The Democratic nominee for governor says he knows What’s Ailing Alabama? in his new :30 spot.

The man who is a doctor in this campaign, Republican nominee Robert Bentley, has also rolled out a new :30 commercial, I Love My Patients.

The general election is 36 days away.

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Sparks, who boasts he is gaining in a survey by the AEA’s polling wing, remains 20-points down in the RAS survey.

The latest poll  has Bentley up 55% – 35%.

Among independents, Rasmussen finds Bentley with a 65% – 23% lead over Sparks.

Fifty-eight percent hold a favorable view of Bentley, a state lawmaker and Tuscaloosa doctor.

Forty-eight percent hold a favorable view of Sparks, the two-term Agriculture Commissioner.

Term-limited Gov. Bob Riley gets a 58% job approval rating.

See the details here.

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Republican nominee Robert Bentley talks illegal immigration in “I Will Not Wait.”

In “Chance,” Democratic nominee Ron Sparks focuses on… wait for it! An education lottery.

Sparks hosts former president Bill Clinton today at a $1,000-a-person fundraiser at Birmingham’s The Summit Club today at 1pm. Wednesday he campaigned across the state with retired general and 2004 Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark.

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The $1,000-a-person event takes place at the Summit Club in downtown Birmingham Thursday at 1pm.

It is billed as a discussion of “creating jobs and moving Alabama forward” in the campaign email.

The Democratic nominee for governor is campaigning in Tuscumbia this morning before traveling to a Labor Day picnic at Tannehill State Park this afternoon.

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It’s Time showcases his 2010 Reemployment Act and vows to create and protect Alabama jobs.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey meanwhile shows Bentley’s biggest lead yet in a general election matchup with Democrat Ron Sparks.

Rasmussen shows a 58%-34% lead for Bentley over Sparks.

Bentley leads Sparks among independent voters by a 56% margin among likely voters.

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During an interview on WSFA 12 News Alabama Live, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks said, “The state of Alabama is broke.  I am a candidate for governor that’s trying to find some solutions to the problems we have in Alabama.”

For Sparks, the quickest and perhaps the most popular approach to improving the state’s finances  would be through taxes and fees from gambling.  From the beginning, the current Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries has campaigned on establishing an education lottery and taxing existing electronic bingo operations.

Sparks vows his first act after taking office will be to scrap the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling. “I’ve been against it the whole time,” he said. “I will dismantle the Task Force and put these people back to work.  We’re going to start taxing and regulating this industry.”

When asked if he thought the electronic bingo machines are illegal, Sparks said, “I don’t think they’re illegal.  I think you’ve seen judges all across the state of Alabama that have ruled that they are legal.  I think you’ve seen District Attorneys that have said that they’re legal.  Certainly, the governor and the (Alabama) Supreme Court have deemed that they are illegal…but I disagree.”

Sparks took another swipe at Governor Bob Riley saying, “There have been more video and gaming machines come to the state of Alabama under governor Bob Riley’s administration than all the governors put together.  He has sat back and watched these facilities be built.  He knew what was going on.  And in the last months of his campaign he’s decided that he’s going to go out and be relentless and put these folks out of work.”

The Ag Commissioner concluded saying, “…the people of Alabama need a choice and we’re going to give them the opportunity to vote on it.”

When asked about funding schools and other state agencies suffering from the sluggish economy, Sparks said, “I don’t look at going into the governor’s office to start cutting.  That’s an easy thing to do.  What we’ve got to do is find a way to fund some of the problems we’ve got in this state.”

Sparks faces Republican candidate, Robert Bentley in the November General Election.

The survey conducted July 22nd shows Bentley with a 3 to 1 edge among independents.

Similar to an Alabama Senate survey released yesterday, if you think the economy is improving you’re more likely to support the Democrat. If you think the economy is declining, you back the Republican.

Fifty-seven percent approve of the job Bob Riley is doing as governor.

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Riley says he watched the president during his visit to Alabama this week.

And that’s why he calls last night’s speech “disappointing.”

This morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, Riley said it was disappointing to see the president “morph this into a political debate about alternative energy.”

“We need compensation and protection… now,” Riley told Good Day.

Riley is reacting to President Obama’s Oval Office speech from Tuesday night.

During that speech, the president vowed to restore the Gulf and called for the nation to support an energy agenda that ends the nation’s “addiction” on fossil fuels.

Riley’s argument: focus on the immediate needs of the Gulf.

The governor also raised questions about newly announced deputy commanders assigned to Alabama, Florida and Mississippi to oversee cleanup and response efforts.

Riley said again this morning on Good Day the process needs to be streamlined.

“If they give this new deputy commander that kind of authority where he can make an immediate decision that does not have to be approved, then maybe it helps. If not, then its another level of bureacracy we have to contend with.”

Tuesday, Riley’s press office released a statement that seemed much more upbeat about the deputy commander.

“’I’m very hopeful this will eliminate some of the problems that have been experienced since the beginning of this disaster,’ said Governor Riley. ‘I appreciate the President’s understanding that the more we streamline this effort, the quicker and more effective the response will be.’”

The release went on to state:

“Governor Riley said having one federal official in charge of each state’s response will help address problems as they arise on the ground in the states.”

Alabama’s 7th district congressman Spencer Bachus, a Vestavia Hlls Republican, echoed Riley’s criticism of last night’s speech.

In a statement emailed to reporters last night, Rep. Bachus argued “President Obama’s attention should be on the critical situation in the Gulf and shoreline states including Alabama, not on pushing ‘cap and tax’ or other costly energy proposals.”

The current Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic nominee for governor, Ron Sparks, praised the president’s speech.

“I am heartened by President Obama’s remarks tonight, particularly the appointment of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to head up an unprecedented program for the recovery of the Gulf Coast states.”

Sparks met with President Obama during his visit to the Mobile county town of Theodore.

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