ICYMI: ABC 'Nightline' features Alabama in Segment on Legislative Corruption

Poll shows Bright with 12-point lead

Freshman U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright, a Democrat who was mayor of Montgomery, is leading Republican Martha Roby by 12 points, according to a poll conducted by Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner. The poll of 400 likely voters shows Bright with a 51-39 lead.
Bright and Roby, a member of the Montgomery city council, are competing for the 2nd Congressional District.
The poll was conducted Oct. 9 through Oct. 12 and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
In two previous polls by the same firm, Bright was leading by 9 points.
Roby was ahead of Bright by two points, within the margin of error, according to a recent internal Republican poll reported by The Huffington Post.
Roby also easily outpaced the incumbent in the most recent fundraising period.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Edwards releases ad in Supreme Court Race

Attorney Tom Edwards released an ad in his run for the Alabama Supreme Court. He faces incumbent Justice Mike Bolin.



-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Roby releases "Making it Worse" ad

Republican congressional candidate Martha Roby released the following ad in her race for the District 2 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She faces freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright.



-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

ADC Endroses Sparks

The Alabama Democratic Conference is endorsing Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks for governor.

Sparks, the Democratic nominee for governor, received the endorsement Sunday, after delivering a speech in which he urged the people of the state to focus on the critical issues affecting Alabamians, according to a press release.

"You must fight for your children's education," Sparks said, according to the press release. "The power is in your hands, and as governor I will fight to educate all of Alabama's children. We can improve the lives of every Alabamian - from providing voluntary pre-k for every four year old to creating quality jobs throughout our state to taking care of our seniors.

"There are people trying to divert attention from what truly matters," Sparks said, according to the press release. "We must stay focused on what matters, and I have a plan to do just that. My opponent doesn't. When I am governor, I will focus intensely and work tirelessly to educate our children, create jobs, and care for our seniors."

Sparks has received the endorsement of 46 of Alabama's 67 sheriffs, the Alabama New South Coalition, Alabama State Employees, the AFL-CIO and Gen. Wesley Clark. He faces Dr. Robert Bentley, the Republican nominee for governor, in the November general election.

-- posted by Markeshia Ricks

Bright: "I cannot support either candidate for speaker"

Freshman U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright said he cannot vote for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or House Minority Leader John Boehner for speaker in January because they are both too divisive.
Bright has come under increasing criticism for his vote for Pelosi in 2008 and questions about whether he would vote for her next year if reelected.
"Washington is broken," the Democrat said. "The leadership of both parties is too divisive, and our country is paying the price. Neither the speaker nor the Republican leader has displayed the type of bipartisan cooperation required to build consensus and move our country forward. As a result, we must look elsewhere for leadership. I cannot support either candidate for speaker and would like to vote for a conservative centrist who has a track record of bridging divides. Putting an end to partisan politics shouldn't have to wait any longer."
His opponent, Montgomery City Councilwoman Martha Roby, quickly responded and reiterated that Bright's first vote in Congress was for Pelosi.
"Democrat Bobby Bright's latest suggestion that he might vote for someone else for speaker is just the latest contortion on this issue, coming only weeks after he said he had no regrets about his vote for Nancy Pelosi, and a month after he joked that she might 'get sick and die' to avoid answering this very question. This latest statement is just empty rhetoric from a flailing campaign, aimed at avoiding the larger issue: Democrat Bobby Bright's very presence as a Democrat in Congress keeps Pelosi in power. The simple truth is that Pelosi will remain as speaker so long as Democrats have a majority in the House. A vote for Bright is a vote for Pelosi."
Roby said she planned to vote for a speaker who understood the values of the people in Southeast Alabama.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen