U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, praised Robert Bentley for his victory in Tuesday's runoff election and predicted the Republican Party nominee will be tough to beat in the general election.
"Robert Bentley is one of the most decent, honorable people I know in politics. I have nothing but admiration for him," Davis said Thursday. "I believe he will be a very strong candidate."
Davis finished second to Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in the June 1 Democratic primary after a bruising campaign for the party's gubernatorial nomination.
Davis, in his concession speech, encouraged his supporters to rally behind Sparks in the general election. But he said Thursday that he'd already heard from several supporters who indicated they would cross over and vote for Bentley.
"I wish Ron Sparks well. But I think one common concern that people have -- and I share -- is that he could open the door that allows gambling interests to control Alabama," Davis said.
Sparks' campaign centers on his plan to establish a state lottery that would fund education. He has also vowed to regulate and tax the state's gambling industry.
A spokesman for Sparks did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Bentley, a state legislator from Tuscaloosa, defeated Bradley Byrne in Tuesday's runoff.
Davis said Bentley's win was impressive because he overcame opposition from his own party's leadership. Gov. Bob Riley and several members of Alabama's Republican congressional delegation bucked party tradition and openly endorsed Byrne.
In response, Davis said, Bentley went out and built strong support among independent voters. That should put him in a strong position as he heads into the general election, Davis said.
"November elections are decided by independent voters," Davis said. "Bentley had to reach out to independents because the establishment was supporting Bradley. It was a very effective strategy and he executed it well."
He said that Sparks, by comparison, focused his campaign on liberal Democrats, attacking Davis from the left for his vote against the health care bill. The strategy helped Sparks roll to a dominant victory -- the Fort Payne native captured 62 percent of the primary vote and won majorities in 61 of the state's 67 counties -- but Davis said it could become a liability in the general election.
"Ron Sparks was very much the candidate of activist, liberal Democratic voters. And the fact is that's a very small segment of the electorate in Alabama," he said. "That puts him very much at odds with the majority of Alabama voters, and that is a prescription for failure."
Davis said he was "very concerned" that the Alabama Democratic Party was coming under increasing control by a tight circle of individuals and special interest groups.
"The party is losing its way. We are losing ground in Alabama and we are losing it unnecessarily," he said. "We want to hide behind the excuse that the national party is unpopular right now but that's not what's causing it. The fact is we're seeing the complete domination of the party by a narrow group of insiders who are completely out of step with average Alabamians."
Davis said he disagreed with Bentley on a variety of policy issues -- naming abortion and charter schools as two examples -- but that he admired Bentley's record of reaching across party lines to work with Democrats in the state Legislature.
He said his respect for Bentley grew during their time on the campaign trail.
"Over a year and a half and 20-something debates, you get to know each other pretty well," he said. "(Bentley) was always very authentic, consistent in his positions and knew as much about state government as anybody in the race. He is running a very impressive campaign."