Campaign

Love and Parker win Alabama GOP runoffs

by Aaron Blake - 07/16/08 6:44 PM ET

Republicans Jay Love and Wayne Parker won primary runoffs Tuesday in Alabama, setting up a pair of the top general-election match-ups in the country.

Love, a state House member and favorite of national Republicans, defeated state Sen. Harri Anne Smith 53-47.

{mosads}Parker, an insurance executive, beat attorney Cheryl Baswell Guthrie 79-21.

Love will face Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright, a former Independent who is running as a Democrat, for retiring Rep. Terry Everett’s (R) seat.

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The race appeared to narrow in the days leading up to the runoff, after Love released a post-primary poll showing him leading 60-32. Democrats say this shows how damaging some of Smith’s attacks were on his record, while Republicans say Bright’s record is worse.

Parker narrowly missed avoiding the runoff and will take on state Sen. Parker Griffith in retiring Rep. Bud Cramer’s (D) district.

Both Bright and Griffith won their primaries outright six weeks ago

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