Former state Sen. Roger Bedford to retire from campaign trail

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With a political career spanning more than three decades, former state Sen. Roger Bedford is retiring from the campaign trail.

“It’s been my highest honor to serve the people of Northwest Alabama for 30 years, and I will continue to support people who are working for what is right for the people of Alabama,” the Russellville Democrat told the Times Daily last week. “But I’m retiring from campaigning.”

Bedford, who turns 61 next month, was first elected to the state Senate in 1982 when he was 25, becoming the youngest person in Alabama history to be elected to the Legislature. He served Senate District 6 through 1990 when a battle with cancer forced a brief hiatus. After his recovery, he returned to the Senate for another two decades — from 1994 until 2014 — when he lost a bid for re-election to Tuscumbia Republican Sen. Larry Stutts by only 60 votes.

“I’m very grateful to my family and friends who have helped and supported me over the years,” Bedford added. “But I’m at peace with this decision. I’ve been away from it for four years, and I have really enjoyed working, spending time with my wife, Maudie, my son, Roge, and getting more involved in work at my church as a deacon.”

As a practicing lawyer, Bedford serves as the city attorney for Red Bay and for the Franklin County Commission, as well as acting as a municipal judge in Russellville and Hackleburg.