WhoRunsTheStates Badge.png
Who Runs Your State Government?
Does your state lean blue or lean red? Check out our new report, highlighting partisan control of state government from 1992-2013.






Robert J. Bentley

From Ballotpedia
(Redirected from Robert Bentley)
Jump to: navigation, search

Share this article:  E-mail this story Bookmark with Facebook Share on Google+ Share on twitter.com

Robert J. Bentley
Bentley r.jpeg
Governor of Alabama
Incumbent
In office
January 17, 2011 - Present
Term ends
January 19, 2015
Years in position 2
PartyRepublican
PredecessorBob Riley (R)
Compensation
Base salary$112,895
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 2, 2010
First electedNovember 2, 2010
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Term limits2 terms
Prior offices
Alabama House of Representatives
2003-2010
Education
High schoolShelby County High School (1960)
Bachelor'sUniversity of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (1964)
M.D.University of Alabama School of Medicine (1968)
Military service
Service/branchU.S. Air Force
Years of service1969-1975
Personal
BirthdayFebruary 3, 1943
Place of birthColumbiana, Alabama
ProfessionDermatologist (retired)
ReligionBaptist
Websites
Office website
Personal website

Contents

Robert Julian Bentley (b. February 3, 1943 in Columbiana, Alabama) is a Republican currently serving as the 53rd Governor of Alabama. Elected on November 2, 2010, Bentley defeated outgoing Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks (D) by 17 points. Bentley took office January 17, 2011,[1] with his term ending January 19, 2015. He announced on April 9, 2013 that he would seek re-election in 2014.[2]

Referred to as the "unexpected governor," Bentley, a retired dermatologist, has said, "Nobody but the Lord and my oldest granddaughter" expected the win. Bentley came in second to Bradley Byrne in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary, going on to defeat him in the runoff.[3]

During his campaign, Bentley promised not to accept a salary as governor until the state reached full employment, which he defined as 5.2 percent unemployment. As of April 2013 he has not accepted a salary.[1]

Two days after he was inaugurated, Bentley stirred up controversy by telling a Baptist church audience that only those who had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior were his brothers and sisters. Bentley apologized for the remarks, saying he would be a "governor of all the people."[4]

Bentley was previously a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 63rd district, Tuscaloosa County. He was first elected in 2002 and served until 2010 when he chose not to seek re-election but the governorship instead.[5]

Biography

Born and raised in Columbiana, Alabama, Bentley was active in debate during school and served as student body president in high school. He went on to study chemistry and biology at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa before enrolling in The University of Alabama School of Medicine. Bentley completed his residency at Birmingham's Carraway United Methodist Hospital.[5]

In 1969, he joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at Pope AFB near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Upon completion of military service in 1975, Bentley completed a second residency in dermatology before founding his own practice, Alabama Dermatology Associates, in Tuscaloosa.[1]

He is a member of the Academy of Dermatology, American Legion, Family Counseling Advisory Board, Vietnam Veterans of America, Youth for Christ Advisory Board, Alabama State Medical Association, Alabama Wildlife Federation and Deacon/Sunday school teacher at the First Baptist Church.[5]

Education

  • The University of Alabama School of Medicine: MD, 1968
  • The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa: B.S., 1964
  • Shelby County High School, 1960

Political career

Governor of Alabama (2011-present)

Bentley has served as Governor of Alabama since January 17, 2011.

Affordable Care Act

As of April 2013, Alabama was one of six states that said they would not help to enforce provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act. In March 2013, Bentley wrote a letter to federal officials saying Washington, not state regulators, should be responsible for making sure policies sold in Alabama comply with the new requirements of the ACA. The governor also rejected other parts of the law, including setting up a state-run health insurance exchange and expanding Medicaid.[6]

Presidential preference

2012

Bentley voted for Rick Santorum in the 2012 Republican primary but insisted it was not an endorsement.[7]

Alabama House of Representatives (2003-2010)

Committee assignments

Bentley was formerly a member of the following committees:

Issues

Bentley did not provide answers to the Alabama State Legislative Election 2006 National Political Awareness Test. The test provides voters with how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.[8]

Elections

See also: Alabama gubernatorial election, 2014

Bentley announced on April 9, 2013 that he would seek re-election as governor in 2014. The Republican primary takes place June 4, 2014 with general election on November 4, 2014.[9]

2010

See also: Alabama gubernatorial election, 2010 and Gubernatorial elections, 2010

Bentley was eligible for re-election to the Alabama House but chose to run for Governor of Alabama instead. He came in second in the primary to Bradley Byrne, forcing a runoff on July 13. Bentley won 56.1% of the vote, effectively defeating Byrne. He faced Democrat Ron Sparks in the November 2, 2010 general election, winning by 17 points.[10]

2012 General Election
Governor of Alabama, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark.jpgRobert J. Bentley 57.6% 860,472
     Democratic Ron Sparks 41.9% 625,710
     Write-in Write-in 0.5% 8,091
Total Votes 1,494,273
2010 Republican Primary Runoff Election

On July 13, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Robert Bentley had defeated Bradley Byrne for the Republican nomination for governor. Turnout was impressive - especially in the context of a single party run-off. Just under half a million Alabamans turned out to have a say in the GOP's nominee.[11]

Governor of Alabama, Primary Runoff, 2010
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark.jpgRobert J. Bentley 56.1% 260,887
Bradley Byrne 43.9% 204,394
Total Votes 465,281

2006

On November 7, 2006, Bentley was re-elected to the 63rd District Seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, running uncontested in the general election.[12]

Bentley raised $19,350 for his campaign.[13]

Campaign donors

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Robert J. Bentley's donors each year.[14] Click [show] for more information.


Personal

Bentley and his wife of 47 years, Dianne, have four sons - Paul, John Mark, Luke, Matthew - and six granddaughters.[5]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term "Robert + Bentley + Governor +Alabama"

All stories may not be relevant to this official due to the nature of the search engine.

Robert Bentley News Feed


Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found


See also

External links

Light Bulb Icon.svg.png
 		Suggest a link

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Office of the Governor, "Governor Robert Bentley," accessed October 4, 2012
  2. ↑ The Birmingham News, "Alabama's Robert Bentley looks to 2014 governor race," June 3, 2012
  3. ↑ AL.com, "Robert Bentley, the state's unexpected governor, confident as he looks ahead," February 17, 2013
  4. ↑ CNN, "Alabama governor touches off controversy with Christian Commons," January 18, 2011
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Project Vote Smart - Rep. Bentley
  6. ↑ Insurance Journal, "Alabama Governor Says State Will Not Enforce Federal Health Law’s Protections," April 8, 2013
  7. ↑ CNN, "Alabama governor votes for Santorum," March 13, 2012
  8. ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Bentley Issue Positions
  9. ↑ The Republic, "Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley seeking second term," April 9, 2013
  10. ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Canvass of Results, General Election, November 2, 2010", November 22, 2010
  11. ↑ Politico, "2012 Alabama Governor Primary," accessed October 4, 2012
  12. ↑ 2006 election results, Alabama
  13. ↑ Alabama House spending, 2006
  14. ↑ Follow the Money.org
Political offices
Preceded by
' 		Alabama House of Representatives District 63
2002–2010 		Succeeded by
Bill Poole (R)
Preceded by
Bob Riley (R) 		Governor of Alabama
2011-present 		Succeeded by
'
v • d • e
Governors
Current Governors
Robert Bentley (AL) • Sean Parnell (AK) • Jan Brewer (AZ) • Mike Beebe (AR) • Jerry Brown (CA) • John Hickenlooper (CO) • Dan Malloy (CT) • Jack Markell (DE) • Rick Scott (FL) • Nathan Deal (GA) • Neil Abercrombie (HI) • Butch Otter (ID) • Pat Quinn (IL) • Mike Pence (IN) • Terry E. Branstad (IA) • Sam Brownback (KS) • Steve Beshear (KY) • Bobby Jindal (LA) • Paul LePage (ME) • Martin O'Malley (MD) • Deval Patrick (MA) • Rick Snyder (MI) • Mark Dayton (MN) • Jay Nixon (MO) • Phil Bryant (MS) • Steve Bullock (MT) • Dave Heineman (NE) • Brian Sandoval (NV) • Margaret Hassan (NH) • Chris Christie (NJ) • Susana Martinez (NM) • Andrew Cuomo (NY) • Pat McCrory (NC) • Jack Dalrymple (ND) • John Kasich (OH) • Mary Fallin (OK) • John Kitzhaber (OR) • Tom Corbett (PA) • Lincoln Chafee (RI) • Nikki Haley (SC) • Dennis Daugaard (SD) • Bill Haslam (TN) • Rick Perry (TX) • Gary R. Herbert (UT) • Peter Shumlin (VT) • Bob McDonnell (VA) • Christine Gregoire (WA) • Earl Ray Tomblin (WV) • Scott Walker (WI) • Matt Mead (WY)
GovernorsLogo.jpg
Gubernatorial Elections
Features
Retrieved from "http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Robert_J._Bentley&oldid=1766919"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Encyclopedia
Calendars
Get Involved
Donate
Toolbox