, 2009). "Alabama U.S. Rep Artur Davis set to launch run for governor". The Birmingham News. Retrieved April 18, 2009.

[28] Research 2000

[29] Public Policy Polling

[Politico-30] "Alabama Governor Primary Results". Politico. June 1, 2010. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

[31] "2010 Governors Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

[32] "Governor Ratings". Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

[33] "2010 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

[34] "THE CRYSTAL BALL'S FINAL CALLS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

[35] "Race Ratings Chart: Governor". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

[36] Rasmussen Reports

[37] Rasmussen Reports

[38] Rasmussen Reports

[39] Rasmussen Reports

[40] Rasmussen Reports

[41] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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v t e (2009 ←) 2010 United States elections (→ 2011)
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Republican primary

Candidates

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Polling

Results

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

References

External links