Current Position: U.S. Representative (since 2009)
Credit: Bright.house.gov
Why He Matters
Without Barack Obama at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2008, Bright might never have made it to Washington – at least not as a Democrat. Alabama’s 2nd District has been represented by Republicans for over 40 years, but in November 2008 he eked out a narrow victory over Republican Jay Love, thanks to Obama’s popularity with black Southern voters and the resulting “coattail” effect.
The former non-partisan Montgomery, Ala., mayor, who was courted by both parties to run for Congress, decided to run as a Democrat in part because of these coattails. According to a campaign memo, Bright’s advisers calculated that if Obama became the nominee, high voter turnout from African-Americans (28 percent of registered voters in the district are black) could gain Bright a good five percentage points over his Republican opponent.
During the campaign, however, Bright distanced himself from Obama (Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.) won big there, as did George W. Bush); in Alabama’s primary, he crossed over and voted for Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. He also dissociated himself from other liberal Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and in his short time in the U.S. House has proven himself resistant to party leadership.
Because of his narrow 2008 victory and the overall conservatism of the district, Alabama Republicans are already gearing up for the 2010 election and hope to unseat Bright. But the congressman says this does not bother him. “Party and politics are not a priority,” he told NBC in January. “I may be a one-term congressman, but I’m going to do what’s right.”
At a Glance
Current Position: U.S. Representative (since 2009)
Career History: Mayor of Montgomery, Ala. (1999 to 2009); practicing attorney (1983 to 1999); corrections officer (1977 to 1979)
Birthday: July 21, 1952
Hometown: Midland City, Alabama
Alma Mater: B.A.-Auburn University (1975), M.S.-Troy State University (1977), J.D.-Faulkner University (1982)
Spouse: Lynn
Religion: Baptist
Committees: Armed Services, Agriculture, Small Business
DC Office: 1205 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-2901
District Offices: Dothan: 188 North Foster Street, Suite 105, Dothan, Alabama 36303
Phone: 334-794-9680
Montgomery: 22 Monroe St., Suite 1B, Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 334-277-9113
Opp: 101 North Main Street, Opp, AL 36467
Phone: 334-493-9253
Ozark: 275 N. Union Avenue, Suite 214, Ozark, AL 36360
Phone: 334-445-4600
Email
Web site
Path to Power
Born to cotton share-croppers in the rural Wiregrass region of southeastern Alabama, Bright was the 13th of 14 children. He attended Enterprise State Junior College and Auburn University where he graduated with a B.S. in political science in 1975. After completing an M.S. in criminal justice and working for a few years as a corrections officer, Bright attended Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery where he earned a J.D. in 1982.
Bright practiced law in Montgomery for 16 years and raised three children with his wife Lynn, a now-retired judge, before entering politics. In 1999 he was first elected mayor of Montgomery, a non-partisan post which he held for nine years. During his time as mayor, Bright oversaw significant job growth in Montgomery, but also an increase in taxes, a point the GOP emphasized during the 2008 election. Supporters say Bright did a great deal to improve race relations in the city.
2008 U.S. House Race
When Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.) announced his impending retirement in September 2007, several Republicans rushed to announce their candidacies for the open seat. Bright was not so quick. As a popular non-partisan mayor, he was courted by both parties, but Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), co-chair of House Democrats' “Red To Blue” campaign designed to steal GOP seats, eventually won him over, and Bright announced his Democratic candidacy in early 2008.
The general election, which pitted Bright against state Rep. Love, was especially bitter, even though both candidates held the same positions on many issues and attended the same church. The race was the most expensive in Alabama in 2008: Bright spent just more than $700,000, while Love reportedly spent nearly $1.6 million, including $800,000 of his own money.
To sweeten the prospects of joining their party, the Democrats assured Bright that he would have seats on the House Agriculture and Armed Services Committees, and so he does, in addition to a spot on the House Small Business Committee. These committee assignments put Bright in an excellent position to advance the interests of his district, which includes mostly rural counties and two military bases.
In His Own Words
“I may be a one-term congressman, but I’m going to do what’s right.”
The Issues
During the 2008 election, Bright warned his Republican opponent not to paint him as “a liberal, Nancy Pelosi Democrat,” and he certainly isn’t. On hot-button social issues like gun control and abortion rights, Bright reflects the conservatism of his district. He is also a strong supporter of the military and is a member of the House Blue Dog Coalition, a fiscally conservative House caucus.
In his short tenure in Congress, Bright has already bucked the party leadership on several important pieces of legislation; he has voted with his Democratic colleagues 70.9 percent of the time in the the 111th Congress.
Near the beginning of his term, Bright opposed what Pelosi considered slam-dunk legislation: the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (incidentally named after an Alabama factory worker), which addresses pay discrimination against women.
Health Care
In one of the first major votes in the 111th Congress, Bright and one other House Democrat broke with the party (five abstained) and voted against the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (SCHIP), which extends federal support of a state program for uninsured children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid. The legislation passed, 289 to 139, with the support of 40 Republicans.
In July 2009, Bright told The Dothan Eagle in Dothan, Ala., that he would likely vote against the House Democrats health-care reform plan because he opposes a government-subsidized insurance plan. Bright said he would support “market driven” reform, but that the current plan would hurt small businesses through higher taxes.
The Economy
When he was first elected, Bright said that “reinstat[ing] confidence in our national economy… on a bipartisan basis” was his first priority, but he did not believe the $787 billion federal stimulus package could accomplish this. Along with six other House Democrats, Bright voted against the final version of the stimulus package that passed in February 2009. He cited his constituents’ opposition to the bill and their concern that the stimulus was not “worth its tremendous price tag.”
Though his public comments about the stimulus took on a reasoned tone, Bright’s aversion to public spending and aid may have more personal roots. Although he was not able to vote on the financial or auto industry bailouts in 2008, Bright says he would have opposed them. “I've never had anybody bail me out," he said, in reference to his own impoverished background.
The Network
Bright is close to other members of the Alabama congressional delegation, including Artur Davis, who was instrumental in recruiting him for the Democratic Party.
Just prior to the 2008 election, Bright won the support of the fiscally-conservative House Blue Dogs, a group that he joined upon his arrival in Washington. He also has ties to some Republicans in Alabama politics such as state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, who endorsed Bright over his Republican challenger.
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