The longest Republican-held district in Alabama isn't in any danger of falling to Democrats: the Mobile area 1st CD gave President Obama just 37 percent of the vote in 2012. But GOP Rep. Jo Bonner's decision to resign August 2 to take a position with the University of Alabama system has created a rare special election opportunity for ambitious Republicans.Well-known 2010 gubernatorial candidate and former state Sen. Bradley Byrne is the only "big name" in the race, but the real question may be which of four lesser-known GOP contenders - state Rep. Chad Fincher, conservative journalist Quin Hillyer, Tea Party-aligned real estate developer Dean Young, or former RNC Deputy Chief of Staff Wells Griffith - joins him in an all-but-certain runoff when no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the initial primary.And, other candidates could still get in. Last week, Bonner moved up his retirement date from August 15 to August 2 in order to allow more time for a special election and give his replacement a better opportunity to be sworn in in time for
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.