As I write this evening returns continue to pour in but upstart candidate Dr. Robert Bentley appears to have handily taken the GOP gubernatorial nomination against establishment-backed Bradley Byrne. Political analysts will be quick to analyze issues such as crossover voting, AEA support, and advertising strategy in coming days. Republicans will have to begin licking wounds and mending fences if they hope to win in November. As I argued before the election, Dr. Bentley should be just the man to mend those fences. In the wake of Dr. Bentley's victory, it is worth considering what should be important as the GOP begins to pick up the pieces and focus on November.
It's worth taking a moment to analyze why Dr. Bentley ultimately won and Mr. Byrne ultimately lost. There will be lots of speculation about what happened, but there are several clear trends. First, Byrne's pugnacious style gained him few allies among the electorate or even among his fellow candidates. However, the most surprising fact is that the Birmingham News predicted this result back in June, and no one ever seemed to listen. The News warned that Byrne could win the I-65 corridor while losing the state itself. It appears, as ABC 33-40 just indicated, that Bentley made even more inroads in these rural areas after his initial surprising performance June 1.
From this win, Dr. Bentley should draw key lessons which would serve him well both as a candidate and as a governor. Bentley won the GOP nomination by carefully crafting a coalition of disaffected voters dissatisfied with the 'business as usual' approach down in Montgomery. However, one notices that these types of protests often end simply in protest. Bentley managed to do something more--he convinced these people that he could be a viable candidate who could represent them fairly in Montgomery. He was so persuasive that they showed up at the polls, made their stand, and have placed him in surprising position to be Alabama's next governor. Bentley's strategy should guide him through November, and should he win, it should guide him through his first four-year term.
Dr. Bentley must also remember the constituencies which carried him to the nomination. Bentley won the hearts of rural Alabama, and that is where true southern conservatism was born and continues to reside. It was the South described by Richard Weaver when he noted that the South, unlike the North, retained a strong Burkean since of tradition. These small towns are struggling these days, and they voted for Dr. Bentley from the hope for a new way forward.
Throughout his campaign ads, Dr. Bentley promised not to forget these people and to 'never profit from his office.' I hope Dr. Bentley will keep this promise and raise it to the next level, by promising to bring real reform to these parts of Alabama. By bucking the GOP establishment, Dr. Bentley has the opportunity to provide a distinctive voice for these parts of Alabama. It is my hope that Bentley will promote real economic development in these parts of Alabama instead of unreliable fixes like illegal gaming. I hope Dr. Bentley will promote more innovative education programs like Gov. Riley's ACCESS program designed to bring more academic opportunities for Alabama students in rural areas (more on that soon). The opportunities are endless for Dr. Bentley to create a Comprehensive Plan for Alabama's Future. I have every hope that he will do so.
Students of Alabama politics will be studying this election for many years. Dr. Bentley has undergone a meteoric rise from underdog to top dog. Now, he has to prove that he is a real leader and not a fluke. Many GOPers are skeptical at the moment, but I have confidence that Dr. Bentley can overcome these skeptics and prove a capable candidate and reliable governor. Conservatives can at least take heart that he is attuned to the small town voters where Southern conservatism traces its truest roots.
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