Former U.S. Rep Bobby Bright announces campaign, will challenge Martha Roby

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Bobby Bright_Martha Roby

Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright is looking to reclaim his seat in Congress — this time as a Republican.

Bright, the former mayor of Montgomery, Ala. is seeking a rematch with incumbent U.S. Rep. Martha Roby for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bright made the announcement on Thursday at the Alabama Republican Party Headquarters in Birmingham, Ala. where he explained he believes he’ll be more effective in Washington as a Republican.

“I tried to be a Democrat, and I didn’t do the job as a Democrat that I wanted to do,” Bright said, “mainly because my beliefs are conservative and that kind of held me back.”

This is the first time Bright has discussed running as a Republican. In 2013, he considered running for the state Senate as a member of the GOP as well.

History of AL-02

Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District includes just over half of the state capital, Montgomery, as well as most of the Wiregrass Region in the southeastern part of the state. In 2008, eight-time winner Republican Rep. Terry Everett announced his retirement, creating a vacancy for the seat. Bright ran for the seat as a Democrat and defeated Republican-candidate for State Rep. Jay Love.

Bright served only one term, from 2009-2011, before Roby ran on the Republican ticket and unseated him in the 2010 midterm elections.

“Representative Roby is focused on doing the job that the people of Alabama’s Second District sent her to Washington to do, and she looks forward to discussing her clear conservative Republican record on the campaign trail,” said Roby spokeswoman Emily Taylor-Johnson when Alabama Today asked Roby’s office she thought of Bright challenging her.

Challengers

Bright will not face not only Roby in the June 5 Republican  primary, but also Tommy Amason, Rich Hobson and Barry Moore. The deadline to qualify to run is 5 p.m. Friday.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Bobby Briight, a Republican in name only who crawled under the fence to proclaim himself a Democrat and failed. Now wants to change his spots and revert to being a Republican (again). You once responded to me as a narrow minded individual when I challenged you and some of your questionable tax plans on a radio talk show. Ex-Mayor Bright, you ran away then and haven’t stopped running. What’s the matter there Bobby? Can’t find a real job and want to get back into Government? With all due respect, you failed, go away. Bobby, can you hear me now?

  2. Bright voted more like a Republican than a Democrat when he was in the House. Had it not been for giving the House majority to the Republicans to rid ourselves of the Pelosi plague, I would have voted for Bright when Roby defeated him.
    I have another problem with Roby regarding the 2016 Presidential election. I can understand her not supporting Trump, but she was so outspoken about it.

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