Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley today released his first campaign ad of the 2014 election cycle, titled “Accomplishments.”
In 2010 you elected me as your governor. Since then, unemployment is down, we’ve recruited over 50,000 jobs, saved over a billion dollars, and launched the largest roads program in state history.
We’ve faced difficult challenges, but Alabamians are strong and hard-working, and we care about each other.
I love this state, and it’s an honor to serve as your governor. Together we’ve achieved so much, and there’s more to be done. That’s why I’m asking you to re-elect me as your governor.
The ad is vintage Bentley. You can almost feel the doctor-governor wanting reach through the camera and put his hand on the shoulder of every voter in the state. He’s at his best when he’s talking about the character of Alabamians, and his sincerity has earned him one of the highest job approval ratings of any statewide elected official in the country.
Bentley also touts the fact that Alabama’s unemployment rate has plummeted since he took office. Critics will be quick to point out that Alabama’s shrinking labor force has played a role in making that happen. There were about 15,000 less unemployed Alabamians in January of this year than there were in January of 2013. But the state’s labor force also shrunk by over 30,000 people during that same time period. In short, there are less people working in Alabama today than there were this time last year.
But Bentley has also had a run of high-profile economic development successes that rivals almost any governor in the country over the last four years. From Airbus to Remington to the recent Verizon expansion, Gov. Bentley’s Commerce Department has successfully leveraged Alabama’s status as a right-to-work state and its low-tax, low-regulation business climate to land some major projects.
What do you think about the job Gov. Bentley has done since taking office in 2011? Will he be getting your vote again this year? Let us know in the comment section below or by tweeting @YHPolitics.
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