Teachers lobbyist Paul Hubbert defeated Attorney General Don Siegelman Tuesday in the Alabama Democratic runoff for governor.
With 80 percent of the vote counted, Hubbert led 53 percent to 47 percent.Siegelman conceded in a speech to supporters. "This has been a long campaign, but I remain committed to the ideals I put forth," Siegelman said.
Hubbert said, "It's not I that deserve the credit, but the people of Alabama who have opted for progressive leadership to move Alabama into the next century."
He will face Republican Gov. Guy Hunt in the November general election.
Hubbert, the executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association, led Siegelman and four other challengers by 50,000 votes in the primary and used his support from the teachers lobby, blacks and supporters of former Democratic Gov. George Wallace.
Siegelman, who served as former South Dakota Sen. George McGovern's campaign coordinator in the 1972 presidential race, based his campaign on a pledge to push for a state lottery and to increase the property taxes charged to out-of-state companies owning large timber tracts in Alabama.
Although the Hubbert-Siegelman campaign included some negative advertising, the race for attorney general between Jimmy Evans and state Sen. Roger Bedford generated the most heat.
Evans led Bedford 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent.
Bedford publicized Evans' 1957 arrest on attempted robbery charges in Panama City, Fla. Evans, who was 18 at the time, said the charges stemmed from an attempt to break up a fight and were later dropped.