2010 Alabama gubernatorial election
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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,[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.
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November 2, 2010
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 County results Bentley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Sparks: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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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
Endorsements
Robert J. Bentley
State governors
- Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and candidate for president in 2008
Bradley Byrne
Individuals
- Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida[6]
- Jack Edwards, former U.S. Representative from Alabama's 1st congressional district[7]
- Jimmy Rane, president of Great Southern Wood[8]
- 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[9][10]
Associations
Tim James
U.S. Representatives
- Robert Aderholt, U.S. Representative from Alabama's 4th congressional district[16]
Organizations
- Alabama Republican Assembly[17]
Roy Moore
Individuals
- Bobby Allison, former NASCAR driver and founder of the Alabama Gang[18]
Polling
| Source | Date(s) administered | Robert J. Bentley | Bradley Byrne | Kay Ivey | Tim James | Bill Johnson | Roy Moore | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000[19] | May 17–19, 2010 | 9% | 29% | -- | 17% | 3% | 23% | 17% |
| Public Strategy Associates[20] | May 10–11, 2010 | 12% | 24% | n/a | 23% | 2% | 18% | 21% |
| Ayres, McHenry and Associates[21] | May 3–4, 2010 | 7% | 20% | n/a | 26% | n/a | 21% | 26% |
| Public Policy Polling[22] | March 27–29, 2010 | 10% | 27% | 10% | 9% | 1% | 23% | 20% |
| Public Strategy Associates[23] | February 3–4, 2010 | 4% | 20% | 3% | 8% | 2% | 17% | 46% |
Results
Byrne
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
- 20–30%
Bentley
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
James
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Moore
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
- 20–30%
| 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% | ||
Bentley
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 90–100%
Byrne
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
| 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[28] | May 17–19, 2010 | 41% | 33% | -- | 11% |
| Public Policy Polling[29] | March 27–29, 2010 | 38% | 28% | 9% | 25% |
Results
Sparks
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Davis
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
| 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[31] | Likely R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[32] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[33] | Safe R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[34] | Likely R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[35] | Lean R | October 28, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Robert Bentley (R) |
Ron Sparks (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports[36] | September 21, 2010 | 55% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports[37] | August 19, 2010 | 58% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports[38] | July 22, 2010 | 55% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports[39] | June 3, 2010 | 56% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports[40] | May 25, 2010 | 44% | 31% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert J. Bentley | 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)
