2010 Alabama elections

2010 Alabama elections
November 2, 2010

Elections were held in Alabama on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on June 1, 2010, with the run-off on July 13.

The 2010 elections were historic for Republicans in that it won majorities of both chambers of Alabama's State Legislature and swept all statewide races on the ballot; Democrats had held majorities in both of Alabama's state legislative chambers since 1874.

Federal

United States Senate

Main article: 2010 United States Senate election in Alabama
See also: 2010 United States Senate elections

The nominees were incumbent Richard Shelby (Republican Party) and attorney William G. Barnes (Democratic Party).

United States House

Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama
See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections

All seven Alabama seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2010.

State

Governor

Main article: 2010 Alabama gubernatorial election

Incumbent Governor Bob Riley was ineligible for re-election due to term limits.

2010 Alabama gubernatorial election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Robert J. Bentley 860,472 57.59%
Democratic Ron Sparks 625,710 41.87%
Write-in 8,091 0.54%
Total votes 1,494,273 100%
Republican hold

Lieutenant governor

Main article: 2010 Alabama lieutenant gubernatorial election

Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom Jr. lost to Republican Treasurer Kay Ivey.

2010 Alabama lieutenant gubernatorial election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kay Ivey 764,112 51.47%
Democratic Jim Folsom Jr. (incumbent) 718,636 48.40%
Write-in 1,945 0.13%
Total votes 1,484,693 100%
Republican gain from Democratic

Secretary of State

2010 Alabama Secretary of State election
 
Nominee Beth Chapman Scott Gilliland
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 904,021 546,131
Percentage 62.30% 37.63%
County results
Chapman:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Gilliland:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Secretary of State before election

Beth Chapman
Republican

Elected Secretary of State

Beth Chapman
Republican

Incumbent Secretary of State Beth Chapman was successful in her bid for a second term.[1]

Republican nominee

Democratic nominee

General Election

Endorsements
Beth Chapman (R)
Politicians
Organizations
Scott Gilliland (D)
Organizations
Newspapers
Results
2010 Alabama Secretary of State election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Beth Chapman (incumbent) 904,021 62.30%
Democratic Scott Gilliland 546,131 37.63%
Write-in 981 0.07%
Total votes 1,451,133 100%

Attorney general

2010 Alabama Attorney General election
 
Nominee Luther Strange James Anderson
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 868,520 606,270
Percentage 58.84% 41.07%
County results
Strange:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Anderson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Attorney General before election

Troy King
Republican

Elected Attorney General

Luther Strange
Republican

Incumbent Attorney General Troy King lost his re-election bid in the Republican primary to Luther Strange.[12]

Republican primary

Candidates
Endorsements
Troy King
Organizations
Luther Strange
Federal officials
State officials
Local officials
Newspapers
Results
Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Luther Strange 284,853 60.13%
Republican Troy King (incumbent) 188,874 39.87%
Total votes 473,727 100%

Democratic primary

Candidates
First round
Democratic primary results[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Anderson 136,807 49.60%
Democratic Giles Perkins 85,847 31.12%
Democratic Michel Nicrosi 53,171 19.28%
Total votes 275,825 100%
Runoff
Democratic primary runoff results[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Anderson 70,315 60.03%
Democratic Giles Perkins 46,814 39.97%
Total votes 117,129 100%

General election

2010 Alabama Attorney General election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Luther Strange 868,520 58.84%
Democratic James Anderson 606,270 41.07%
Write-in 1,285 0.09%
Total votes 1,476,075 100%
Republican hold

State Treasurer

Incumbent Treasurer Kay Ivey did not seek re-election and successfully ran for lieutenant governor instead.

Republican primary

Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Young Boozer[29] 305,467 64.76%
Republican George Wallace Jr.[30] 166,206 35.24%
Total votes 471,673 100%

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Charley Grimsley[31] 159,141 59.94%
Democratic Jeremy Sherer[32] 106,356 40.06%
Total votes 265,497 100%

General election

2010 Alabama Treasurer election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Young Boozer 875,965 60.04%
Democratic Charley Grimsley 581,930 39.89%
Write-in 1,030 0.07%
Total votes 1,458,925 100%
Republican hold

Auditor

Incumbent Auditor Samantha Shaw was successful in her bid for a second term.[33]

2010 Alabama Auditor election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Samantha Shaw[34] (incumbent) 893,229 62.65%
Democratic Miranda Joseph[34] 531,233 37.26%
Write-in 1,301 0.09%
Total votes 1,425,763 100%

Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries

Incumbent Democratic Commissioner Ron Sparks was term-limited and unsuccessfully ran for governor.

Republican primary

First round
Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John McMillan[35] 151,177 36.53%
Republican Dorman Grace[36] 145,524 35.17%
Republican Dale Peterson[37] 117,091 28.30%
Total votes 413,792 100%
Runoff
Republican primary runoff results[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John McMillan 216,824 51.90%
Republican Dorman Grace 200,959 48.10%
Total votes 417,783 100%

General election

2010 Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John McMillan 862,901 59.61%
Democratic Glen Zorn[39] 583,255 40.29%
Write-in 1,405 0.10%
Total votes 1,447,561 100%
Republican gain from Democratic

Public Service Commissioner

Republicans flipped both seats, defeating incumbent Democrats and regaining majority.[40]

Place 1

Republican primary

First round

Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh[41] 199,543 49.38%
Republican Stephen Evans[41] 104,492 25.86%
Republican Chip Beeker[41] 100,070 24.76%
Total votes 404,105 100%

Runoff

Republican primary runoff results[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh 253,165 61.75%
Republican Stephen Evans 156,846 38.25%
Total votes 410,011 100%
General election
2010 Alabama Public Service Commission Place 1 election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh 819,652 56.41%
Democratic Jan Cook[42] (incumbent) 632,023 43.49%
Write-in 1,491 0.10%
Total votes 1,453,166 100%
Republican gain from Democratic

Place 2

Republican primary
Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Terry Dunn[43] 186,628 51.60%
Republican Chip Brown[43] 175,060 48.40%
Total votes 361,688 100%
General election
2010 Alabama Public Service Commission Place 2 election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Terry Dunn 785,305 54.96%
Democratic Susan Parker[44] (incumbent) 642,579 44.98%
Write-in 901 0.06%
Total votes 1,428,785 100%
Republican gain from Democratic

State Board of Education

Republicans flipped one district.[11]

State Office Party Incumbent Status Party Candidate Votes %
District 2 Republican Betty Peters Republican Betty Peters 108,974 60.9%
Democratic Betty Letlow 69,951 39.1%
District 4 Democratic Ethel Hall Democratic Yvette Richardson 96,175 63.8%
Republican Tom Dooley 54,427 36.1%
District 6 Republican David Byers Republican Charles Elliott 153,057 78.0%
Democratic Kimberly Harbin Drake 43,046 21.9%
District 8 Democratic Mary Jane Caylor Republican Mary Scott Hunter 122,547 63.0%
Democratic Mary Ruth Yates 71,796 36.9%

State Senate

Main article: 2010 Alabama Senate election

All 35 seats of the Alabama Senate were up for election in 2010.

Prior to the election the Democrats held a 20–14 edge; after the election the GOP captured control 22–12 (one seat vacant).

State House of Representatives

Main article: 2010 Alabama State House of Representatives election

All 105 seats in the Alabama House of Representatives were up for election in 2010.

Prior to the election the Democrats had a 60–44 edge; after the election the GOP took control 62–42 (one seat vacant).

State judiciary

Five judicial positions were up for election in 2010, of which four were contested.[45]

Supreme Court

Associate Justice, Place 1

Incumbent Justice Patricia M. Smith chose not to seek re-election and retired at the end of her term.[46]

2010 Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 1 election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alisa Kelli Wise[47] 912,463 62.87%
Democratic Rhonda Chambers[48] 537,670 37.05%
Write-in 1,169 0.08%
Total votes 1,451,302 100%
Republican hold
Associate Justice, Place 2

Republican primary

Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael F. Bolin[49] (incumbent) 288,371 69.44%
Republican Tracy Cary[50] 126,891 30.56%
Total votes 415,262 100%

General election

2010 Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 2 election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael F. Bolin (incumbent) 907,234 62.73%
Democratic Tom Edwards[51] 537,966 37.20%
Write-in 1,080 0.07%
Total votes 1,446,280 100%
Associate Justice, Place 3

Republican primary

Republican primary results[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Parker[52] (incumbent) 239,458 60.24%
Republican Eric Johnston[53] 113,782 28.63%
Republican James Houts[54] 44,259 11.13%
Total votes 397,499 100%

General election

2010 Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Place 3 election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Parker (incumbent) 849,323 58.89%
Democratic Mac Parsons[55] 591,678 41.03%
Write-in 1,155 0.08%
Total votes 1,442,156 100%

Appellate Courts

Court of Civil Appeals
2010 Alabama Court of Civil Appeals election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy Bryan[56] (incumbent) 843,709 58.69%
Democratic Deborah Paseur[56] 592,930 41.24%
Write-in 963 0.07%
Total votes 1,437,602 100%

Ballot measures

Five statewide measures were on the ballot in Alabama - one in June and four in November. All five of them were rejected by voters.[57]

Amendment 1 (June)

The Alabama Propane Gas Promotion Program Amendment would enact legislation to assess the propane gas industry for financial promotion programs.[58]

Amendment 1 (June)[59]
Choice Votes %
No 408,266 59.97
Yes 272,457 40.03
Total votes 680,723 100.00

Amendment 1 (November)

The Alabama Ad Valorem Tax Amendment would change the Alabama Constitution to state that any prohibition against collections of any new taxes levied apply only to ad valorem taxes levied under the provisions of Amendment 778, enacted in 2006.[60]

Amendment 1 (November)[11]
Choice Votes %
No 610,643 54.85
Yes 502,726 45.15
Total votes 1,113,369 100.00

Amendment 2

The Alabama Special County Educational Tax Amendment would provide that special county educational taxes be levied by a majority vote, instead of three fifths vote.[61]

Amendment 2[11]
Choice Votes %
No 606,357 52.32
Yes 552,525 47.68
Total votes 1,158,882 100.00

Amendment 3

The Alabama Ten Year Road and Bridge Construction Program Amendment would call for a ten year road and bridge construction program to be funded by appropriations from the Alabama Trust Fund.[62]

Amendment 3[11]
Choice Votes %
No 702,340 56.99
Yes 530,017 43.01
Total votes 1,232,357 100.00

Amendment 4

The Alabama City/County Tax Amendment would settle a local sales tax dispute in Blount County.[63]

Amendment 4[11]
Choice Votes %
No 474,867 50.36
Yes 468,164 49.64
Total votes 943,031 100.00

Local

Many elections for county offices were also held on November 2, 2010.

References

  1. ^ Wolfson, Hannah (November 3, 2010). "Beth Chapman wins second term as Alabama secretary of state". Al.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  2. ^ Gray, Jeremy (April 6, 2009). "Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman seeking re-election". Al.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  3. ^ Lowry, Bob (October 24, 2010). "Secretary of State candidates focus on eliminating voter fraud, protecting victims of domestic violence and sex crimes". Al.com. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  4. ^ "Sarah Palin endorses Beth Chapman and Martha Roby in Alabama". Al.com. August 18, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  5. ^ Davis, Debra (July 27, 2010). "Farm-PAC selects endorsements for November elections". Alabama Farmers Federation. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Lowry, Bob (October 24, 2010). "Secretary of State candidates focus on eliminating voter fraud, protecting victims of domestic violence and sex crimes". Al.com. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  7. ^ "Alabama AFL-CIO 2010 Candidate Endorsements". Alabama AFL-CIO. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  8. ^ "ANSC endorses Ron Sparks for Governor and other Democratic candidates for state office". Greene County Democrat. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  9. ^ "CWA Endorsements". Communications Workers of America. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
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  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Certified General Election Results - without write-in appendix" (PDF). sos.alabama.gov. November 22, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
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  17. ^ Shryock, John (March 8, 2010). "King picks up B'ham FOP endorsement". WSFA. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
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  39. ^ "Agriculture commissioner: John McMillan, Glen Zorn on food, farms and drought". AL.com. October 25, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  40. ^ Amy, Jeff (November 3, 2010). "Public Service Commission: Twinkle Cavanaugh, Terry Dunn join GOP sweep". AL.com. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  41. ^ a b c "Twinkle Cavanaugh running for Alabama PSC again". AL.com. April 2, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  42. ^ "PSC Place 1: Twinkle Cavanaugh, Jan Cook on utility rates, 10-digit dialing". AL.com. October 25, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
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  48. ^ Shryock, John (May 19, 2010). "Rhonda Chambers throws name into Supreme Court run". WSFA. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  49. ^ "Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin starts re-election bid". AL.com. December 7, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
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  52. ^ Kirby, Brendan (October 24, 2010). "Alabama Supreme Court: Tom Parker takes unorthodox fund-raising approach". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  53. ^ "Special Supreme Court of retired judges to rule whether to count Justice Tom Parker's opponent's votes". AL.com. May 27, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
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  55. ^ "Alabama Supreme Court candidate calls opponent Tom Parker 'lazy'". AL.com. August 25, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  56. ^ a b Sayre, Katherine (October 24, 2010). "Bryan, Paseur state their cases for Civil Appeals judge race". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  57. ^ "Alabama 2010 ballot measures". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  58. ^ "Alabama Propane Gas Promotion Programs Amendment (June 2010)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  59. ^ "Certification of Results – Proposed Constitutional Amendments" (PDF). sos.alabama.gov. June 23, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
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  61. ^ "Alabama Special County Educational Tax Amendment, Amendment 2 (2010)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
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  63. ^ "Alabama City/County Tax Amendment, Amendment 4 (2010)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 25, 2025.

Finance

Media

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