Bobby Neal Bright, Sr. (born July 21, 1952), is an American politician who served as U.S. Representative for Alabama's 2nd congressional district from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes just over half of the state capital, Montgomery, as well as most of the Wiregrass Region in the southeastern part of the state. Bright is the first Mayor of Montgomery to be elected to Congress. In November 2010, he was defeated for a second term in the U.S. House by the Republican Martha Roby, a Montgomery City Council member.

Early life, education, and early career

Bright was born in Midland City, Alabama and grew up on one of the cotton farms that were typical of the Wiregrass Region. After spending his youth working on the farm and graduating from high school, he took a job in metalworking to save up money for college. He later graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in political science in 1975 and took a job as an auditor before earning an M.S. in criminal justice from Troy State University in 1977 and beginning a career as a corrections officer. While working in the prison system, he was deeply affected by the many young people he saw entering the penitentiaries and decided to transition into law practice as a result. Bright received his Juris Doctor from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in 1982. He practiced law for fifteen years before entering into politics.