Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (born July 21, 1952) is an American retired lawyer, farmer, and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative and was previously the three-term Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. He served from 2009 to 2011 as the Representative from . His 2008 campaign ran on the message of "America First", and his voting record indicated that he was the most conservative member of the House Democratic Caucus in the 111th Congress. His district includes just over half of the city of Montgomery, as well as most of the Wiregrass Region in the southeastern part of the state.
Bright is a native of the Wiregrass Region and has 13 siblings. He is the first Mayor of Montgomery to be elected to Congress. In November 2010, he was defeated for a second term in the House of Representatives by Republican nominee Martha Roby, a then-Montgomery City Council member. In 2018, Bright attempted to run for his old House seat as a Republican, but was defeated in the primaries by Roby.
Early life, education, and early career
Bright was born in Midland City, Alabama and grew up on one of the cotton farms that were typical of the Wiregrass Region. Bright grew up the son of a sharecropper, with 13 siblings. After spending his youth working on the farm and graduating from high school, he took a job in metalworking to save up money for college. Bright worked each and every day to pay for his education. He later graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in political science in 1975 and took a job as an auditor before earning an M.S. in criminal justice from Troy State University in 1977 and beginning a career as a corrections officer. While working in the prison system, he was deeply affected by the many young people he saw entering the penitentiaries and decided to transition into law practice as a result. Bright received his Juris Doctor from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in 1982. He practiced law for fifteen years before entering into politics.
Mayor of Montgomery
Bright was first elected in 1999, defeating longtime incumbent Republican Mayor Emory Folmar. He was re-elected in a landslide against challenger Scott Simmons in 2003.
During Mayor Bright's tenure he revitalized Montgomery's downtown and riverfront including the Renaissance Montgomery complex and Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium. He helped bring new jobs to the area, and saved existing jobs. He was also named the state's "Tourism Advocate of the Year" by the Governor for his work in building that industry. On the financial side, he balanced the City's budget every year and created a $30 million rainy day fund, secured millions in federal grants for important projects, maintained the city's "AA" credit rating (best in state) by holding spending and debt in check, and saved money by implementing an international prescription drug buying program.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2008
Mayor Bright had never previously claimed affiliation with any party, but in 2008 he announced that he was running as a Democrat for the open seat in the 2nd District. The district's eight-term incumbent, Republican Congressman Terry Everett, was not running for reelection.
Like many Alabama Democrats, he opposed abortion and gun control. However, he favored "a strong, honorable plan" to end the Iraq War.
Bright was considered the strongest Democrat to run in a district that had been in Republican hands since 1965. With the strong support of the state and national Democratic establishment, Bright easily won the Democratic Nomination against two minor challengers. He faced Republican State Representative Jay Love in the November Election. Both Bright and Love are deacons at First Baptist Church in Montgomery. Bright received the endorsement of Republican State Senator Harri Anne Smith, whom Love had defeated by six points in the Primary.