Jay Love has the edge

Montgomery Advertiser "National political handicapper: Jay Love has the edge"


Jill Nolin


A well-known national political prognosticator wrote Thursday that State Rep. Jay Love “has an edge” in the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

Analyzing the District 2 race between Love, the Republican nominee, and Democrat nominee Bobby Bright, Cook notes that while the campaign should be competitive, the strongly conservative district tilts in Love’s favor.

“For his part, Love has sought to portray Bright as a ‘Pelosi Democrat’ and remind voters that he was recruited by national Democrats to enter the race. Love has also enlisted the campaign help of the retiring Everett, who has needled Bright by expressing skepticism towards the effectiveness of the Blue Dogs at setting House Democrats’ agenda,” Cook writes. “This race is likely to receive plenty of attention, but Love has an edge.”

Cook’s analysis is echoed by a new Love campaign poll that shows Republican Jay Love leading Democrat Bobby Bright 42 percent to 38 percent among likely voters.

The internal poll, conducted by nationally-recognized McLaughlin & Associates, also showed a strong majority of conservative voters in the district. Among respondents, 52 percent identified themselves as conservative, 28 percent identified as moderate and just 13 percent described themselves as liberal.

On a generic ballot for U.S. Congress, 48 percent said they would choose a Republican candidate, while only 34 percent said they would vote Democrat.

Cook’s analysis can be read online at .

Cook is a leading authority on American political trends and is regarded as one of the most adept election forecasters, successfully predicting close races from congressional seats to the presidency.

The New York Times referred to Cook as "one of the best political handicappers in the nation," and described his publication, The Cook Political Report as "a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative." In addition to his newsletter, Cook is a staple of television news, appearing regularly for political commentary on NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and CSPAN.

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