Robert Bentley for Alabama Governor
Robert Bentley A relatively unknown Alabama state representative won the Republican
nomination for governor on Tuesday, easily defeating a well-financed,
establishment-supported opponent in a runoff election.
The representative, Dr. Robert Bentley, beat Bradley Byrne, a former state
senator and college system chancellor who was endorsed by the current
governor and several congressman. He won 56 percent of the vote to Mr.
Byrne’s 44 percent in 2010.
2. Robert Bentley has a voting record and was actually one of the co-sponsors to the bill that was
passed that stops teachers in situations like those outlined below from
getting paid. The bill that was referenced in the email below was supported
by all but 1 GOP legislator and those who voted for it include the head of
the GOP party in Alabama, Mike Hubbard. The referenced bill below was put
forth by Gov. Bob Riley so to say it was liberal or intended to pay teachers
in the jail time situations it discusses is absolutely ridiculous. The
important point is that the legislation that actually stopped such people
from getting pay was co-sponsored by Dr. Bentley.
3. As discussed above, nobody tells Dr,. Bentley how to vote or when to
leave the chamber. That is absurd and there is absolutely no documentation
to prove or even allude to this. There have been many legislators who have
gone on record to discuss the integrity of Dr. Bentley and the below claim
is absurd.
4. Dr. Robert Bentley's stance on charter schools and voting record is clear and has been documented
publicly and Dr. Bentley has been praised as having put forth the best
compromise on Charter Schools by his fellow Republicans including Cam Ward
who wrote for Political Parlor that: "Ironically the best compromise to the
issue was offered by Rep. Robert Bentley. He suggested implementing a pilot
program for Charter Schools in Alabama where certain select areas would be
allowed to create the schools. Then it could be determined how effective
they were before moving forward and having them locate all across the
state."
Dr. Bentley was the only candidate who listened to 4+ hours of pro and con
legislative hearing testimony on charter schools and he listened to
testimony that seemed to conclude that charter schools work in some places
and don't work in others and so he proposed a pilot program which would have
established some charter schools as is explained above. The offering of that
amendment is on the record.
5. Dr. Bentley is a friend to business big and small and was the only
candidate in the last session to pass a bill which gave tax incentives to
businesses who hired individuals from the unemployment roles. The
legislation mentioned below is not a raise of taxes but was to close a
loophole which allowed a few select large retailers to pay a lower rate of
income tax than their small business retail counterparts. Most GOP voted for
this bill that closed the loophole and undid the undue punishment to small
retail businesses that exists when small businesses have to pay a tax that
their larger competitors do not.
Senator Scott Beason, Alabama’s most prominent conservative Republican
legislator urged Alabamians to join him in voting for Dr. Robert Bentley
on Tuesday, it was announced today.
Senator Beason sent the following letter urging Alabama conservatives to
join him in voting for Dr. Robert Bentley for Governor.
“No one in 2010 thought we had a chance,” Dr. Bentley, 67, a physician, said
Tuesday evening in a celebration at the University of Alabama football
stadium. “But you know, God is good.”
Political experts offered several theories for Dr. Bentley’s
come-from-behind victory: an anti-establishment political climate, an
outside group’s negative advertising campaign against Mr. Byrne.
Although Dr. Bentley campaigned aggressively (his slogan: “Alabama is
sick, and we need a doctor”) and had been rising in the polls for weeks,
he was a virtual unknown before his second-place finish in the crowded
primary on June 1. In that election, he defeated two more prominent
opponents: a former governor’s son and a former State Supreme Court chief
justice who is nationally known for trying to put a statue of the Ten
Commandments in the courthouse.
“He was the outsider,” said Bill Stewart, a political science professor at
the University of Alabama. “He didn’t represent the Tea Party, but he did
represent the non-establishment.”
Based on his unlikely rise, outsider background and limited-government
ideology, Dr. Bentley drew comparisons to other new Republican stars: the
nominee for governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina and the Senate nominees
Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky.
With a soft-spoken, mild-mannered campaign style, Dr. Bentley played up
his medical background. Campaign advertisements show him in a white
doctor’s coat and he legally added “Dr.” to his name, hoping that it would
appear on the ballot (it did not because the state refuses to include any
honorifics). He promised fiscal conservatism and Christian values, but
struggled in fund-raising, receiving $621,000 in contributions compared
with Mr. Byrne’s $3 million. Robert Bentley Voting Record
Responds to Fact Sheet Distributed by Bradley Byrne - His Voting Record
1. Robert Bentley has never hidden that he received a $10,000 contribution from
the Alabama Education Association several months ago. He has always been
forthcoming about that but he has also been steadfast in his resolve that he
votes with the AEA when they are right and against them when they are wrong
and his record bears that fact out. He examines each issue one by one and
determines whether or not he believes it is right or wrong and votes
accordingly. He has been featured in the AEA journal several times during
his 8 years in the legislature as someone has voted against them on issues
they considered to be key issues. Most recently, that includes the teacher
code of ethics legislation in which his vote was in direct contradiction to
the stance of AEA. He has taken less special interest money than any other
candidate still in the race for Governor and he is not beholden to any
special interest. AEA leaders and fellow legislators have gone on record
indicating that Dr. Bentley's legislative record (which is public record)
clearly shows that he votes against the AEA when he does not agree with
them. No special interest, especially the AEA, controls Dr. Bentley or
influences his vote.
Robert Bentley Served in the Alabama Legislature - Observe his Key Votes and Voting Record
Conservative Rankings of Alabama State House
Alabama Voting Record
Ratings of Alabama Legislature
View conservative score card of the Alabama Legislature on many key votes.
This information compiled by the old Alabama Christian Coalition which was then headed up by John Giles.
Senator Scott Beason, Alabama’s Most Prominent Conservative
Legislator Says Robert Bentley is Best for Alabama July 13th
“Many of the Republican Party faithful are uneasy because of the
allegations that have been made in the gubernatorial runoff election. It
is difficult for people not directly involved in state level politics to
separate truth from fiction.
Because of all the confusion, I feel it is necessary to publicly announce
that I am endorsing and actively supporting Robert Bentley for Governor.
The systemically ill power structure that is Montgomery politics needs to
be cleared out, and the election of Robert Bentley will begin that
shake up.
I served with Doctor Bentley in the House of Representatives, and this
spring he helped me in the effort against Obama Care. I know him to be a
genuine and straightforward person.
What you see on his television ads is the real Robert Bentley, without
spin or propaganda. Robert and I have discussed gambling, state’s rights,
job creation, education reform, and the undue influence of special
interest groups, including Paul Hubbert and the AEA, on Alabama politics.
I have no doubt that Robert Bentley will lead the state in a positive,
pro-family direction, and that strong conservative principles will be
supported by the Governor’s office. I hope that everyone will join me in
voting for Robert Bentley to be the Republican nominee for Governor.”
Alabama faces serious problems that require real leadership and bold
solutions. My opponent has been attacking me instead of addressing the
issues, but I will continue to focus on doing what’s right for Alabama.
As governor, Robert Bentley will fight the federal government, clean up
Montgomery, and put Alabamians back to work. Let’s put aside politics as
usual and provide tax cuts to businesses that create jobs for unemployed
workers. Until Alabama reaches full employment, I will not take a salary
as governor.