For related races, see 2010 United States gubernatorial elections.
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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, 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
- Tim James, businessman, son of former Governor Fob James and candidate for governor in 2002
- Bill Johnson, former director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and former Birmingham City Councilman
- Roy Moore, former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and candidate for governor in 2006
- James Potts, perennial candidate
- Charles Taylor, perennial candidate
Endorsements
Robert J. BentleyState governors
- Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and candidate for president in 2008
Individuals
- Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida
- Jack Edwards, former U.S. Representative from Alabama's 1st congressional district
- Jimmy Rane, president of Great Southern Wood
- 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
Associations
- Alabama Retail Association
- Alabama Home Builders Association
- Alabama Association of Realtors
- Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama
- Right on Huntsville
U.S. Representatives
- Robert Aderholt, U.S. Representative from Alabama's 4th congressional district
Organizations
- Alabama Republican Assembly
Individuals
- Bobby Allison, former NASCAR driver and founder of the Alabama Gang
Polling
| Source | Date(s) administered | Robert J. Bentley | Bradley Byrne | Kay Ivey | Tim James | Bill Johnson | Roy Moore | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000 | May 17–19, 2010 | 9% | 29% | -- | 17% | 3% | 23% | 17% |
| Public Strategy Associates | May 10–11, 2010 | 12% | 24% | n/a | 23% | 2% | 18% | 21% |
| Ayres, McHenry and Associates | May 3–4, 2010 | 7% | 20% | n/a | 26% | n/a | 21% | 26% |
| Public Policy Polling | March 27–29, 2010 | 10% | 27% | 10% | 9% | 1% | 23% | 20% |
| Public Strategy Associates | February 3–4, 2010 | 4% | 20% | 3% | 8% | 2% | 17% | 46% |
Results
| 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% | ||
| 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 | May 17–19, 2010 | 41% | 33% | -- | 11% |
| Public Policy Polling | March 27–29, 2010 | 38% | 28% | 9% | 25% |
Results
| 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 | Likely R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics | Safe R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics | Lean R | October 28, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Robert Bentley (R) |
Ron Sparks (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | September 21, 2010 | 55% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 19, 2010 | 58% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 22, 2010 | 55% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 3, 2010 | 56% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 25, 2010 | 44% | 31% |
Results
Swing by countyLegend
- Democratic—+25-30%
- Democratic—+20-25%
- Democratic—+15-20%
- Democratic—+10-15%
- Democratic—+5-10%
- Democratic—+<5%
- Republican—+<5%
- Republican—+5-10%
- Republican—+10-15%
- Republican—+15-20%
- Republican—+20-25%
- Republican—+25-30%
- Republican—+30-35%
Trend by countyLegend
- Democratic—+25-30%
- Democratic—+20-25%
- Democratic—+15-20%
- Democratic—+10-15%
- Democratic—+5-10%
- Democratic—+<5%
- Republican—+<5%
- Republican—+5-10%
- Republican—+10-15%
- Republican—+15-20%
- Republican—+20-25%
- Republican—+25-30%
- Republican—+30-35%
| 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)
See also
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".
- "Byrne Endorsed by Conservative Leaders at Huntsville Campaign Fish Fry".
- "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".
- "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 from CQ Politics
- Race Profile in The New York Times
Debates
- Alabama Gubernatorial Debate, C-SPAN, September 16, 2010
Official campaign websites
 Alabama gubernatorial elections | |
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