The Republican Senate runoff for U.S. Senate and three contests to select party nominees for two open U.S. House seats highlighted Tuesday’s runoff election in Alabama, which was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Here is a glance at the top races on the ballot:
U.S. SENATE
Former football coach and first-time candidate Tommy Tuberville handily defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the GOP Senate nomination, using strong support from President Donald Trump to slam the door on someone involved in state politics for decades.
While Sessions previously served in the Senate for 20 years from Alabama and was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump in 2016, the president backed Tuberville, who coached at Auburn University for 10 seasons ending in 2008.
Sessions, who angered Trump by stepping aside from the investigation into Russian meddling in the last election, portrayed himself as solidly in Trump’s corner. But Trump harshly criticized Sessions while tweeting his support for Tuberville.
Tuberville narrowly led Sessions in voting in the March primary, which included five other candidates.
U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 1
The race to replace Rep. Bradley Byrne in the 1st District of southwest Alabama includes a runoff on both the Republican and Democratic sides.
Jerry Carl and Bill Hightower, who both portrayed themselves as Trump-supporting conservatives, were in a close race for the GOP nod for the seat held by Byrne, who finished third in the Senate race in March and didn’t seek re-election to the House.
Carl, the president of the Mobile County Commission, has started multiple companies. Hightower is a business operator who served five years in the Alabama Senate.
Kiani A. Gardner and James Averhart were within a few percentage points of each other in the race for the Democratic nomination in District 1. A native of Hawaii, Gardner led primary balloting but had to sideline her runoff campaign for a time after donating a kidney to a stranger in Birmingham. Averhart is a military veteran who served as president of a national Marines group.
U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 2
Each billing himself as a conservative who supports Trump, Barry Moore led Jeff Coleman in a runoff for the Republican nomination for the District 2 House seat now held by Rep. Martha Roby, who didn’t seek another term.
Coleman, a native of Dothan, runs a family-owned moving and storage company in southeast Alabama, where the district is located. Moore, who grew up on a farm in Coffee County, served two terms in the Alabama House ending in 2018.
The eventual nominee will be a favorite in the Republican-leaning district in November against Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall.
STATE SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 5
Early returns showed Tonya Smith Chestnut leading Fred Bell for the Democratic nomination for the 5th District seat on the Alabama Board of Education.
Bell is a former member of the Montgomery City Council who served as a part-time municipal judge. Chestnut is a retired educator with 36 years of experience working in a number of classroom and administrative roles in the district, which includes much of central and southwestern Alabama.
The seat is now held by Tommie Stewart, who was appointed following the death of longtime board member Ella Bell last year.
The winner will face Republican nominee Lesa Keith in the fall.
COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS, PLACE 2
Criminal Appeals Judge Beth Kellum held a lead over Will Smith in a runoff for the Republican nomination for the Place 2 seat.
Kellum, who has served on the court since 2009, led a three-person field in March but couldn’t get a majority. Smith is a former member of the Lauderdale County Commission.
The five-member court is composed entirely of Republicans. No Democrat is seeking the Place 2 position so winning the runoff will be tantamount to election.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
