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Beth Chapman
Beth Chapman (born April 6, 1962 in Greenville, Alabama) was the 51st Republican Alabama Secretary of State. She was first elected to this position in 2006 and was sworn into office in January of 2007. She scored a decisive re-election victory over Democratic challenger Scott Gilliland on November 2, 2010. Chapman was unopposed in both the 2006 and 2010 Republican primary elections.
Chapman's second term was not set to expire until January 19, 2015; however, she resigned from office effective July 31, 2013, in order to take a new job as a political consultant with the Alabama Farmers Federation. Gov. Robert Bentley (R) appointed former Secretary of State and veteran Alabama politician Jim Bennett to fill the vacancy for the remainder of her unexpired term. Per the terms of his appointment, Bennett did not run for a full term in the office when it came up for election in 2014.[1]
Chapman would have been barred from seeking a third consecutive term as secretary of state due to constitutional term limits. In April 2013, months before announcing her resignation, Chapman said that she planned to take a break from elected office altogether rather than run for a new seat in 2014.[2]
Chapman's diverse career has traversed government and private sectors. The former single-term state auditor of Alabama has written multiple books and owns Beth Chapman and Associates, Limited Liability Corporation.[3]. Chapman was the first female Cabinet member for a governor in the state's history, serving in the position of Appointments Secretary under former Gov. Fob James.[4] She was later named Press Secretary for then-Lieutenant Governor Steven Windom.
As secretary of state, Chapman focused on improving the quality and efficiency of the office's many functions. She implemented an electronic filings system within the Business Division, and represented Alabama on the national stage in support of developing online voting capabilities for U.S. citizens living or serving abroad during an election. Chapman also founded Alabama's first Voter Fraud Task Force in response to the call by many Republican government leaders to address suspected threats to the integrity of voting systems, a topic which hit its peak salience in the two years leading up to the 2012 elections.[4]
Biography
Chapman graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.[4] She was appointed to the cabinet-level position of Appointments Secretary for former Gov. Fob James and went on to serve as Press Secretary for Lieutenant Governor Steven Windom.
She has owned the business, Beth Chapman and Associates, Limited Liability Corporation, since 1996, and has authored three books, including The Power of Patriotism, which earned Chapman a George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.[4]
Chapman serves in several roles in addition to her duties as a secretary of state, including:
- Member, Board of Directors for Lifeline Ministeries and the Turning Point Foundation
- Member, Governor's Committee on Accountability
- Member, Help America Vote Act Implementation Commission
- Member, Lakeside Baptist Church
- Member, Shelby County Child Advocacy Center
- Member, Shelby County Court Appointed Special Advocates Program
- Member, Republican Women's Leadership Council
Education
- Bachelor's degree, University of Montevallo
- Master's degree, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Political career
Chapman began her political career working as an Appointments Secretary within the cabinet of then-Governor Fob James in 1995. Four years later, she was Press Secretary for Lieutenant Governor Steve Windom. In the midst of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she served as a delegate pledged to George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, and as a member of Alabama's delegation to the Electoral College.[5]
Alabama Secretary of State (2007-2013)
Chapman was elected Secretary of State of Alabama in 2006, defeating Democrat Nancy L. Worley with 57.6% of the vote. She was re-elected to the position in 2010, winning the race against Scott Gilliland (D) by a significant margin of approximately 25%. She ran unopposed in both Republican primary elections.
Chapman stepped down from office on July 31, 2013. She decided to leave before her second term's January 2015 scheduled end date after receiving a job offer from the Alabama Farmers Federation. Gov. Bentley praised Chapman's performance in the office, citing her efforts to protect voter rights, especially those of military voters. "I have the utmost respect for her. Her honesty and integrity are above reproach. I wish her the very best," Bentley said after naming Jim Bennett as her interim replacement.[1]
Modernization
During her tenure as secretary of state, Chapman focused on improving the quality and efficiency of the office's many functions. She implemented an electronic filings system within the Business Division, and represented Alabama on the national stage in advocating for the development of military internet voting, to make it easier for servicemen to participate in elections from abroad.
Voting
Chapman created a new investigative branch of her office, the state's first Voter Fraud Task Force, to combat the highly publicized issues and abuses hurting the integrity and support of the state's voting system. After she took office, the number of Alabama voter’s increased by almost 200,000; "she and her staff successfully conducted the largest Presidential Election in Alabama’s history."[4]
Ethics complaint
Former Republican judge and one time candidate for state Attorney General Mark Montiel filed a complaint against Chapman in early 2008 requesting that the Alabama Ethics Commission and the Attorney General review tens of thousands of dollars paid by Chapman's 2006 campaign to her husband and sons. In March that same year, Attorney General Troy King stated that the evidence did not support Montiel's claim, arguing that "state law does not prohibit a candidate from hiring family members to work in a campaign."[6] The Alabama Ethics Commission cleared Chapman of the charges filed against by Montiel in December 2008 by a vote of 4 to 1 "finding there was insufficient evidence to pursue an ethics charge against her."[7]
Alabama State Auditor (2002-2006)
Chapman resigned from her position within Lt. Gov. Windom's staff in order to run as state auditor in 2002, a goal she was successful in achieving. She remained in that role until taking office as Alabama's Secretary of State in 2006. During her term as Auditor, the office "produced a record-breaking 96% perfect audit rate among state agencies, holding them to the highest level of accountability."[4]
Elections
2014
Chapman is term-limited in 2014 and unable to seek a third term as Secretary of State. On April 2, 2013 she said she needed a break from elected office and would not be running for any position in 2014.[8]
2010
- 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary
- Beth Chapman ran unopposed in this contest
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  Beth Chapman
|
62.3% | |
| Democratic Party | Scott Gilliland | 37.7% | |
| Total Votes | 1,451,133 | ||
2006
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary
- Beth Chapman ran unopposed in this contest
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | Beth Chapman
|
57.6% | |
| Democratic Party | Nancy L. Worley | 42.3% | |
| Total Votes | 1,204,136 | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Beth Chapman currently resides in Hoover, Alabama with her husband, James, and their two children - Taylor and Thatcher. She is a practicing Baptist and well-respected motivational speaker.[5]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Beth + Chapman + Alabama + Secretary"
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Alabama Secretary of State
Post Office Box 5616
Montgomery, AL 36103-5616
Phone: (334) 242-7200
Fax: (334) 242-4993
See also
- Alabama Secretary of State
- Governor of Alabama
- Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
- Attorney General of Alabama
External links
- Official Alabama Secretary of State website
- Beth Chapman's MySpace profile
- Beth Chapman 2010 Campaign website
- Social media:
- Political profiles:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WSFA.com, "Governor Bentley appoints Jim Bennett as Secretary of State," July 9, 2013
- ↑ The Gainesville Sun, "Alabama secretary of state won't run in 2014," April 2, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Office of the Alabama Secretary of State, "Beth Chapman," accessed May 23, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Office of secretary, "Beth's Bio," accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Project Vote Smart, "Secretary Chapman Biography," accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Birmingham News, "Alabama AG says complaint against secretary of state unsupported" 18 March, 2008
- ↑ Birmingham News, "Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman cleared by Ethics Commission on complaint she misused campaign funds" 4 Dec. 2008
- ↑ The Gainesville Sun, "Alabama secretary of state won't run in 2014," April 2, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State - 2006 General Election Results
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nancy Worley (D) |
Alabama Secretary of State 2006–present |
Succeeded by Jim Bennett (R) |
| |||||||||||||||||||
