AP: Robert Bentley re-elected Alabama governor

BY PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Republican Robert Bentley has been re-elected governor of Alabama.

Bentley defeated his Democratic challenger, Parker Griffith.

The 71-year-old governor raised about 10 times as much in campaign donations as Griffith, and it showed in the results Tuesday night. Bentley was elected in 2010 on a job-creation platform, and he sought re-election by pointing to the state’s lower unemployment rate and increase in non-agricultural jobs.

Griffith is a 72-year-old former Republican congressman, who switched parties to run for governor. He campaigned on expanding the state Medicaid program and creating a state lottery to fund education programs. The platform worked no better for Griffith than they did for Bentley’s 2010 Democratic opponent, Ron Sparks.