2010 elections

Artur Davis: Southern Dems Should Think About Running As Independents

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 10:59AM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), who is leaving Congress after a failed run in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, has an interesting suggestion for moderate Democratic politicians in the wake of the party's near-total wipeout in the South: Forget the Dems, run as an independent.

As The Hill reports:

Southern voters "see the Democratic Party as a liberal institution that wants to spend their money recklessly, that doesn't honor their social values and that has a very different view of the world," said Alabama Rep. Artur Davis (D).

"It's hard for local Democratic candidates to break clear of that," Davis added. "Some [of those candidates] who are thinking about competing in the South may have to look at running as Independents."

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AL-GOV

Bentley Wins Alabama GOP Gubernatorial Primary

Eric Kleefeld | July 13, 2010, 10:01PM

AL-GOV candidate Robert Bentley (R)

Alabama state Rep. Robert Bentley has won the Republican primary for governor, defeating former state community college system chancellor Bradley Byrne in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Bob Riley.

With 81% of precincts reporting, Bentley leads Byrne by 56%-44%. Back in the June 1 first-round primary, Byrne led with 28% of the vote, with Bentley just barely edging out businessman Tim James for second place at 25% apiece.

This race has seen its fair share of wacky stuff. A teachers union opposed to Byrne set up a phony conservative PAC attacking him on the grounds that he's for teaching evolution -- prompting him to assure the public that he is a staunch creationist. As for Bentley, he came under scrutiny for his ads depicting him as a "Hospital Commander Vietnam War," when in fact he did not serve overseas in Vietnam at all, but was instead a doctor at a military base in North Carolina.

Bentley will now face Democratic state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, who won his nomination outright back on June 1.

AL-GOV

'Bama Runoff Pits Ardent Creationist Against Possible Military-Record Fibber

Eric Lach | July 13, 2010, 8:34AM

AL-GOV candidates Bradley Byrne and Robert Bentley

Today's Republican gubernatorial runoff in Alabama features two candidates, Robert Bentley and Bradley Byrne, who each failed to win 30% of the vote in the primary, and who have both had to deal with their own versions of this year's quintessential political scandals: military fibbing and not being conservative enough.

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AL-GOV

Did A GOP Candidate In AL-GOV Race Misrepresent His Vietnam Record? (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 25, 2010, 2:42PM

AL-GOV candidate Robert Bentley (R)

Add another politician to the list of those coming under scrutiny for potentially misrepresenting their military service on the campaign trail this year. Now Republican candidate for governor in Alabama Robert Bentley is facing questions about an ad that references his work as a medical officer during the Vietnam War.

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AL-GOV

Alabama Recount Ends -- With Losing Candidate Falling Even Further

Eric Kleefeld | June 18, 2010, 6:28PM

AL-GOV candidates Robert Bentley (R) and Tim James (R)

The recount of the first round in the Alabama Republican gubernatorial primary has come to a close -- with the status quo seemingly reaffirmed, that state Rep. Robert Bentley edged out businessman Tim James for a spot in the July 13 Republican runoff.

The first-round June 1 primary saw Bradley Byrne, the former chancellor of the state's two-year colleges, come in first place with 28% of the vote -- far short of the 50% needed to avoid a July 13 runoff. Bentley and James were virtually tied at 25% each, leading James to request a recount.

The fun part: The self-funding businessman James, a son former Gov. Fob James, spent $200,000 for the recount. And for his trouble, he lost a net 104 votes against Bentley. James has a press conference scheduled for Monday afternoon, to discuss what his next move will be.

AL-GOV

AL-GOV Republican Primary Recount Begins Tuesday

Eric Kleefeld | June 14, 2010, 6:17PM

AL-GOV candidates Robert Bentley (R) and Tim James (R)

The Alabama Republican gubernatorial primary is headed into its next phase -- a recount before a runoff.

The first-round June 1 primary saw Bradley Byrne, the former chancellor of the state's two-year colleges, come in first place with 28% of the vote -- far short of the 50% needed to avoid a July 13 runoff. In the second position, however, it was a near tie, with state Rep. Robert Bentley and businessman Tim James at 25% each -- and Bentley edging out James by 167 votes in the final certified count.

A recount requested by James will begin tomorrow, with James having sent counties checks to cover expenses that could add up to as much as $200,000. It should be noted that recounts rarely produce enough swing to change a result -- but if James's efforts pay off here, and he overtakes Bentley, the state would be a in real mess here, having already certified Byrne and Bentley as the two candidates for the runoff next month.

Alabama

Artur Davis: My Political Career Is Over

Ben Frumin | June 3, 2010, 6:14PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) declared his political career all but over yesterday, after getting crushed 62-38 in his state's Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday.

"I have no interest in running for political office again," Davis said, according to the Birmingham News. "The voters spoke in a very decisive way across every sector and in every section of the state. A candidate that fails across the board like that obviously needs to find something else productive to do with his life."

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AL-GOV

AL-GOV Republican Run-Off Lineup Still Not Settled

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2010, 6:05PM

AL-GOV candidates Robert Bentley (R) and Tim James (R)

Last Tuesday's Alabama Republican primary for governor is not resolved yet, with the race going to a runoff on July 13 -- and it's not even settled yet who will be in the runoff, either.

The first-place finisher was Bradley Byrne, the former chancellor of the state's two-year college system, with 28% of the vote. But it is not yet totally clear who came in second -- state Rep. Robert Bentley leads businessman Tim James by just 208 votes, with each at about 25% of the vote.

Bentley's campaign has already claimed victory of sorts, with a press release boasting that he made the runoff. But James is not giving up. Earlier today, James publicly asked voters who had to cast provisional ballots to make sure their vote would be counted, by taking a driver's license or other identification to their county elections office by the deadline at 5 p.m. CT tomorrow. "There are an estimated 1,000 ballots that have yet to be counted," James said. "This race is still not settled."

2010 elections

Voters Headed To Polls Tuesday In Three State Primaries

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2010, 3:29PM

Tomorrow will be a busy primary day in three states, with races that could provide some more hints into the extent of any establishment vs. grassroots party feuding, especially on the Republican side.

The races will occur in three states: Alabama, Mississippi and New Mexico. It should be noted that Alabama and Mississippi use runoff elections if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in a primary. And since many of these races are wide-open contests with three candidates or more, there could be quite a few runoffs to come.

So let's take a look at some of the key contested races for tomorrow.

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Artur Davis

AL Dem To Opponent: Denounce Racial Campaign Tactics Or You're Probably Behind Them

Jillian Rayfield | May 11, 2010, 12:46PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D-AL)

Alabama gubernatorial candidate Artur Davis (D) has called on primary opponent Ron Sparks to denounce race-tinged campaign tactics.

A recent letter from a Sparks support to state Democrats asked "Can Artur Davis get 30% of the white vote in Alabama?" Davis, who is black, said the "Sparks campaign better distance itself from it or we have to assume they are driving it."

The TPM Poll Average gives Davis a lead of 38.0%-28.0% over Sparks in the Democratic primary, which will be held on June 1.

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AL-GOV

AL-GOV Candidate: English-Only Driver's License Tests Please! (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | April 28, 2010, 11:59AM

AL-GOV candidate Tim James (R)

The campaign of gubernatorial candidate Tim James (R-AL) says that his ad proposing English-only driver's licenses tests has been a big hit -- and that it represents a simple solution to the illegal immigration problem that has become a huge issue in the state.

"Why do our politicians make us give driver's license exams in 12 languages?" James asks in the ad. "This is Alabama. We speak English. If you want to live here, learn it. We're only giving that test in English if I'm governor."

"There was no one catalyst, other than since we started this campaign about two years ago, and at least once a day someone asks us or calls our headquarters about what are we gonna do about illegal aliens in Alabama," said campaign spokesman Brett Hall, when asked by TPMDC what spurred the campaign to create the ad. "And our ad doesn't specifically address illegal aliens or talk about that. But we did see that the state of Alabama, in offering 12 foreign languages in addition to English for the driver's test, was absurd. But we thought we would home in on that part of it, and it seems to have hit a raw nerve here in the state."

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Health care lawsuits

Health Care Lawsuits Splitting Govs And AGs Nationwide

Christina Bellantoni | March 30, 2010, 2:32PM

Clockwise, from top left: Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), Gov. Chris Gregoire (D-WA), Attorney General Bill McCollum (R-FL), Attorney General Tom Corbett (R-PA), Attorney General Rob McKenna (R-WA), Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO) and a copy of the health care bill

Lawsuits challenging health care reform have popped up in several states and are drawn nearly entirely on partisan lines, in some cases fracturing top state government officials where the governor is a Democrat and attorney general is a Republican who joined the legal challenge. In Missouri, Lt. Gov Peter Kinder (R) so badly wanted to be part of the lawsuit that he bucked his Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon and the attorney general to say he'll be joining the other attorneys general on his own.

There are a handful of other splits across the country -- Michigan, Washington state, Pennsylvania and Colorado -- which create a tough political climate for anyone attempting to get something done at the state level. Louisiana is the one bipartisan example, with Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell (D) agreeing to join the lawsuit.

The legal challenge has been the latest trend among Republicans, with GOPers trying to one-up each other on the question of whether health care should be repealed, deemed unconstitutional, or left alone. It's become a litmus test for conservatives.

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AL-GOV

Poll: Rep. Artur Davis Leads In Alabama Dem Primary For Governor

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 1:02PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D-AL)

A new survey of Alabama by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Rep. Artur Davis leads in the Democratic primary for governor -- but it's possible that his vote against the health care bill could come back to haunt him.

The numbers: Davis 38%, Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks 28%, and third candidate Sam Franklin Thomas with 9%, with a ±4.6% margin of error. At the same time, 80% of Democratic primary voters support the health care bill, compared to only 14% who oppose it.

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