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Bentley for Governor Adds to Leadership Team
TUSCALOOSA- The Bentley for Governor campaign announced new additions to its leadership team today.
Bryan Sanders, who served as Campaign Manager for the Bentley for Governor campaign during the GOP runoff, and is based in Little Rock, AR, will resume his role with Bob Wickers at Dresner, Wickers, and Associates as General Consultant, Media Consultant, and Pollster for the Bentley campaign.
Angi Smith, who previously worked on Robert Bentley's campaign for State Senate in 1998 and was Field Director for the Bentley for Governor campaign, has been named Campaign Manager. Paul Bryant Jr., President of Bryant Bank, was named Finance Chairman.
Official Bentley for Governor campaign organization
General Consultant, Media Consultant, and Pollster - Bob Wickers and Bryan Sanders
Campaign Manager - Angi Smith
Finance Chairman - Paul Bryant Jr.
General Counsel - Al Agricola
Field Director - John Schremser
Scheduler - Heather Hannah
Personal Aide to Dr. Robert Bentley - Zach Lee
Director of Advance - Wesley Helton
Press Secretary - Rebekah Caldwell Mason
New Media Director - Adam Piper
Field Coordinator - Britney Mitchell
Young Republican Coordinator - Chip Slawson
U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, praised Robert Bentley for his victory in Tuesday's runoff election and predicted the Republican Party nominee will be tough to beat in the general election.
"Robert Bentley is one of the most decent, honorable people I know in politics. I have nothing but admiration for him," Davis said Thursday. "I believe he will be a very strong candidate."
Davis finished second to Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in the June 1 Democratic primary after a bruising campaign for the party's gubernatorial nomination.
Davis, in his concession speech, encouraged his supporters to rally behind Sparks in the general election. But he said Thursday that he'd already heard from several supporters who indicated they would cross over and vote for Bentley.
"I wish Ron Sparks well. But I think one common concern that people have -- and I share -- is that he could open the door that allows gambling interests to control Alabama," Davis said.
Sparks' campaign centers on his plan to establish a state lottery that would fund education. He has also vowed to regulate and tax the state's gambling industry.
A spokesman for Sparks did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Bentley, a state legislator from Tuscaloosa, defeated Bradley Byrne in Tuesday's runoff.
Davis said Bentley's win was impressive because he overcame opposition from his own party's leadership. Gov. Bob Riley and several members of Alabama's Republican congressional delegation bucked party tradition and openly endorsed Byrne.
In response, Davis said, Bentley went out and built strong support among independent voters. That should put him in a strong position as he heads into the general election, Davis said.
"November elections are decided by independent voters," Davis said. "Bentley had to reach out to independents because the establishment was supporting Bradley. It was a very effective strategy and he executed it well."
He said that Sparks, by comparison, focused his campaign on liberal Democrats, attacking Davis from the left for his vote against the health care bill. The strategy helped Sparks roll to a dominant victory -- the Fort Payne native captured 62 percent of the primary vote and won majorities in 61 of the state's 67 counties -- but Davis said it could become a liability in the general election.
"Ron Sparks was very much the candidate of activist, liberal Democratic voters. And the fact is that's a very small segment of the electorate in Alabama," he said. "That puts him very much at odds with the majority of Alabama voters, and that is a prescription for failure."
Davis said he was "very concerned" that the Alabama Democratic Party was coming under increasing control by a tight circle of individuals and special interest groups.
"The party is losing its way. We are losing ground in Alabama and we are losing it unnecessarily," he said. "We want to hide behind the excuse that the national party is unpopular right now but that's not what's causing it. The fact is we're seeing the complete domination of the party by a narrow group of insiders who are completely out of step with average Alabamians."
Davis said he disagreed with Bentley on a variety of policy issues -- naming abortion and charter schools as two examples -- but that he admired Bentley's record of reaching across party lines to work with Democrats in the state Legislature.
He said his respect for Bentley grew during their time on the campaign trail.
"Over a year and a half and 20-something debates, you get to know each other pretty well," he said. "(Bentley) was always very authentic, consistent in his positions and knew as much about state government as anybody in the race. He is running a very impressive campaign."
© 2010 al.com. All rights reserved.
ATLANTA - A relatively unknown Alabama state representative won the Republican nomination for governor on Tuesday, easily defeating a well-financed, establishment-supported opponent in a runoff election.
The representative, Dr. Robert Bentley, beat Bradley Byrne, a former state senator and college system chancellor who was endorsed by the current governor and a congressman. He won 56 percent of the vote to Mr. Byrne's 44 percent.
"No one thought we had a chance," Dr. Bentley, 67, a physician, said Tuesday evening in a celebration at the University of Alabama football stadium. "But you know, God is good."
Political experts offered several theories for Dr. Bentley's come-from-behind victory: an anti-establishment political climate, an outside group's negative advertising campaign against Mr. Byrne, and a state registration system that allows Democrats to switch over to vote in Republican primaries.
Although Dr. Bentley campaigned aggressively (his slogan: "Alabama is sick, and we need a doctor") and had been rising in the polls for weeks, he was a virtual unknown before his second-place finish in the crowded primary on June 1. In that election, he defeated two more prominent opponents: a former governor's son and a former State Supreme Court chief justice who is nationally known for trying to put a statue of the Ten Commandments in the courthouse.
"He was the outsider," said Bill Stewart, a political science professor at the University of Alabama. "He didn't represent the Tea Party, but he did represent the nonestablishment."
Based on his unlikely rise, outsider background and limited-government ideology, Dr. Bentley drew comparisons to other new Republican stars: the nominee for governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina and the Senate nominees Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky. But unlike those candidates, Dr. Bentley was never endorsed by the Tea Party.
With a soft-spoken, mild-mannered campaign style, Dr. Bentley played up his medical background. Campaign advertisements show him in a white doctor's coat and he legally added "Dr." to his name, hoping that it would appear on the ballot (it did not because the state refuses to include any honorifics). He promised fiscal conservatism and Christian values, but struggled in fund-raising, receiving $621,000 in contributions compared with Mr. Byrne's $2 million.
"I'm not from a political family, I'm not backed by powerful interests," Dr. Bentley says in a video advertisement. "The only special interest I'll ever serve is you, the people of Alabama."
The two candidates were ideologically similar, political experts say, but on the campaign trail Dr. Bentley tried to paint Mr. Byrne as a newcomer to the Republican Party. He noted that Mr. Byrne had voted for Bill Clinton and Michael S. Dukakis for president.
An outside group named the True Republican PAC also ran advertisements questioning whether Mr. Byrne believed the entire Bible is literally true (he says he does) and whether he opposes teaching creationism in public schools (he says he supports it).
Also, a powerful, Democratic-leaning teachers' organization, the Alabama Education Association, came out strongly against Mr. Byrne. The group has opposed Mr. Byrne ever since he carried out an overhaul as chancellor of the state's two-year college system that weakened the education association.
In the November election, Dr. Bentley will face Ron Sparks, the agriculture commissioner and Democratic nominee.
Beason Backs Bentley for Governor
Alabama's Most Prominent Conservative Legislator Says Bentley is Best on July 13th
TUSCALOOSA, AL - Senator Scott Beason, Alabama's most prominent conservative Republican legislator urged Alabamians to join him in voting for Dr. Robert Bentley on Tuesday, it was announced today.
Senator Beason sent the following letter urging Alabama conservatives to join him in voting for Dr. Robert Bentley for Governor.
"Many of the Republican Party faithful are uneasy because of the allegations that have been made in the gubernatorial runoff election. It is difficult for people not directly involved in state level politics to separate truth from fiction.
Because of all the confusion, I feel it is necessary to publicly announce that I am endorsing and actively supporting Robert Bentley for Governor. The systemically ill power structure that is Montgomery politics needs to be cleared out, and the election of Robert Bentley will begin that
shake up.
I served with Doctor Bentley in the House of Representatives, and this spring he helped me in the effort against Obama Care. I know him to be a genuine and straightforward person.
What you see on his television ads is the real Robert Bentley, without spin or propaganda. Robert and I have discussed gambling, state's rights, job creation, education reform, and the undue influence of special interest groups, including Paul Hubbert and the AEA, on Alabama politics.
I have no doubt that Robert Bentley will lead the state in a positive, pro-family direction, and that strong conservative principles will be supported by the Governor's office. I hope that everyone will join me Tuesday in voting for Robert Bentley to be the Republican nominee for Governor."
The Montgomey Advertiser
Friday, July 9, 2010
Robert Bentley: Alabama jobs should go to Alabamians
By Robert Bentley
Alabama faces serious problems that require real leadership and bold solutions. My opponent has been attacking me instead of addressing the issues, but I will continue to focus on doing what's right for Alabama.
As governor I will fight the federal government, clean up Montgomery, and put Alabamians back to work. Let's put aside politics as usual and provide tax cuts to businesses that create jobs for unemployed workers. Until Alabama reaches full employment, I will not take a salary as governor.
The Gulf Coast has been devastated by the largest environmental and economic crisis ever to hit our state. The federal government and BP were ill prepared to deal with it, but now is the time to protect Alabama.
As governor, I will make sure Alabama jobs go to Alabama workers. I will protect our beaches and our barrier islands and help our fisheries, shipbuilders, and tourism industry recover. And I will solve the coastal insurance crisis for homeowners and businesses.
I was able to travel by boat across Portersville Bay and see the oil as it washed up against the booms and threatened to blacken our coastline.
I met with hundreds of fishermen who have been put out of work by the black crude that is churning through the Gulf. These men and their families have relied on those waters to make a living for generations and now that way of life is in serious danger.
As I met with them and looked into their weather-beaten faces, it was clear they do not want a government handout, they just want a job.
There are thousands of workers who spend each day trying to rid the beaches of the oil deposits that are washing up on our white sands. Each of those jobs should go to Alabama workers, like the fishermen who have been forced out of work by this disaster. We don't need to import workers when more than 200,000 Alabamians are unemployed and need jobs. That practice must stop now.
True leadership is required in difficult times like these. Elected officials must rise above partisan politics to come together to do what is right for the people of Alabama. We must provide the necessary resources to the Gulf to assist in recover efforts. We must hold the federal government and BP accountable for their incompetence and mismanagement. And we need to make sure to prevent catastrophes like this from ever happening again.
I will never forget the fishermen I met on the Gulf Coast who don't want a handout, just a chance to work and support their families. I will not stand by as their way of life is taken from them. As governor my No. 1 priority everyday will be to fight for those fisherman and all Alabamians who need a job.
In this campaign I pledge to focus on building Alabama up, not tearing my opponents down. We have serious problems that demand real leadership and bold solutions. Alabama is hurting, and we need a doctor.
