to victory

by Patrick Ellis/Staff Writer

GREENSBORO – Bobby Singleton’s convincing election Tuesday night came without the support of two of this region’s most powerful political leaders.

During the campaign for the District 24 seat in the Alabama Senate, Singleton didn’t receive the help of U.S. Rep. Artur Davis or now-fellow State Sen. Hank Sanders. In fact, both men publically endorsed Singleton’s opponent, Thomas Moore.

To cap that off, the third candidate in the Oct. 26 Democratic primary – fellow State Rep. Bryant Melton – also endorsed Moore.

Despite the apparent political power of those three figures, Singleton still prevailed.

“The people of this district spoke during this election,” Singleton said from Tuscaloosa late Tuesday night. “This was a hands-down decision and I believe people were influenced by the ideas of my special interest, which is education.”

Singleton complimented Moore in the way Moore ran the race.

“I look forward to working with him in the future. He’s a good man,” Singleton said.

While there were no real surprises, Singleton made tremendous headway from the Oct. 26 primary to this run-off, especially in Sumter County.

Six weeks ago, Moore beat Singleton in Sumter. This time, Singleton received nearly 600 more votes than his opponent.

“We looked really hard at Sumter and worked there,” Singleton said.

From his campaign offices in Tuscaloosa and Greensboro, Singleton said he owes a debt of gratitude to those who helped him win a resounding victory on Tuesday night. He pointed to campaign workers in both key counties, and also thanked members of Campaign 2000.

Along with Sumter County, Singleton also fared well in Tuscaloosa, where he beat Moore by exactly 800 votes.