Candidate calls the early win in St. Clair County a "springboard for the future"
 
Montgomery - Gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne was declared the winner of the St. Clair County Republican Party Straw Poll, which was conducted last week following a well-attended Republican Gubernatorial Forum at St. Clair County High School.  The Forum, which attracted a crowd of several hundred, featured all six of the Republican candidates who have formally entered Alabama's 2010 race for Governor.
 
The final results, announced by party officials during the St. Clair County Republican Party's monthly meeting Thursday, indicated strong support for Byrne, who outpaced his nearest competitors nearly two to one. The final tally from the straw poll, which was the first such balloting process of the 2010 election season, showed Bradley Byrne the clear victor with 40 percent of the vote. Candidates Roy Moore and Tim James trailed Byrne at 21 percent each, followed by Robert Bentley with 14%, Bill Johnson with 3% and Kay Ivey with 1%.
 
"I sincerely thank all those who attended this key event and have committed themselves to working for Republican victories up and down the ballot in 2010," Byrne said when hearing of the straw poll win. "We'll use this victory as a springboard to the future - always looking forward and never backing down."
 
Byrne's decisive St. Clair County victory came despite the fact that his name has never appeared on a primary ballot in that county, which is located just east of Jefferson County in North Central Alabama. Three of the other declared candidates have campaigned and appeared on primary ballots in St. Clair County in at least one previous election cycle.
 
"We're just getting started and there's a long road ahead," Byrne said.  "But tonight's announcement is truly energizing because it's a great example of what we're finding in our travels all across the state -- Alabamians are looking for proven and tested conservative leadership in 2010; and our unyielding commitment to the 'Three E's:  Ethics, Education and Economic Development' is striking a chord with our Republican base."
 
To learn more about Bradley Byrne and his vision for Alabama's future, visit www.ByrneForAlabama.com.