NRCC MEMO: ALABAMA RUNOFF RESULTS
TO: INTERESTED PARTIES
FROM: NRCC POLITICAL AND NRCC COMMUNICATIONS
DATE: JULY 13, 2010
SUBJECT: ALABAMA PRIMARY RUNOFF RESULTS
Washington Democrats’ agenda of more spending and less jobs has severely hurt the Democrat Party in Alabama. The strong GOP congressional ticket set by tonight’s runoff elections is a testament to the frustration Alabama voters feel with the reckless tax-and-spend policies coming from the Democrat majority in Washington. Democrats began 2009 with three congressmen in Alabama. However, with a skyrocketing deficit and an unacceptably high jobless rate, the political environment has Democrats on the defensive and after November, they may control just one congressional seat in the state. The results of the congressional primaries prove that Republicans are poised to run highly successful campaigns in Alabama, specifically in the Second and Fifth Congressional Districts.
Democrat Incumbents:
AL-02 (Rep. Bobby Bright, D)
Martha Roby convincingly won the primary runoff tonight and finds herself in a strong position to defeat freshman Democrat Bobby Bright, who won the district by a small margin in 2008. Roby commanded 61% of the vote despite facing a strong opponent who received national attention and spent a respectable six figures. National Journal’s House Race Hotline said recently that an “impressive [runoff] victory will be exactly what she needs to create some mo’ for the fall” – tonight, she did exactly that.
Martha Roby has made a name for herself as a principled public servant while serving on the Montgomery City Council. During her tenure, Roby commonly opposed then-Mayor Bright’s tax increases and bloated budgets.
Bright is endangered partly because of his district’s strong GOP underpinnings, but also because he’s shown himself to be a political opportunist. After first voting against President Obama’s Medicare-cutting healthcare takeover, he’s now calling talk of repeal “immature politics.” Bright routinely cites his efforts on behalf of seniors, but had the audacity to oppose a cost-of-living increase for struggling seniors on Social Security. In addition, Bright recently flip-flopped on Arizona’s new immigration law; though he supported it initially, The Washington Post reported Monday that he now opposes it. Such politically-calculated equivocation is what Alabamians have come to expect from Bright.
History: Having been represented by former GOP Rep. Terry Everett from 1993 until his retirement in 2009, this district has strong Republican leanings. George W. Bush carried this district by 34 points in 2004, and John McCain notched a 26-point victory in 2008. The Cook PVI rating is R +16.
Geography: The Second District includes much of Montgomery, Alabama’s capitol city, as well as the Wiregrass region in the southeast corner of the state.
RESULTS:
The following are the unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary runoff election in Alabama. These results are UNOFFICIAL AND INCOMPLETE until certified by the Alabama Secretary of State.
*Denotes winner
AL-02 (GOP primary runoff)
84.0% precincts in
Roby 61%
Barber 39%