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.

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