Spotlight on the AL 2nd Congressional District

Republican Winner, Martha Roby
Alabama's Second Congressional District covers the southeastern corner of Alabama, encompassing the counties of Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery (partial) and Pike. Most of Montgomery is covered as well as the cities of Dothan, Prattville, Enterprise, Ozark, Troy and Greenville. Defense and agriculture (primarily peanuts) are the mainstays of the economy. At the federal level, the district is firmly Republican and awarded John McCain a 26 point victory over Barack Obama in 2008. Yet in 2008, voters split their tickets and chose Democrat Bobby Bright, former Mayor of Birmingham, in a narrow win over Jay Love for the open seat created by retiring eight-term Republican Terry Everett. Prior to that switch, the district had been a Republican stronghold for more than four decades. Republicans targeted the district as a prime opportunity for a pick up in 2010. In a three way primary race on June 1, Montgomery city councilwoman Martha Roby received 49% of the vote to Tea Party backed bar owner Rick Barber's 29%. In the pursuant run off election, Roby won a decisive 20 point victory over Barber. She was backed by House Republican leaders and the National Republican Congressional Committee and enjoyed a fund raising advantage over Barber heading into the run off. On November 2, Martha Roby returned this seat to the GOP by defeating Bobby Bright, 51% to 49%.
Martha Roby
  • Native of Montgomery, Alabama
  • Bachelor of Music Degree, New York Univ., 1998
  • Law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, 2001
  • Practiced law at Copeland, Franco, Screws & Gill, P.A., member in good standing with the Alabama and Mississippi bar associations
  • Elected to Montgomery City Council, 2003, re-elected in 2007 with 82% of the vote, routinely oppose tax increases and offered solutions to reduce government spending, chaired a committee on immigration which led to the Council adopting an ordinance to prohibit businesses from harboring illegal aliens
  • Active member of the Board of Directors of Sav-A-Life Montgomery, the Cleveland Avenue YMCA, the Britton YMCA, the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts and the Montgomery Weed and Seed Executive Board
  • Participated in the Southern Women Leadership Conference and also the National Security Forum at Maxwell Air Force Base

ISSUES

  • Health Care:  allow purchase of health care plans across state lines; let consumers choose the type of coverage they want; tax breaks to individuals and self-employed who purchase their own plans; portability; medical liability reform; creation of high-risk pools and Associated Health Plans to bring down costs
  • Government Spending: Congress should prioritize America’s needs and cut back on what we cannot afford; balance the budget without raising taxes
  • Tax Reform: Americans are overtaxed; streamline the tax code and reduce the federal bureaucracy needed to enforce the existing tax code; abolish the IRS as we know it; eliminate the "death tax"
  • Immigration: secure the borders; oppose amnesty and government benefits for illegals; enforce current law; deport criminals; provide the Border Patrol with needed resources, training and technology
  • Family Values: sanctity of life, Constitutional right to prayer
  • 2nd Amendment: supports individual right to keep and bear arms
  • Military: assure veterans the highest quality medical care; maintain a proper level of active duty forces to defend our nation and interests around the world
  • Education: strengthen local control; cut federal red tape and provide the authority and flexibility to put the federal education dollars directly into the classroom




"After several months of buck-passing and excuses, the Democrats in Congress made it official last week: they will not offer a budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2011. The Democrats in Congress are like the teenager who crashes the car while speeding and then tries to hide it from his parents They are afraid of the consequences of the voters learning the true extent of their reckless spending spree. Despite the best efforts of the Democrats, the American people will not be fooled. The Democrats in Congress will pay at the voting booth, not only for their wasteful Washington Spending but for the failure to govern."
Martha Roby "Roadmap"
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