U.S. House, Alabama - 2nd District
Southeast -- part of Montgomery, Dothan
Race Forecast: No Clear Favorite
2008: Jay Love (R) vs. Bobby Bright (D)
2006:
Republican Jay Love has a narrow advantage over Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright in a conservative district that hasn’t sent a Democrat to Congress in a generation. That advantage is much the result of a push from national Republicans who have poured time and money into Love’s campaign. As of Sept.30, Love had almost $2 million in total receipts and $306,000 in cash on hand. But Bright, who earlier this year won the endorsement of the Blue Dog Coalition, has stayed competitive on a platform of fiscal conservatism and balancing the national budget. Bright has roughly $790,000 in total receipts and $66,000 in ending cash.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Bobby N. Bright, D
- First Elected: 2008 (1st term)
- Last Elected: (%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: No Clear Favorite
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
The 2nd takes in a chunk of Montgomery, the industrial city of Dothan, and small towns that dot the rural southern Alabama coastal plain. The inland district did not sustain heavy damage when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in late 2005, but it absorbed thousands of evacuees from the storm, mostly in the state capital of Montgomery (split with the 3rd).
Defense and state government provide many jobs in the Montgomery area. Maxwell Air Force Base and its Gunter Annex are responsible for many of the Air Force’s computer systems, but the area is bracing for the loss of more than 1,000 jobs on the base as a result of the 2005 round of BRAC recommendations. The State Capitol Complex, nestled in a curling slice of the neighboring 3rd District, serves as a major area job center.
Dothan, in the 2nd’s southeast, relies on diverse manufacturing interests and operates as a regional distribution hub. Fort Rucker, 20 miles to the northwest, is an Army aviation training center and supports activities at the Dothan Regional Airport, which is known less for passenger traffic and more for its military presence and the industrial park on its premises.
Agriculture is vital to the economy of the district’s vast rural areas, and major crops include peanuts, cotton and soybeans — the 2nd is the nation’s second-highest peanut-producing district. Tourism is a steadily increasing business, and large antebellum homes in Eufaula and fishing on Lake Eufaula, on the border with Georgia, lure visitors to the area.
A large military retiree population underscores the 2nd’s conservative bent. In 2006, Republican Gov. Bob Riley won every county here except Barbour, Conecuh and black-majority Lowndes and Bullock, but the 2nd’s residents have sent conservative Democrats to the state legislature.
Major Industry
Agriculture, defense, manufacturing, government
Military Bases
Fort Rucker (Army), 4,900 military, 7,200 civilian (2006); Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, 4,018 military, 3,652 civilian (2005)
Cities
Montgomery (pt.), 127,986; Dothan, 57,737; Prattville, 24,303
Notable
The Hank Williams Sr. museum in Georgiana; The Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise honors the insect, whose taste for cotton induced farmers to grow peanuts; Dothan hosts a national peanut festival annually.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 635,300
- Under 18: 25.6%
- Over 65: 13.3%
- Married: 54.9%
- Non-Hispanic White: 67%
- Black: 29%
- Hispanic: 2%
- Asian: 1%
- Foreign Born: 1.7%
- Language other than English: 3.6%
- Median Household Income: 32,460
- Owner Occupied Housing: 71.7%
- Income above $200k: 1.2
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 55.1%
- Blue Collar: 30.5%
- Services: 14.4%
- Bachelor's Degree: 18%
- Graduate Education: 6.5%
- Civilian Veterans: 71,635
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Bobby Bright (D) | 144,368 | 50.2% |
| Jay Love (R) | 142,578 | 49.6% | ||
| 2006 | general | Terry Everett (R) | 124,302 | 69.5% |
| Charles James (D) | 54,450 | 30.4% | ||
| 2004 | general | Terry Everett (R) | 177,086 | 71.4% |
| Charles James (D) | 70,562 | 28.5% | ||
| 2002 | general | Terry Everett (R) | 129,233 | 68.8% |
| Charles Woods (D) | 55,495 | 29.5% | ||
| Floyd Shackelford (LIBERT) | 2,948 | 1.6% | ||
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 33% | George W. Bush: 66% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 38% | George W. Bush: 61% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
| Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVERETT, TERRY (R) | November 24, 2008 | $266,679.00 | $181,936.00 | $137,256.00 | $734,469.00 | ||
| LOVE, JAY K (R) | November 24, 2008 | $2,444,614.00 | $2,439,200.00 | $176,291.00 | $790,761.00 | $5,410.00 | $250,000.00 |
| BRIGHT, BOBBY NEAL MR. SR. (D) | November 24, 2008 | $1,137,581.00 | $1,110,002.00 | $109,500.00 | $666,700.00 | $27,578.00 | $102,054.00 |
| GRIMES, DAVID G (R) | September 30, 2008 | $30,020.00 | $30,897.00 | $22,430.00 | $9,306.00 | ||
| SABEL, CHERYL T (D) | July 2, 2008 | $27,506.00 | $27,506.00 | $25,506.00 | |||
| WOODS, DAVID DWIGHT (R) | October 15, 2008 | $404,250.00 | $404,249.00 | $130,418.00 | $250,000.00 | ||
| CRAWLEY, CENDIE (D) | June 30, 2008 | $9,574.00 | $9,574.00 | $2,206.00 | |||
| MARTIN, JOHN (R) | June 23, 2008 | $16,976.00 | $13,033.00 | $5,000.00 | $2,456.00 | ||
| SCHMIDTKE, CRAIG D (UNKNOWN) | September 30, 2008 | $800,973.00 | $746,667.00 | $21,147.00 | $13,816.00 | $31,353.00 | |
| SMITH, HARRI ANNE (R) | September 30, 2008 | $1,013,814.00 | $1,011,235.00 | $571,295.00 | $2,577.00 | $403,901.00 | |
