Rivals in Alabama race both claim conservative tag

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- From the harsh tone of a congressional race in Alabama, it might be hard to believe the candidates are deacons at the same Baptist church.

Democrat Bobby Bright and Republican Jay Love are campaigning hard for an open seat in Congress to represent the rural 2nd District in Alabama — a seat Democrats have not won since 1962.

"This is the best chance the Democrats have had in many years to take that seat," said William Stewart, a longtime political observer in the state and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama.

Despite their hopes for Bright — who has not endorsed Barack Obama for president and is a self-described fiscal conservative — both Stewart and strong Obama supporters such as Democratic Rep. Artur Davis do not expect Bright's possible success to translate to a win at the top of the ticket.

Davis, a three-term congressman in Alabama's heavily Democratic 7th District who gave a seconding speech placing Obama's name in nomination at the Democratic National Convention, knows the Illinois senator faces stiff odds in Alabama.

According to the Rasmussen Reports Alabama poll released Wednesday, Republican presidential nominee John McCain leads Obama, 60%-39%.

GOP territory

The last Democrat to claim Alabama in a presidential election was Jimmy Carter in 1976 with 56% of the state's vote, according to the secretary of State's records. Ronald Reagan edged Carter in 1980 — 48.75%-47.45% — those records show. In 2000, George W. Bush claimed 56.5% of the state's vote. In his re-election campaign in 2004, he improved to 62.5%.

Davis says he thinks Obama's presence on the ticket may push a lot of people to register to vote and help other Democrats down the ballot, including Bright.

Love and other Republicans have called Bright a liberal, blaming the three-term mayor of Montgomery for the city's 10% sales tax. Democrats have attacked Love for being cozy with big oil as a state lawmaker and for not providing health insurance to employees of the 16 fast-food restaurants he owned.