2014 Alabama elections


A general election was held in the U.S. state of Alabama on November 4, 2014. All of Alabama's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Alabama's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Primary elections were held on June 3, 2014, for offices that need to nominate candidates. Primary runoffs, necessary if no candidate won a majority of the vote, were held on July 15.

Governor

Incumbent Republican Governor Robert J. Bentley, who had served in the office since January 17, 2011, ran for re-election to a second term as governor.
He defeated former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy Lee George and retired software company owner and candidate for Mayor of Scottsboro in 2012 Bob Starkey in the Republican primary.
In the Democratic primary, former U.S. Representative Parker Griffith defeated businessman and former professional baseball player Kevin Bass.

Results

Lieutenant governor

In Alabama, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey, who had served in the office since January 17, 2011, ran for re-election to a second term.
Pastor and conservative activist Stan Cooke also ran in the Republican primary.
Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Kay
Ivey
Stan
Cooke
Undecided
CygnalMay 29–30, 20141,217± 2.81%58%32%10%
CygnalMay 19–20, 20141,324± 2.69%35%18%47%

Former state representative James C. Fields was the only Democrat running for the office. Scott Ninesling, a fire chief and emergency response supervisor for a liquefied natural gas plant in Angola, had declared his candidacy, but he withdrew before the filing deadline.

Attorney General

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Luther Strange, who had served in the office since January 17, 2011, ran for re-election to a second term.
He was unopposed in the Republican primary. State Representative Joe Hubbard, the great-grandson of former U.S. Senator J. Lister Hill, was the only Democrat running for the office.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Republican Secretary of State James R. Bennett, who had served in the office since July 31, 2013, did not run for re-election, per the terms of his appointment. Bennett, who had previously served as secretary of state from 1993 to 2003, was appointed to the office following the resignation of Beth Chapman.
Running in the Republican primary were former Montgomery County Probate Judge Reese McKinney, State Representative John Merrill, and Crenshaw County Probate Judge James Perdue.
Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Reese
McKinney
John
Merrill
James
Perdue
Undecided
CygnalMay 29–30, 20141,217± 2.81%21%19%17.1%43%
CygnalMay 19–20, 20141,324± 2.69%12%8.5%9%71%

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Reese
McKinney
John
Merrill
Undecided
CygnalJuly 7–8, 2014821± 3.42%23%24.2%52.8%

The only Democrat running was Lula Albert-Kaigler, a retired self-employed worker and candidate for Alabama's 1st congressional district in 2013 [Alabama's 1st congressional district special election|2013].

State Auditor

Incumbent Republican State Auditor Samantha Shaw, who had served in the office since January 15, 2007, was term-limited and not eligible to run for re-election to a third term.
Four Republicans ran for their party's nomination: farmer and candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries in 2010 Dale Peterson, former Deputy Conservation Commissioner Hobbie Sealy, secretary of state aide Adam Thompson, and former Public Service Commissioner Jim Zeigler. Attorney Ray Bryan had been running on a platform of abolishing the office, but he was disqualified from the ballot by the Alabama Republican Party for missing the deadline to file a financial statement with the Alabama Ethics Commission. He considered running as an independent, but decided against it.
Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Dale
Peterson
Hobbie
Sealy
Adam
Thompson
Jim
Zeigler
Undecided
CygnalMay 29–30, 20141,217± 2.81%17%5%10%24%45%
CygnalMay 19–20, 20141,324± 2.69%11%3%5%20%61%

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Dale
Peterson
Jim
Zeigler
Undecided
CygnalJuly 7–8, 2014821± 3.42%22%31%48%

The only Democrat running was Miranda Joseph, the nominee for State Auditor in 2010.

State Treasurer

Incumbent Republican State Treasurer Young Boozer, who had served in the office since January 17, 2011, was running for re-election to a second term.
Boozer was unopposed in the Republican primary. Democrat Joe Cottle, a lobbyist for the Alabama Education Association, had been running, but withdrew from the race.

Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries

Incumbent Republican Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries John McMillan, who had served in the office since January 17, 2011, was running for re-election to a second term.
McMillan was unopposed in the Republican primary. The only Democrat running was Doug "New Blue" Smith.

Public Service Commission

Both of the Associate Commissioners on the Alabama Public Service Commission are up for election. Republican Jeremy Oden, who was appointed to the commission by Governor Bentley in December 2012, was running for election to a first full term. Republican Terry L. Dunn, who was first elected in 2010, was running for re-election to a second term.

Place 1

Oden was challenged in the Republican primary by Kathy Peterson, the wife of Dale Peterson and a candidate for Public Service Commission in 2012. No Democrat filed to run.

Polling

Republican primary

General election

Place 2

Dunn faced three opponents in the Republican primary: Jonathan Barbee, former interim press secretary for the Alabama Republican Party; Chris "Chip" Beeker, former Greene County Commissioner; and Phillip Brown, the Chairman of the Alabama Minority GOP. No Democrat filed to run.

Polling

Republican primary

Primary runoff

Polling
Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Terry L.
Dunn
Chris "Chip"
Beeker
Undecided
CygnalJuly 7–8, 2014821± 3.42%22%31%47%

General election

State judiciary

One seat on the Supreme Court of Alabama and four seats on the state appellate courts - two on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and two on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals - were up for election in 2014. All five Republican incumbents were re-elected without having to face an opponent.

State Senate

All 35 seats of the Alabama Senate were up for election in 2014.
Prior to the election the Republicans held a 23–11 edge; after the election the Republicans regained control 26–8 with 1 independent going to the GOP side.

State House of Representatives

All 105 seats in the Alabama House of Representatives were up for election in 2014.
Prior to the election the Republicans had a 66–37 edge; after the election the Republicans regained control 72–33.

United States Senate

Incumbent Republican senator Jeff Sessions ran for re-election to a fourth term. No other candidates filed before the deadline and so he was unopposed in the primary and general elections.

United States House of Representatives

All of Alabama's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2014.

Ballot measures

Six statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot in Alabama - one in July and five in November. All of them were approved by the voters.

Amendment 1 (July)

The Alabama Cotton Producer Assessment Refund Amendment would end the assessment refund for cotton producers who do not participate in the assessment program for cotton checkoff.

Amendment 1 (November)

The Alabama Foreign Laws in Court Amendment would forbid the state's recognition of laws violating its policies, including all foreign law.

Amendment 2

The Alabama Capital Improvement Trust Fund Amendment would increase the amount of general obligation bonds authorized by $50 million.

Amendment 3

The Alabama Right to Bear Arms Amendment would protect the right to bear arms in the state and require strict scrutiny of any restriction on the right.

Amendment 4

The Alabama Board of Education Expenditure Increase Amendment would require a two-thirds majority vote by the Alabama Legislature to increase local education expenditure by $50,000 or more.

Amendment 5

The Alabama Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment would clarify that the people in Alabama have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife subject to reasonable regulations.