2014 Alabama gubernatorial election

2014 Alabama gubernatorial election
	County results; Bentley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%; Griffith: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Governor before election; Robert J. Bentley; Republican	Elected Governor ; Robert J. Bentley; Republican

The 2014 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Alabama. Incumbent Governor Robert J. Bentley won a second term over Democrat Parker Griffith. This was the first Alabama gubernatorial race where either Choctaw and/or Conecuh counties voted Republican. This alongside the concurrent Senate race is the last time Jefferson County voted Republican in any statewide election. Bentley did not complete this term; he resigned in April 2017 due to a scandal and was succeeded by fellow Republican Kay Ivey.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Robert J. Bentley, incumbent Governor^[1]^[2]
Stacy Lee George, former Morgan County Commissioner^[3]
Bob Starkey, retired software company owner and candidate for Mayor of Scottsboro in 2012^[4]

Declined

Tommy Battle, Mayor of Huntsville^[5]
Bradley Byrne, U.S. Representative and candidate for Governor in 2010 (ran for re-election)^[2]^[6]
David Carrington, President of the Jefferson County Commission (ran for re-election)^[7]
Beth Chapman, former Secretary of State of Alabama^[8]
Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives (ran for re-election)^[9]
Mary Scott Hunter, Member of the Alabama State Board of Education (ran for re-election)^[10]
Kay Ivey, Lieutenant Governor of Alabama (ran for re-election)^[11]
Tim James, businessman, son of former Governor Fob James and candidate for Governor in 2002 and 2010^[2]
Del Marsh, President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate (ran for re-election)^[11]
Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and candidate for Governor in 2006 and 2010^[2]
Tony Petelos, Jefferson County Manager and former Mayor of Hoover^[2]
Bob Riley, former governor of Alabama^[11]
Luther Strange, Attorney General of Alabama (ran for re-election)^[12]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Robert J. Bentley	Stacy Lee George	Bob Starkey	Undecided
Cygnal^[13]	May 29–30, 2014	1,217	± 2.81%	80.7%	5.1%	5.3%	8.9%
Cygnal^[14]	May 19–20, 2014	1,324	± 2.69%	73.3%	3.1%	1.8%	21.8%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Robert J. Bentley	Bob Riley	Other/ Undecided
Capital Survey Research Center^[15]	May 21–23; June 4–6, 2012	315	± 5.5%	49.5%	27.6%	23.9%

Results

Republican primary results^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert J. Bentley (incumbent)	388,247	89.35%
	Republican	Stacy Lee George	25,134	5.78%
	Republican	Bob Starkey	21,144	4.87%
Total votes			434,525	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Kevin Bass, businessman, former professional baseball player and candidate for Mayor of Fayette in 2012^[17]
Parker Griffith, former U.S. Representative^[18]

Declined

Billy Beasley, state senator^[19]
Regina Benjamin, former Surgeon General of the United States^[20]^[21]
Sue Bell Cobb, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court^[20]^[22]^[23]
Vivian Davis Figures, Minority Leader of the Alabama Senate and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008^[24]
Craig Ford, Minority Leader of the Alabama House of Representatives^[25]
Pete Johnson, retired Jefferson County Judge^[26]
John Rogers, state representative^[2]
Robert Vance, Jefferson County Circuit Judge and nominee for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2012^[27]

Results

Democratic primary results^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Parker Griffith	115,433	63.90%
	Democratic	Kevin Bass	65,225	36.10%
Total votes			180,658	100.00%

Independents

Candidates

Declined

Charles Barkley, former NBA player^[29]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[30]	Solid R	November 3, 2014
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[31]	Safe R	November 3, 2014
Rothenberg Political Report^[32]	Safe R	November 3, 2014
Real Clear Politics^[33]	Safe R	November 3, 2014

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Robert Bentley (R)	Parker Griffith (D)	Other	Undecided
CBS News/NYT/YouGov^[34]	October 16–23, 2014	661	± 6%	63%	25%	0%	12%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov^[35]	September 20 – October 1, 2014	692	± 4%	65%	28%	1%	6%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov^[36]	August 18 – September 2, 2014	741	± 5%	62%	28%	1%	9%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov^[37]	July 5–24, 2014	1,036	± 5.2%	59%	31%	2%	9%
Rasmussen Reports^[38]	June 9–10, 2014	750	± 4%	55%	32%	4%	9%

Results

2014 Alabama gubernatorial election^[39]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Robert J. Bentley (incumbent)	750,231	63.56%	+5.66%
	Democratic	Parker Griffith	427,787	36.24%	−5.86%
	Write-in		2,395	0.20%	N/A
Total votes			1,180,413	100.00%	N/A
	Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Butler (Largest city: Greenville)
Chambers (Largest city: Valley)
Choctaw (Largest city: Butler)
Conecuh (Largest city: Evergreen)
Coosa (Largest city: Goodwater)
Henry (Largest city: Headland)
Jefferson (Largest city: Birmingham)

References

^ Chandler, Kim (April 9, 2013). "Gov. Robert Bentley says he is running again in 2014". Press-Register. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dean, Charles J. (June 3, 2012). "Alabama's Robert Bentley looks to 2014 governor race". The Birmingham News. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
^ "Alabama's Bentley draws 2014 opposition from man who would be "gun-toting governor"". Associated Press. April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
^ Cason, Mike (February 6, 2014). "Bob Starkey of Scottsboro joins race for Republican nomination for governor". AL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
^ Doyle, Steve (January 14, 2014). "Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle won't challenge Gov. Robert Bentley in 2014". AL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
^ "Gov. Bentley GOP Front Runner for 2014 Governor's Race". Archived from the original on December 19, 2013.
^ Wright, Barnett (June 14, 2013). "Jeffco President David Carrington for governor? Some have asked". al.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
^ Sims, Cliff (April 2, 2013). "Chapman Will Not Seek Elective office in 2014". Yellow Hammer Politics. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
^ Sulhoff, Katy (June 13, 2012). "House Speaker Mike Hubbard: "I'm not running for Governor..."". WAKA. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
^ Stephens, Challen (August 20, 2013). "Mary Scott Hunter calls censure by Huntsville GOP a symptom of Republican splintering". al.com. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Phillip, Rawls (April 14, 2013). "Bentley no longer 'underdog,' riding high in primary polls". The Gadsden Times. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
^ Talbot, George (June 6, 2012). "As Democrats decline, fight shifts to Alabama GOP". Press-Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
^ Cygnal
^ Cygnal
^ Capital Survey Research Center ^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Official Alabama Secretary of State results" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ Cason, Mike (December 26, 2013). "Business owner, former pro baseball player Kevin Bass running for governor as a Democrat". AL.com. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
^ Doyle, Steve (February 7, 2014). "Former GOP Congressman Parker Griffith will run for Alabama governor as Democrat (updated)". AL.com. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
^ Cason, Mike (February 6, 2014). "State Sen. Billy Beasley running for re-election to Senate, rather than for governor". AL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Cason, Mike (July 6, 2013). "Clock is running: Can surgeon general offer cure for candidate-less Alabama Democrats?". AL.com. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
^ Cason, Mike (September 13, 2013). "Former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says she hasn't ruled out running for governor of Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
^ Talbot, George (June 3, 2013). "Danny Sheridan sets odds on 2014 Alabama governor's race". AL.com. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
^ "Cobb: "I'm not a candidate for governor"". The Montgomery Independent. December 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
^ Dean, Charles J. (July 16, 2013). "Sen. Vivian Davis Figures: Racism has played role in Republican rise to dominance in Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
^ Loeb, Jeremy (February 6, 2014). "Two Democrats Announce Intentions". Alabama Public Radio. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
^ Flowers, Steve (August 16, 2013). "Alabama no longer elects "boy governors"". Gulf Coast News Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
^ Lockette, Tim (July 7, 2013). "Alabama governor has big money lead in 2014 race". The Anniston Star. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
^ "Alabama 2014 Official Democratic Primary Results for state races" (PDF). alabamavotes.gov. June 3, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
^ Goddard, Taegan (January 26, 2011). "Sir Charles Will Not Run for Governor". Political Wire. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
^ "2014 Governor Race Ratings for November 3, 2014". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
^ "The Crystal Ball's Final 2014 Picks". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
^ "2014 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
^ "2014 Elections Map - 2014 Governors Races". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
^ CBS News/NYT/YouGov
^ CBS News/NYT/YouGov
^ CBS News/NYT/YouGov
^ CBS News/NYT/YouGov
^ Rasmussen Reports
^ "Canvass of Results, General Election, November 4, 2014" (PDF). State of Alabama.

External links

Alabama gubernatorial election, 2014 at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites (Archived)

[bentley-1] Chandler, Kim (April 9, 2013). "Gov. Robert Bentley says he is running again in 2014". Press-Register. Retrieved July 31, 2013.

[albn-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dean, Charles J. (June 3, 2012). "Alabama's Robert Bentley looks to 2014 governor race". The Birmingham News. Retrieved June 15, 2012.

[3] "Alabama's Bentley draws 2014 opposition from man who would be "gun-toting governor"". Associated Press. April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.

[4] Cason, Mike (February 6, 2014). "Bob Starkey of Scottsboro joins race for Republican nomination for governor". AL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.

[5] Doyle, Steve (January 14, 2014). "Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle won't challenge Gov. Robert Bentley in 2014". AL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.

[6] "Gov. Bentley GOP Front Runner for 2014 Governor's Race". Archived from the original on December 19, 2013.

[7] Wright, Barnett (June 14, 2013). "Jeffco President David Carrington for governor? Some have asked". al.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.

[8] Sims, Cliff (April 2, 2013). "Chapman Will Not Seek Elective office in 2014". Yellow Hammer Politics. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.

[9] Sulhoff, Katy (June 13, 2012). "House Speaker Mike Hubbard: "I'm not running for Governor..."". WAKA. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2012.

[10] Stephens, Challen (August 20, 2013). "Mary Scott Hunter calls censure by Huntsville GOP a symptom of Republican splintering". al.com. Retrieved August 20, 2013.

[gadsden-11] Phillip, Rawls (April 14, 2013). "Bentley no longer 'underdog,' riding high in primary polls". The Gadsden Times. Retrieved October 8, 2013.

[alp-r-12] Talbot, George (June 6, 2012). "As Democrats decline, fight shifts to Alabama GOP". Press-Register. Retrieved July 31, 2012.

[13] Cygnal

[14] Cygnal

[15] Capital Survey Research Center ^{[permanent dead link]}

[16] "Official Alabama Secretary of State results" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[17] Cason, Mike (December 26, 2013). "Business owner, former pro baseball player Kevin Bass running for governor as a Democrat". AL.com. Retrieved December 27, 2013.

[18] Doyle, Steve (February 7, 2014). "Former GOP Congressman Parker Griffith will run for Alabama governor as Democrat (updated)". AL.com. Retrieved February 7, 2014.

[19] Cason, Mike (February 6, 2014). "State Sen. Billy Beasley running for re-election to Senate, rather than for governor". AL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.

[benjamin-20] Cason, Mike (July 6, 2013). "Clock is running: Can surgeon general offer cure for candidate-less Alabama Democrats?". AL.com. Retrieved July 6, 2013.

[21] Cason, Mike (September 13, 2013). "Former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says she hasn't ruled out running for governor of Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.

[22] Talbot, George (June 3, 2013). "Danny Sheridan sets odds on 2014 Alabama governor's race". AL.com. Retrieved June 19, 2013.

[23] "Cobb: "I'm not a candidate for governor"". The Montgomery Independent. December 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.

[24] Dean, Charles J. (July 16, 2013). "Sen. Vivian Davis Figures: Racism has played role in Republican rise to dominance in Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.

[25] Loeb, Jeremy (February 6, 2014). "Two Democrats Announce Intentions". Alabama Public Radio. Retrieved February 6, 2014.

[26] Flowers, Steve (August 16, 2013). "Alabama no longer elects "boy governors"". Gulf Coast News Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.

[27] Lockette, Tim (July 7, 2013). "Alabama governor has big money lead in 2014 race". The Anniston Star. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.

[Officialresults-28] "Alabama 2014 Official Democratic Primary Results for state races" (PDF). alabamavotes.gov. June 3, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.

[29] Goddard, Taegan (January 26, 2011). "Sir Charles Will Not Run for Governor". Political Wire. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.

[30] "2014 Governor Race Ratings for November 3, 2014". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 3, 2018.

[31] "The Crystal Ball's Final 2014 Picks". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 3, 2018.

[32] "2014 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 3, 2018.

[33] "2014 Elections Map - 2014 Governors Races". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 3, 2018.

[34] CBS News/NYT/YouGov

[35] CBS News/NYT/YouGov

[36] CBS News/NYT/YouGov

[37] CBS News/NYT/YouGov

[38] Rasmussen Reports

[generalresults-39] "Canvass of Results, General Election, November 4, 2014" (PDF). State of Alabama.

[1]

v t e (2013 ←) 2014 United States elections (→ 2015)
U.S. Senate	Alabama Alaska Arkansas Colorado Delaware Georgia Hawaii (special) Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma Oklahoma (special) Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Carolina (special) South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Wyoming
U.S. House (Election ratings)	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida 13th sp 19th sp Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey 1st sp New Mexico New York North Carolina 12th sp North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia 7th sp U.S. Virgin Islands Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Governors	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Lt. Gov Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Lt. Gov Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
Attorneys General	Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Iowa Maryland Michigan Minnesota Nevada New York Ohio Texas Wisconsin
State legislatures	Alaska House Senate Connecticut Senate California Assembly Senate Delaware House Senate Florida House Guam Hawaii Senate Illinois House Senate Iowa Senate Maryland House Senate Michigan House Senate Minnesota House Montana House New Mexico House New York Senate North Carolina House Senate Pennsylvania House Senate Texas House Senate Vermont Senate Washington House Senate Wisconsin Assembly Senate Wyoming Senate
Mayors	Anaheim, CA Austin, TX Chula Vista, CA Corpus Christi, TX Irvine, CA Jackson, MS Lexington, KY Long Beach, CA Louisville, KY Lubbock, TX New Orleans, LA Newark, NJ Norfolk, VA North Miami, FL (special) Oakland, CA Oklahoma City, OK Providence, RI Reno, NV San Bernardino, CA San Diego, CA (special) San Jose, CA Santa Ana, CA Shreveport, LA Tallahassee, FL Washington, DC
States	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia U.S. Virgin Islands Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming