Wetumpka TEA Party hosts GOP candidate meet and greet
The Wetumpka TEA Party will host the River Region Candidate Fair on Monday evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for candidates running in the 2018 Republican primary election. Over 40 candidates have confirmed their attendance for the event, which will be held at the Wetumpka Civic Center. Advertised as a “meet & greet,” the event will allow Alabamians to meet each candidate individually and ask them questions about the position they are seeking, rather than listen to speeches and debates. The Wetumpka TEA party will also be conducting a straw poll at the end of the night, with results posted Tuesday morning. “Our mission at the Wetumpka TEA Party is to educate citizens on national, state and local issues and help them get involved in our representative government,” said Wetumpka Tea Party founder Becky Gerritson. “It is important that people vote for their elected officials because they know what the candidates stand for and do not just rely on 30 second commercials and attractive yard signs. This is a terrific opportunity to meet the candidates who are running for an elected position, to ask them questions and understand what each candidate stands for.” The following candidates have confirmed their attendance on Monday night: CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES Governor: Bill Hightower, Kay Ivey, Scott Dawson, Tommy Battle (will send a representative) Lieutenant Governor: Will Ainsworth, Twinkle Cavanaugh, Rusty Glover Attorney General: Chess Bedsole, Troy King, Alice Martin Auditor: Stan Cooke, Elliott Lipinsky, Jim Zeigler Secretary of State: Michael Johnson, John Merrill Treasurer: Stephen Evans, John McMillan Commissioner for Agriculture and Industries: Gerald Dial, Rick Pate (will send a representative) STATE LEGISLATURE Alabama House of Representatives 31: Dustin DeVaughn, Mike Holmes Alabama House of Representatives 88: Al Booth Alabama Senate 25: Will Barfoot, Ronda Walker Alabama Senate 30: Clyde Chambliss (Unopposed) ALABAMA COURT SYSTEM Supreme Court Chief Justice: Tom Parker AL Supreme Court Place 1: Sarah Stewart AL Court of Civil Appeals Place 1: Michelle Thomason, Pat Thetford Circuit Court 19 Judge: Bill Lewis (Unopposed) PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Public Service Commission Place 1: Jeremy Oden, Jim Bonner Public Service Commission Place 2: Chip Beeker, Robin Litaker LOCAL AND CIRCUIT RACES: Elmore County Sheriff: Bill Franklin (Unopposed) Probate Judge (Elmore): Vicki Bonner-Ward, John Thornton Elmore County Commission Dist 4: Bart Mercer (Unopposed) Coroner (Elmore): Brad Linville, Jody Jeffcoat Circuit Clerk (Elmore): Michael Dozier, Angie Cruise-Gardner FEDERAL RACE U.S. Congress Dist 2: Rich Hobson, Bobby Bright, Barry Moore A flier for the event may be viewed here: River region candidate fair.
State incumbents overwhelmingly hold seats in Super Tuesday contests
While the state’s attention was likely on the presidential race and state races for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives seats, many state leaders were on the ballot and sailed to easy victories over their political opponents. In the race for Public Service Commission president, incumbent Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh trounced her Republican rival Terry Dunn. Cavanaugh claimed just over 63 percent of the vote, with just over 200,000 more votes than her opponent. In a decidedly closer vote, Jackie Zeigler won her bid to represent District 1 on the State Board of Education. Zeigler defeated her closest opponent, Republican Matthew Brown, by only 10 percentage points. Stephanie Bell won her bid for the District 3 seat on the State Board of Education over Justin Barkley, 59.75 percent to 40.25 percent. Perhaps the widest margin of victory in the State Board of Education race was claimed by Democrat Ella Bell, who was running for the District 5 seat. Bell dominated the race with more than 85 percent of the vote. The closest number in the Board of Education race came from the District 7 contest, in which Jim Bonner bested Jim Newman by less than 8 percentage points. Amendment 1, which is designed to require newly appointed circuit court judges and district attorneys to pay into their retirement fund, was also approved by voters. More than 62 percent of state voters said yes to the measure, with 37 percent voting against it. A local referendum in Shelby County, which would allow alcohol to be sold after noon on Sundays, was approved by nearly 70 percent of the county’s voters.
