2010 Alabama gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	2010 Alabama gubernatorial election
Country:	Alabama
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	Yes
Previous Election:	2006 Alabama gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	2006
Next Election:	2014 Alabama gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2014
Election Date:	November 2, 2010
Image1:	File:Robert Bentley (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Robert J. Bentley
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	860,472
Percentage1:	57.58%
Nominee2:	Ron Sparks
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	625,710
Percentage2:	41.87%
Map Size:	250px
Governor
Before Election:	Bob Riley
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
Posttitle:	Elected Governor
After Election:	Robert J. Bentley
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

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

Polling

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

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Ron Sparks, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries^[6]
• Artur Davis, U.S. Representative^[7]

Polling

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

Results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Cook Political Report^[8]		October 14, 2010
Rothenberg^[9]		October 28, 2010
RealClearPolitics^[10]		November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[11]		October 28, 2010
CQ Politics^[12]		October 28, 2010

Polling

Poll source	Dates administered	Robert Bentley (R)	Ron Sparks (D)
Rasmussen Reports	September 21, 2010	align=center	55%	35%
Rasmussen Reports	August 19, 2010	align=center	58%	34%
Rasmussen Reports	July 22, 2010	align=center	55%	35%
Rasmussen Reports	June 3, 2010	align=center	56%	37%
Rasmussen Reports	May 25, 2010	align=center	44%	31%

Results

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)

See also

• List of governors of Alabama

External links

• Alabama Secretary of State – Elections
• Alabama Governor Candidates 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 from CQ Politics
• Race Profile in The New York Times

Debates

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

Official campaign websites

• Robert J. Bentley for Governor
• Ron Sparks for Governor

Notes and References

1. Web site: Alabama Secretary of State's website . Sos.state.al.us . 2010-06-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100527161857/http://www.sos.state.al.us/Elections/2010/ElectionInfo2010.aspx . 27 May 2010 . dead .
2. Web site: File photo . Bradley Byrne announces run for governor of Alabama | al.com . Blog.al.com . 2009-05-27 . 2010-06-06.
3. Web site: Alabama State Profile. April 18, 2009. KOMO-TV.
4. Web site: Former Birmingham City Councilman Bill Johnson enters Alabama governor's race . The Birmingham News . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091129064401/http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/statebriefs.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F1246090530215450.xml&coll=2 . 2009-11-29 .
5. Web site: Screen reproduction . Roy Moore makes it official, he's running for Alabama governor | al.com . Blog.al.com . 2009-06-01 . 2010-06-06.
6. Web site: Ron Sparks announces run for governor. April 3, 2009. April 18, 2009. The Birmingham News.
7. Web site: Alabama U.S. Rep Artur Davis set to launch run for governor. February 1, 2009. April 18, 2009. The Birmingham News. Charles J.. Dean.
8. Web site: 2010 Governors Race Ratings . https://web.archive.org/web/20101028141343/http://cookpolitical.com/charts/governors/raceratings_2010-10-14_12-35-09.php . dead . October 28, 2010 . . October 28, 2010.
9. Web site: Governor Ratings . . October 28, 2010.
10. Web site: 2010 Governor Races . . October 28, 2010.
11. Web site: THE CRYSTAL BALL'S FINAL CALLS . October 28, 2010 . . October 28, 2010.
12. Web site: Race Ratings Chart: Governor . . October 28, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101005231611/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=ratings-governor . October 5, 2010 .