Who Had a Good Election Night? A Bad Night?

Let’s get right to it. Who had a good night last night? Who had a bad night?

Good night:

1. Mike Hubbard – Who else? The state GOP Chair has been a relentless fundraiser and organizer… the ALGOP didn’t create the national mood and the wave that came with it, but they were poised and ready to ride it when it came. Undoubtedly the individual best positioned to claim credit for the unprecedented Republican legislative victories. Almost certainly to be rewarded with the House Speakership.
2. Kay Ivey – Her decision to leave the crowded GOP field in the governor’s race to challenge incumbent Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor worked out beautifully and better than most expected.
3. Women in Congress – Martha Roby (R) and Terri Sewell (D) become the first two women elected to Congress from Alabama in a regular election.
4. Scott Beason – The GOP Senator from Gardendale aligned himself early with Bentley and other Tuesday winners, positioning himself nicely to get “anything he wants except the Senate President pro tem” as one Republican politico put it (who believes that Del Marsh has the inside track there). Others think Beason could even nab that #1 spot.
5. Supporters of Ethics Reform and Transparency – Banning PAC to PAC transfers, strengthening the reporting requirements for lobbyists’ contributions, these are issues that Democrats said they supported but never managed to pass. Now we get a chance to see if the GOP will give more than lip service.
6. Illustrating the Power of One Vote – If you want a morality tale to tell your children about how one vote makes a difference, it was the margin that decided Rogersville would stay dry.
7. GOP-leaning counties like Lee, Winston, Elmore – Counties like these are unlikely to be as sliced and diced under the GOP-influenced redistricting as they have been under recent Democratic maps
8. BCA - Among interest groups who endorsed candidates, the Business Council of Alabama had a great night of winners.
9. Tom Parker – The much-maligned Justice won easily, with a margin only slightly narrower than his less controversial colleagues

Bad night:

1. Paul Hubbert – The base of support in the legislature for a man widely recognized as one of the state’s most influential has been undercut. In hindsight, one might wonder if he misplayed his hand by focusing on the gubernatorial primaries instead of putting more effort into other races. Would AEA’s interests be better served with this legislature and Governor Bentley or with, say, a Lt. Gov. Folsom, a few more legislators in his corner, and conceding the governor’s race to Byrne?
2. Any other Republican’s ambitions to be House Speaker – Some House Republicans, say a Paul DeMarco or perhaps a Greg Wren, have envisioned a path to the House Speaker’s role by playing the “not Mike Hubbard” alternative. The idea involved a narrow GOP majority and a finesse play with a dissident group of 5-6 Republicans saying they wouldn’t vote for Hubbard. The larger-than-expected GOP majority makes it tougher to find enough dissidents to make the argument that Hubbard can’t carry the day.
3. Democratic Party Chair Joe Turnham – If the dam breaks on your watch, it’s not a good night. Turnham was chair in the mid 90s when the Republicans started to make Alabama a two-party state, and now is chair in 2010 when Republicans have effectively made Alabama a one-party state. Good thing for Dems that Artur Davis wasn’t at the top of the ticket to drag the whole party down.
4. Steve Windom – The Montgomery power broker (and former Lt. Gov) hosted a fundraiser for defeated Senate giant Lowell Barron, and he is not-so-close to Mike Hubbard or to the new Governor Bentley. Update: On the plus side, Windom’s connections to the Senate remain strong, particularly including to new Senate president pro tem Del Marsh.
5. Statesmanship Over Partisanship – Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, a widely respected legislator who put principle above all, lost his bid for a fourth term. Called by Montgomery insiders as our Most Statesmanlike Legislator, recognized as perhaps the last honest man in Montgomery… we need more like him, not fewer. Here’s hoping that his successor Wes Long will be his equal or better in this regard.
6. Road Builders – Amendment 3 would have sent $1 billion ($100 million a year for 10 years) into their industry (no wonder we saw their commercial for it so many times) but was soundly defeated.
7. The election returns website from the Secretary of State – Nice idea and perhaps a game inaugural effort, but well over a day after the election and 1 out of 5 counties’ results still aren’t included.
8. Education Lottery and Electronic Bingo – Surely any mention of these issues is DOA for the foreseeable future.
9. North Alabama’s Democratic heritage – The partisan lean of the region once home to yellow dog Democrats now doesn’t appear especially distinguishable from the Republican preferences of much of the rest of the state.

Thanks to the thoughtful insiders who contributed to our list.

Image used with permission