Taking cues from Obama’s playbook didn’t bring Davis a victory
Washington Post – June 3
The defeat of Rep. Artur Davis in his campaign to become Alabama’s first black governor halted the rise of a man viewed as part of a new generation of young black politicians and showed the limits other politicians might face in using the tactics that helped Barack Obama win the presidency. . . . Davis is not known for the kind of personal charisma and speech-making helped Obama get such intense support among black voters, but Tuesday’s result suggested the opposition of key leaders in the African American community and his vote on health-care prevented Davis from galvanizing the black vote. “People didn’t have the sense of history they felt with Barack Obama,” said David Lanoue, a political science professor at the University of Alabama. “Maybe that was because history was already made. And he managed to alienate the moderate-liberal white vote by his health-care vote.”
Observers say Artur Davis’ calculated risk backfired
Tuscaloosa News – June 3
As the dust settles from Tuesday’s Democratic primary, it’s evident that U.S. Rep. Artur Davis lost badly in a race in which opinion polls had projected him to lead his opponent just days earlier. In 33 of Alabama’s 67 counties, Davis got less than a third of the votes for governor in the Democratic primary. . . . “When you go from a five- to 10-point win to a 24-point loss, it’s almost as if everything went wrong,” said David Lanoue, chair of the political science department at the University of Alabama.
Why didn’t polls predict Bentley surge, Sparks victory?
Anniston Star – June 3
It was nothing if not a shocker. For weeks, Alabamians watched as presumed front-runners Tim James and Bradley Byrne engaged in a steel-cage match for the Republican nomination for governor. And when voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, it was Robert Bentley – the Tuscaloosa dermatologist who consistently placed fourth in pre-election polls – who emerged as a surprise contender. . . . Patrick Cotter, a retired University of Alabama political science professor who studies political polling, wasn’t so surprised. Primaries, he said, are notoriously hard to predict. “As a general rule, pre-election surveys in primaries are difficult,” Cotter said in an e-mail. “Compared to general elections, primaries are generally less visible and the amount of information available to voters is less. As a consequence, voters’ preferences may be less stable.”
What went right, wrong in Tuesday’s primaries
Times Daily (Florence) – June 3
Tuesday’s Democratic and Republican Party primaries were not a referendum against Washington or national health care or support for the tea party movement. . . . Political science professors Jess Brown, of Athens State University, and David Lanoue, of the University of Alabama, said the surprise finishers point to some interesting months ahead. So do the losers, they added.
Boys State students provide helping hands for projects
Tuscaloosa News – June 3
Participants in Alabama Boys State lent a hand at Northington Elementary on Wednesday, fixing basketball courts, landscaping and working on playground equipment as part of the program’s community service efforts. . . . Boys State, held annually at the University of Alabama, is designed to teach high school juniors about state and local government and the importance of community service.
Workshops planned
Baldwin County Now – June 3
DaWoyne Alexander of the University of Alabama’s SummerTide Theatre helps Bailey Kennon (right) of Orange Beach with her mask during a summer workshop at South Baldwin Community Theatre in Gulf Shores. SummerTide Theatre, together with South Baldwin Community Theatre, will begin summer camp at SBCT June 8. Other camps are planned for June 15 and June 22.
Grace Selected for U.S. Department of Energy Award
Market Watch – June 3
W. R. Grace & Co.(GRA 25.40, +0.11, +0.44%) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy with the Energy Saver Award for the company’s manufacturing operations in Irondale, Alabama. . . . To qualify for the distinction, the facility reduced its total energy usage by over 9% in 2009 and participated in an energy assessment done by a recognized Department of Energy expert affiliated with the Alabama Industrial Assessment Center at the University of Alabama.