"Bright Republican" signs irk Love, GOP

Bob Johnson

Montgomery Advertiser

AUGUST 01, 2008

First there were the "Reagan Democrats" and then Bill Clinton had his conservative, GOP-leaning "soccer moms." Now Democratic 2nd District congressional candidate Bobby Bright has his "Bright Republicans."Signs began popping up this week in yards around the south and central Alabama district that say "I'm A Bright Republican."

It's ruffling the feathers of 2nd District Republican nominee Jay Love and GOP officials, who like to call Bright "a Pelosi Democrat."Bright, the three-term mayor of Montgomery, called himself an independent before deciding to run for Congress as a Democrat. He is receiving financial support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and from the "blue dogs," a group of conservative Democratic congressmen.Bright is trying to break a Republican hold on the district that stretches back to 1964.

Bright and Love, a state representative from Montgomery, face off in the Nov. 4 general election. The winner will replace Republican U.S. Rep. Terry Everett of Rehobeth, who is retiring after representing the district for 16 years.Bright said he had the signs made because his promise to put aside divisive partisan politics in Washington is playing well across party lines.

"We have a groundswell of Republicans supporting us. Many of them are requesting the signs," Bright said. "Our campaign represents all people across party lines."In campaign speeches Bright has described himself as a conservative who is "pro life," "pro gun" and supports a "strong military."

But Republicans said Bright has accepted money from congressional Democrats, who include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and will vote with liberal Democrats if elected to Congress.

"I think it's absurd," Alabama Republican Party chairman Mike Hubbard said of the "Bright Republican" signs. "It just goes to show he's running as far away from the Democratic label as he can. If he's so conservative, why is he taking money from Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel?"

"If this weren't so dishonest, it would almost be funny," said Love's campaign manager, Michael Lowry.Love, a two-term state legislator and Montgomery businessman, said Bright has taken thousands of dollars in campaign money from the Democrats."I don't think the people are going to buy this. I think it's part of his strategy to say to one group 'I'm a Republican,' and to another 'I'm a Democrat' and to another group 'I'm an independent,'" Love said.Auburn Montgomery political scientist D'Linell Finley said the signs remind him of former President Clinton's appeal to soccer moms in the 1990s.

"There are Republicans who will support Bobby Bright. He's been a popular mayor and he has won elections with Republican support," Finley said. He added that it's common in the South for Democrats to be more conservative and independent than in other parts of the country.Finley said he isn't surprised that Republicans are trying to link Bright to the national Democratic Party and to politicians like Pelosi and Rangel."They are using those names to try to rally their conservative base," Finley said.Bright said supporters of his campaign, including Democratic organizations, "are investing in me and my ideals."He said he will push his own agenda, not a liberal one as the Republicans claim, if he is elected to Congress."I'm going to push for America first and for District 2 second. I'm going to put any kind of party preference in the back seat," Bright said.

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Bobby Bright for Congress

Bobby Bright is a democrat seeking the 2nd Congressional District seat that was left open when Rep Terry Everett retired. He is a graduate of Thomas Goode Jones School of Law and the National Judicial College. He worked as an attorney for 16 yrs before becoming running for mayor. He has served as mayor for the city of Montgomery (the capitol of Alabama) for the past 9 yrs.

His accomplishments include; Central Alabama Planning and Development Commission,Director of The Alabama Baptist Board,Director of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Board and Member of the Governor's Homeland Security Task force.

Mayor Bobby Bright is married to retired judge Lynn Clardy Bright and has three children.

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REPUBLICAN JAY LOVE

Jay Love was elected to the Alabama Legislature in November of 2002 and is currently serving his second term in office. He holds the position of Minority Whip in the Alabama Republican Caucus leadership and serves as the Ranking Republican member of the important Government Finance and Appropriations budget-writing committee. He also serves on the House Constitution and Elections Committee.
Throughout his time in the office, Jay has enjoyed several legislative accomplishments. Because of his ability to work with Republicans and Democrats alike, Jay successfully convinced the Legislature to pass the first tax cuts enjoyed by Alabamians in more than 70 years. He continues to push for additional state tax cuts for Alabama’s middle class families and small business owners.
Jay has also co-sponsored important legislation, such as the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which protects unborn life from violent crime. In addition, he made national headlines by sponsoring legislation that would prevent minors from being exposed to violent or sexually explicit video games.
Jay and his wife, Cheri, have been married for 13 years and have four children – Rachel, Addison, Rebecca and Caroline. Active in his church, he serves as a Deacon at First Baptist in Montgomery and also holds a seat on the Finance Committee.

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Wall Street Journal Article

The New Southern Strategy

Greg Hitt

The Wall Street Journal

AUGUST 07, 2008

Democrats Tap Conservative Candidates in GOP Bastions

PRATTVILLE, Ala --

This is how shaky Republican fortunes are in 2008: In one of the most conservative corners of the conservative South, Democrats stand a good chance of winning a congressional seat.[Bobby Bright]This working-class, mostly rural district has been controlled by Republicans since 1964, when Alabama's white electorate began its long turn away from the Democratic Party. In 2004, President George W. Bush won 67% of the district's vote.

Today's leading candidate is Bobby Bright, a self-styled "Southern conservative" and sharecropper's son from remote Alabama farm country. In another era, he would have run as a Republican. But he's a Democrat, and early polls strongly suggest he can win.Spurred by the souring economy and a newfound willingness to embrace conservative candidates, the Democratic Party is running its most competitive campaign across the South in 40 years, fielding potential winners along a rib of states stretching from Louisiana to Virginia, the heart of the Old Confederacy. Sen. Barack Obama's ability to excite African-American voters in certain Southern races could provide an additional boost, too.

The party's rising prospects point toward a once unthinkable goal: a reversal of the "Great Reversal," the switch in political loyalties in the 1960s that made the South a Republican stronghold for a generation.

If the current picture holds, Democrats could use the Southern strength to help craft a workable Senate majority and expand their majority in the House of Representatives. At the very least, it widens the field of competitive seats, forcing Republicans to fight fires in once-reliably solid areas."This is clearly new territory," says Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic Party's chief strategist for House races.

The story of Mr. Bright, the current mayor of Montgomery, could have been sketched by Robert Penn Warren, the novelist who famously captured the essence of Southern populism. Stocky and square-shouldered, Mr. Bright professes a love of chicken livers and is a deacon in Montgomery's First Baptist Church. Despite nearly a decade in politics, he is still a bit rough around the edges: A poster on the wall of his campaign office, scrawled in black marker, reminds Mr. Bright to say "please" when making fund-raising calls.

Mr. Bright toyed with the idea of running as a Republican. He spoke with party activists "and prayed on it." But he decided that he felt more at home with the Democrats, whom he describes as the party of working people and the party of diversity."The Republican Party has done a wonderful job of making it appear that you don't have a choice," said Mr. Bright, standing on a sidewalk in downtown Prattville, dabbing at sweat beading on his forehead. "But that's changing. That's changing with me."

"Party means less today than it has in my lifetime in Alabama," says state Rep. David Grimes, who lost to Mr. Love in the nomination battle for the congressional seat. Mr. Grimes says the mayor's ties to southeast Alabama, especially his blue-collar upbringing and conservative values, will serve him well in November."I tell you this: Bobby Bright is going to be the man to beat."

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Setting the stage

On a recent trip to Alabama, the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee called Alabama one of the most important battlegrounds in the country — in part, because Democrats are trying to expand their majority in Congress by targeting the South. Republicans have won elections in this district since1964. Bobby Bright, (Dem) mayor of Montgomery, Ala. and Jay Love (Rep) are running for the seat left open by the retirement of Republican Rep. Terry Everett.

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