50 Best State GOP Electoral Success Stories

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Today begins a new recurring series which can be subtitled "The 50 Best GOP from the U.S. 50, over the last 50 years." Considering this is the week of the NFL Draft, one can think of the theme as: Who was the best GOP politician (or "draft pick") over the last 50 years for each of the 50 states? Who won despite (or because of) the political tilt of the state, or in tough electoral circumstances? Who did the most to improve the state's GOP brand, and who led the way to an expanded party bench? Simply, as a historical lesson for the party, whose career should the GOP look back on as a basis for future electoral success? Some states, like California, have a lot of solid candidates from which to choose. Others (Can ya hear me, Arkansas?) leave the party with slim pickings. Such is life. Using the highly scientific Rock-Paper-Scissors (best 3 out of 5) to determine state order, alphabetical order came out on top. The state of Alabama gets first honors.

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Sweet Home Alabama - Bob Riley
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Hard to believe by today's standards that Alabama was once a solid Democrat state (albeit of the Southern-fried variety). Only 3 of the 10 elected governors since 1960 and 3 of 8 elected U.S. Senators have been Republicans. The 7 Alabama congressional districts have been represented by the GOP 44% of the combined possible years since 1960. But the good luck charm for the Alabama GOP was, arguably, Bill Clinton (D - Playboy Mansion). Since the former Prez took the oath of office, no Democrat has been elected U.S. Senator, and only one has been elected Governor (Jim Folsom, the Lt. Gov., assumed office after the Republican was convicted of state ethics law violations). That one Democrat, Don Siegelman, was defeated in his re-election bid by only 3,120 votes - the closest margin in the history of the state's gubernatorial race. The benefactor of that razor-thin margin was former Congressman Bob Riley. Riley, who was elected to the U.S. House (3rd District) in 1996, stuck to a self-imposed 3-term limit. That limit, once fulfilled, didn't stop him from defeating Siegelman, and he became the first post-Reconstruction Republican to defeat an incumbent governor in the state's history.
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Despite cratering approval ratings half-way through his first term - mainly by irritating his base and business groups by proposing tax increases - Riley eventually turned the numbers around, much of it due to his diligent response to Hurricane Katrina. Although in November 2005 he was linked to the Jack Abramoff scandal, he held enough goodwill in Alabama to defeat his Democrat opponent, Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, a year later by a comfortable 16% margin. Quite impressive considering 2006 was a lean year for the GOP nationally.
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He earns the honor of Best Alabama Republican after his 14 years of consecutive elective office and solidifying the GOP brand in the governor's office so well that the GOP is expected to hold the office for a record 3rd term after the November midterms. (Riley is already the longest serving Republican in the Governor's chair, and should he make it through 2010, the only one to serve a complete 2 terms.)
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Honorable Mention: Former Gov. Guy Hunt, Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions

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- 50-Best