The coalition, in a quarterly filing with the Internal Revenue Service, said it spent $711,020 -- all with the Smart Media Group that placed the anti-Byrne ads.
AEA has said it will remain neutral in the November general election between Bentley and Democrat Ron Sparks. But the organization made no secret of its distaste for Byrne:
AEA favored state Rep. Robert Bentley of Tuscaloosa, who won the Republican runoff July 13 with 56 percent of the vote. Byrne, a former state school board member, state senator and two-year college chancellor, had targeted AEA in his campaign and accused the teachers' organization of being a corrupting influence on state government.
Has Bradley Byrne gotten over the spanking he received from Paul Hubbert and gone on to other things? Nope, he's still whining about it--even though there is no indication that AEA did anything unlawful or unethical. Reports AP:
Byrne, of Montrose on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, said today that it's sad that people can run attack ads against a candidate but not disclose who's behind the ads until after the election.
"It undermines democracy and it undermines the ability of people to make informed decisions," he said.
Oh, really? Did Byrne whine when Republicans used such tactics to take over Alabama's appellate courts? Not on your life. Reports AP:
It's a practice that has been used in Alabama campaigns before by business groups in judicial races, but it's the first time AEA has used it, AEA Executive Secretary Paul Hubbert said Tuesday.
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