Robert Bentley surprised many political analysts by winning the 2010 Alabama gubernatorial election. An unlikely candidate who proved popular, he was re-elected in 2014 with nearly twice the number of votes of his opponent. As governor, Bentley was praised for his handling of a tornado outbreak that hit much of the state. He was also admired by conservative voters for his opposition to same-sex marriage and aggressive immigration legislation. In 2015, he surprised some of his supporters by ordering four Confederate flags to be lowered on the grounds of the State Capitol. In 2016, he was one of several Republican governors who did not endorse Donald Trump during the presidential campaign. A devout Christian, Bentley often cited his faith as guidance for his leadership of Alabama.
His role as governor, however, came to an end in April 2017. He resigned from office in the face of impeachment proceedings and criminal investigations. For several years prior to this, Bentley had been having an extramarital affair with Rebekah Mason, one of his top advisers. Despite confrontations between Bentley’s and Mason’s families, Bentley denied they had ever had a physical relationship and the affair remained secret. Spencer Collier, secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, saw evidence of the relationship between Bentley and Mason. In August 2014, Collier told Bentley to discontinue the relationship. In March 2016, Bentley fired Collier, who then exposed the affair. Soon after, a recording of a sexually explicit phone call between Bentley and Mason was released to news media. Alabama lawmakers called for an investigation into whether or not Bentley used state property and funds to carry out the affair and began discussing impeachment.
Bentley responded on Twitter, stating, “There are no grounds for impeachment, & I will vigorously defend myself & administration from this political attack.” After months of investigation, the Alabama House Judiciary Committee’s attorney released a report on the affair. The report concluded, “Gov. Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation.” The Alabama attorney general’s office also found that Bentley failed to disclose $50,000 in personal loans from his campaign account and nearly $9,000 of campaign money used for Mason’s lawyers. Under pressure to resign, Bentley defended himself, “Those who are taking pleasure in humiliating and in shaming me, shaming my family, shaming my friends, well, I really don’t understand why they want to do that.”
Bentley pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges: failing to file a major contribution report and knowingly converting campaign contributions to personal use. In addition to fines, he was sentenced to a suspended jail term, one year of probation, and 100 hours of community service. Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey succeeded Bentley after his resignation. She stated, “The Ivey administration will be open, it will be transparent, and it will be honest.”