Thread: Republican takes large lead in Alabama special congressional election

UPDATE 1-Republican takes large lead in Alabama special congressional election

Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:17pm EST

(Recasts with 85 percent of precincts reporting)

By Kaija Wilkinson

Dec 17 (Reuters) - A business-backed Republican lawyer captured 68 percent of the vote against his Democratic opponent on Tuesday in an Alabama congressional race, with 85 percent of precincts reporting.

Bradley Byrne, 58, declared himself the winner over Democrat Burton LeFlore in a special election to replace Republican Representative Jo Bonner, who in May announced he was resigning to take a job at the University of Alabama.

Last month, Byrne, an attorney and former state lawmaker, defeated a Tea Party rival in a close primary race in Alabama's 1st congressional district that highlighted the intraparty tensions between the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement.

Byrne's $1.1 million campaign was backed by big corporate donors, including Home Depot Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc . LeFlore raised only about $7,000, according to campaign finance reports.

The 1st congressional district includes Mobile, Alabama's third-largest city after Birmingham and Montgomery, the state capital.

A victory would return Byrne, a former college chancellor and state school board member, to public office. He served as state senator from 2002 to 2010, and he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican gubernatorial primary won by current Governor Robert Bentley.

LeFlore, a real estate agent, is the grandson of Mobile civil rights leader and state representative John LeFlore.

Byrne's campaign also won endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association and the National Right to Life Committee, while Democratic national organizations have largely stayed out of the race.

Byrne describes himself as a fiscal conservative who favors small government. He has campaigned in part against President Barack Obama's healthcare law, which LeFlore supports while saying some minor tweaks are needed. LeFlore has also called for cuts in military spending.

Analysts had predicted a low voter turnout in the election.

The winner will be in office for less than a year, as the seat will be contested again during the 2014 congressional elections. (Reporting by Kaija Wilkinson; Writing by Kevin Gray; Editing by Gunna Dickson and Lisa Shumaker)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...0JX02I20131218

A business-backed Republican lawyer ..

------------------------------------

Probably pro-amnesty sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce ..

Bradley Byrne

Bradley Byrne's Ratings and Endorsements

Full Name:	Bradley Byrne
Current Office:	U.S. House - District 1, Republican
First Elected:	12/17/2013
Last Elected:	12/17/2013
On The Ballot:	Announced, Republican for U.S. House - District 1 Won, Republican for U.S. House - District 1
Primary	June 3, 2014

See Representative Bradley Byrne's Opponents in the 2014 Congressional Election

How To Interpret These Evaluations

Business and Consumers

2003-2006

Alabama National Federation of Independent Business - Positions

80%

Conservative

2003-2006

Christian Coalition of Alabama - Positions

76%

Guns

2006	National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund - Positions on Gun Rights	A

Marriage, Family, and Children

2004

VOICES for Alabama's Children - Positions

75%

​Social

2004	VOICES for Alabama's Children - Positions	75%
2003-2006	Christian Coalition of Alabama - Positions	76%

How to Interpret these Evaluations

Project Vote Smart displays all known interest group ratings for each candidate and official, regardless of issue or bias.
Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups often do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issues concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.
Most performance evaluations are displayed in a percentage format. However, some organizations present their ratings in the form of a letter grade or endorsement based on voting records, interviews, survey results and/or sources of campaign funding. For consistency and ease in understanding, Project Vote Smart converts all scores into a percentage when possible. Please visit the group's website or call 1-888-VOTESMART for more specific information.

One Common Ground, Philipsburg, MT 59858 Hotline: 888-Vote-Smart (888-868-3762)
All content © 1992 - 2013 Project Vote Smart unless otherwise attributed -Privacy Policy - Legislative demographic data provided by Aristotle International, Inc. Mobile Version

http://theweek.com/article/index/254...indled-america