Seven State Senate seat races to watch
All 35 State Senate seats are up for grabs in the November 8 general election. Republicans hold a 27 to 8 margin over Democrats in the current makeup of the Alabama Senate. The Alabama Republican Party is running candidates in 29 seats. The GOP is defending all of the 27 seats they currently hold and are running candidates in two districts currently held by Democrats. Alabama Democrats are defending the eight seats they currently hold and are challenging the GOP in six districts currently held by Republicans. Libertarians currently hold no seats in the Alabama Senate but are running twelve candidates in State Senate races. There are a number of contested State Senate races on the November ballot. These are the seven races with the most chance of becoming interesting. Democrat Lisa Ward is challenging Republican incumbent State Sen. Gerald Allen in Senate District 21. Both of these candidates are well known in the Tuscaloosa area. Allen has represented the district for three terms and served in the Alabama House of Representatives before that. Ward is a former city councilwoman who is very active in the community. According to filings with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, Allen has a $204,872.68 campaign account balance entering September, which includes August contributions of $8,250. Ward, the challenger, meanwhile raised $23,149.76 in August and has a cash balance of $31,968.94 entering September. Neither faced a primary opponent. Democrat Kim Lewis versus Republican incumbent State Sen. Tom Butler in Senate District 2. Butler has represented Madison County in the legislature for parts of five decades, but this is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, and there are thousands of new people that bring different politics with them to the area. Lewis is hoping that an increasingly purple Madison County will result in a win. Butler was pushed hard in the Republican primary by former State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw. Butler raised $44,500 in the month of August and enters September with $38,166.63. Lewis raised $7,830 in August and comes into September with $27,859.70. In Senate District 33, incumbent Democratic Sen. Vivian Figures faces Republican challenger Pete Riehm. This has been a very safe Democratic district consisting of the poorest parts of Mobile as well as Mobile County suburbs like Prichard, but redistricting meant that the new district now goes deep into Baldwin County and picked up the very prosperous and heavily Republican community of Spanish Fort. This district went from very blue to purple thanks to the legislature’s redistricting and efforts to “unpack” Black voters from majority-minority districts. Is it purple enough for a Republican to take it away from the Democrats? That is for the voters to decide on November 8. Sen. Figures raised $31,500 in the month of August to enter September with $110,497.02. Riehm had contributions of $19,577.54 in August and enters September with $60,911.31. Democrat Sherri Lewis versus Republican Jay Hovey in Senate District 27. Hovey, an Auburn City Councilman, just narrowly defeated incumbent Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) in a heavily contested GOP primary. Hovey, who has the challenge of unifying Republicans, raised $85,500 in contributions in August to enter September with a cash balance of $70,074.17. Reese meanwhile raised $1,806.20 in August to bring a total of $2,703.33 into the month of September. Senate District 23 – here, there are three candidates vying for the open seat formerly held by State Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, who vacated the seat in an unsuccessful bid for governor. Democrat Robert Lee Stewart narrowly defeated former State Sen. Hank Sanders in a hard-fought Democratic primary runoff in June. Stewart faces both a Republican in Michael Nimmer and a Libertarian in Portia Stephens. Stewart raised $16,987 in August to bring $17,872.84 into September. The Libertarian, Stephens, reported raising $2,060 in August to finish the month with $6,285 in cash on hand. The Republican, Nimmer, has not filed a campaign finance report. Alabama does not have general election runoffs, so when there are multiple candidates, the candidate with the most votes wins even if they got less than half of the votes. There is another three-way contest in Senate District 29. There, incumbent Republican Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-Dothan) faces both Democrat Nathan “Nate” Mathis and Libertarian Floyd “Pete” McBroom. Matthis reported raising no money in August, but he has $5,719.36 in cash on hand. McBroom has not filed a campaign finance report with the Secretary of State’s office yet. The incumbent, Chesteen, raised $25,500 in August to enter September with $327,660.86. In Senate District 12, Republican Keith Kelley is battling Democrat David McCullars for the open seat currently held by Sen. Del Marsh. Kelley raised $29,658.24 in August and has $65,102.13 in cash on hand. McCullars only raised $265 in the month of August and entered the month of September with $4,377.15 in cash on hand. Kelley had a hard-fought Republican primary. This is a district that has given Marsh a close call in the 2014 general election. In other contested Alabama Senate races · SD3 incumbent Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) faces Libertarian Rick Chandler · SD4 incumbent Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) faces Libertarian Jacob Marlow · SD6 incumbent Larry Stutts (R-Sheffield) faces Libertarian Kyle Richard-Garrison · SD7 incumbent Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) faces Democrat Korey Wilson · SD15 incumbent Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook) faces Libertarian Michael Crump · SD17 incumbent Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville) faces Libertarian John Fortenberry · SD24 incumbent Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) faces Libertarian Richard Benderson · SD25 incumbent Will Barfoot (R-Montgomery) versus Libertarian Louie Woolbright · SD28 incumbent Billy Beasley (D-Clayton) faces Libertarian David Boatwright · SD35 incumbent David Sessions (R-Grand Bay) faces Libertarian Clifton Hudson Republican incumbents Tim Melson, Greg Reed, Steve Livingston, Clay Scofield, Andrew Jones, Randy Price, April Weaver, Jabo Waggoner, Greg Albritton, Clyde Chambliss, Chris Elliott, and Jack Williams are all running unopposed. Republican newcomers Lance Bell in SD11 and Josh Carnley in SD31 are also unopposed in the general election. Democratic incumbents Rodger Smitherman, Linda Coleman-Madison, and Kirk Hatcher are all also unopposed in the general election. State Rep. Merika Coleman is unopposed in SD19, which is being vacated by the retirement of Priscilla Dunn (D-Bessemer). In 2022 Republican candidates in Alabama have received $44,321,108.97 in contributions. Political Action Committees have received $17,846,761.05. Democratic candidates have received $6,629,199.43, and all other candidates have received just $111,950.87. The general
Several Alabama legislators lose to primary challengers
At least six members of the Alabama Legislature lost to primary challengers on Tuesday, according to unofficial returns, and several races are yet to be decided. In one of the tightest races, Republican Sen. Tom Whatley of Auburn is trailing challenger Jay Hovey by four votes, according to unofficial returns. Provisional ballots will be counted next week. Hovey is a member of the Auburn City Council. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Will Dismukes of Prattville lost to challenger Jerry Starnes. His defeat came after a series of political and legal troubles. Dismukes had faced calls for his resignation in 2020 after participating in a celebration marking the birthday of Nathan Bedford Forrest — the Confederate general who was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader. He also faced a theft charge related to a dispute with a former employer. Other incumbent defeats, according to unofficial returns, included: — Republican Rep. Joe Faust of Fairhope, a 20-year veteran of the House was defeated by Jennifer Fidler. — Republican Rep. Dickie Drake of Leeds was defeated by Susan DuBose. — Republican Rep. Tommy Hanes of Bryant was defeated by Mike Kirkland. — Republican Rep. Proncey Robertson of Mount Hope was defeated by Ernie Yarbrough. — Democratic Rep. Ralph Howard of Greensboro was defeated by Curtis Travis. Republican Rep. Gill Isbell of Gadsden is trailing challenger Mack Butler, who previously served in the Legislature. But the race is caught in a mix-up where some voters got ballots with the wrong House district. Secretary of State John Merrill said they did not know how many voters were affected. Democratic Rep. Rod Scott of Fairfield was forced into a runoff with a challenger. In another notable contest, House Rules Chair Mike Jones, one of the most influential members in the House of Representatives, appears to have lost to Coffee County Commissioner Josh Carnley in his bid to join the Alabama Senate. Unofficial returns showed Carnley avoiding a runoff with Jones by a margin of about 50 votes. The two are seeking the GOP nomination for the state Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jimmy Holley. Former longtime state Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma will go to a runoff with Robert L. Stewart for the Democratic nomination for District 23. Sanders represented the district from 1982 to 2018. His daughter, Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, won the seat in 2018 but is leaving the state Senate to run for governor. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Gov. Kay Ivey avoids runoff in Republican primary
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has turned back eight primary challengers to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination without a runoff in a race that pushed her far to the right. Over the course of the campaign, Ivey repeated former President Donald Trump’s false claims about election theft. Then, the white-haired, 77-year-old Ivey sat at her office desk and pulled three things out of her purse for a campaign commercial: a lipstick, a cellphone, and a revolver. One challenger, former Trump ambassador Lindy Blanchard, slammed Ivey for doing too much to control COVID-19 in a state with one of the nation’s worst pandemic death rates. Another, toll bridge developer Tim James, the son of former Gov. Fob James, did the same and attacked a charter school that opened under Ivey’s watch to cater to LGBTQ youth. Other challengers include Lew Burdette, a former business executive who runs Christian-based group homes; Stacy George, a prison officer and former county commissioner; pastor Dean Odle; GOP activist and businessman Dean Young; Springville Mayor Dave Thomas; and a yoga advocate, Donald Trent Jones. The eventual GOP nominee will face whoever emerges from a Democratic primary runoff between state Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier of Selma and Yolanda Rochelle Flowers, a career educator from Birmingham. Lieutenant governor at the time, Ivey was catapulted to the state’s top office when Robert Bentley resigned amid scandal in 2017. She easily dispatched four Republican primary challengers and won a full term against a well-financed Democrat, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, in 2018. Ivey has pushed a plan to construct new lockups to upgrade Alabama’s crowded, dilapidated prisons, which are the subject of a Justice Department lawsuit, and she passed a gasoline tax hike with automatic increases to fund road work. Challengers have criticized all that as too much big government and also zeroed in on her handling of the pandemic. While some bash Ivey over a COVID-19 response that left the state with nearly 20,000 dead and the nation’s fourth-highest death rate, Republican opponents have hammered her for shutting down businesses and churches to prevent the spread of disease. In a state where roughly 51% are fully vaccinated, Ivey’s claim that it was “time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks” for illness could come back to haunt her. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Election 2022: Nine Republicans, six Democrats in Alabama gubernatorial primary
A crowded field of Alabama gubernatorial candidates are on the ballot next week as voters head to the polls for the state’s partisan primary election. Nine Republicans and six Democrats are vying for the top-level post in the May 24 primary. The ultimate victor will be decided in the November 8 general election. Republicans Incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey is seeking reelection as her first term comes to a close. Two other Republican candidates have past or present political experience, meaning many of this year’s hopefuls are new to the political arena. Ivey has held other state-level positions in the past two decades. Prior to winning the governor’s race in 2018, she ran for two consecutive terms as lieutenant governor – 2010 and 2014 – and also had a stint as a state treasurer for two terms, beginning in 2002. “I believe in standing up for the little guy, and fighting for the forgotten,” Ivey wrote on her campaign website. “It’s what I’ve done all my life, and that’s not changing now.” Several other candidates on the Republican ticket have prior political experience at various levels of government. Stacy George, for example, served two terms as Morgan County commissioner, from 2000 to 2008. “For as long as I can remember, following in my father’s footsteps, I knew I wanted to dedicate myself to public service,” George wrote on his campaign website. “I want to work for the people of Alabama as governor and give the people a government that works for them.” Dave Thomas is another Republican challenger with past political experience. He served as a state legislator from 1994 to 2002. “You need a representative that will support your ideas, fight for the needs of your community and earn your respect,” Thomas wrote on his campaign page. A number of other Republican candidates have garnered the spotlight this campaign season, in terms of donations and political messaging, as the primary has drawn closer. Lindy Blanchard has touted her family’s deep Alabama roots, and Lew Burdette has noted his business acumen. Tim James has pointed to his namesake company – which specializes in infrastructure projects – as an asset. Rounding out the list of candidates on the Republican ticket are yoga instructor Donald Trent Jones, who has run on the platform of “Make Alabama Grateful Again”; Dean Odle, who is taking aim at so-called “fake Republicans”; and Dean Young, who aspires to bring faith back into government. Democrats One of the six Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Malika Sanders-Fortier, has a background in politics. Sanders-Fortier has represented District 23 in the Alabama State Senate since 2018. “It’s harvest time in Alabama,” Sanders-Fortier wrote in a campaign statement. “Let us encourage everyone to invest their time, talent and treasure in our state, so Alabama prospers, and the dream of the community comes true.” Other Democratic gubernatorial candidates on the ticket include Yolanda Rochelle Flowers, whose background includes speech pathology; Patricia Salter Jamieson, who has worked in clinical health and ministry; and Arthur Kennedy, an educator. Rounding out the list of Democratic candidates are Chad “Chig” Martin, who has worked in such disparate industries as hemp and mobile homes; and Doug “New Blue” Smith, a businessman and former political staffer. Issues This campaign season, a number of hot-button issues – many reflecting challenges seen across the country – have been bubbling to the surface as the candidates face off and vie for the top-level post in Montgomery. The list includes Alabama’s 10-cent gas tax, job growth, prison reform and education. Against the backdrop of skyrocketing gas prices, candidates have given different takes on the state’s fuel tax, which was implemented in 2019 and includes provisions of future 1-cent incremental increases. Ivey in recent statements on the topic has pointed the finger at the federal government and widespread inflationary pressures as reasons Alabama’s tax is a talking point this year. But other candidates have taken a more hard-lined stance on the issue. “I will repeal the gas tax of 2019 immediately,” George wrote on his campaign site. On her site, Blanchard wrote, “I will never participate in the kind of backroom deals that were the precursor to the gas tax increase that has been devastating to Alabama families.” The support of marijuana legalization also been raised this campaign season in Alabama. Supporters include Salter Jamieson, who indicated on her campaign page she favored it, along with ending the sentences of anyone found guilty in past nonviolent convictions. A candidate on either party ticket must receive more than 50% of the vote total on May 24 to advance to the fall general election November 8. If no candidate wins the majority, a runoff election will be held June 21 between the top two vote-getters.
Plan advances to alter name of Edmund Pettus Bridge
Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation that would alter the name of Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge to honor those who were beaten on the bridge as they marched for civil rights in 1965. The Alabama Senate voted 23-3 for legislation that would change the official name to the “Edmund W. Pettus-Foot Soldiers Bridge.” However, the lettering on the famous bridge would remain unaltered. The name “Foot Soldiers” would be on a separate sign that would include a silhouette of the marchers. The bill dubbed the “Healing History Act,” now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives with three meeting days remaining in the legislative session. The bridge in 1940 was named after Pettus, a Confederate general and reputed Ku Klux Klan leader. However, 25 years later, it became an enduring symbol of the civil rights movement after marchers were beaten by law enforcement officers on the bridge in 1965. The melee became known as Bloody Sunday and helped lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “Not a single letter would be touched. It would stay intact in its historical context. And at the same time… honor the history that is there and the history that came out of it,” said state Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, a Democrat from Selma. Through the years, some have proposed changing the name of the bridge, including a push to name it for the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. The Georgia congressman was one of the demonstrators beaten on the bridge in 1965. Sanders-Fortier said many who marched for civil rights in her community do not want the bridge name changed entirely because of what the bridge has come to represent. State Sen. Gerald Allen, the author of a state law forbidding the removal and renaming of longstanding monuments and memorials, voted against the name alteration. The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act was approved as some cities began taking down Confederate monuments and emblems. Allen said the name of the Edmund Pettus Bridge is famous across the world. “If you add to it, you change it,” Allen said. The bill also would steer funds to provide for the commissioning and protection of new monuments and the preservation of sites that have significance to Alabama history. Sanders-Fortier said it is important to honor all of the state’s history and “to heal from our past so we can move forward as a state.” “Many of the events in our state’s history have been traumatizing, been traumatizing to African-American folk to Indigenous folk to white folk,” she said, adding that healing means considering the “hurt of each group.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Renaming Alabama bridge for John Lewis opposed in Selma
Some say renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge for John Lewis, who died Friday, would dishonor local activists who spent years advocating for civil rights before Lewis arrived in town in the 1960s.
Daughter takes over seat of longest serving state senator
For nearly 40 years state Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma was a fixture of the Alabama Statehouse. Sanders, 76, did not seek re-election last year after nine terms in office. When lawmakers convene next month, Senate District 23 will be represented by another member of the Sanders family. His daughter, Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, won election to her father’s longtime Senate seat. The long-serving Democrat said he has no regrets about leaving state politics, because he says he is leaving the district in good hands. “Part of the reason I haven’t had a single afterthought is because I know Malika will not just do a good job, I know she’ll do a better job than I ever did. I am so proud of her. She has the intellect. She has the commitment,” Sanders said. Sanders grew up in poverty as one of 13 children, and made his way to Harvard Law School. He was elected to the Alabama Senate in 1983. Sanders-Fortier, 45, was just a child when her father was elected. As a teenager, she served as a page in the Alabama Legislature where her dad served in office. “Since I had no plans to be in politics, it never crossed my mind that I would actually be here in an official capacity,” Sanders-Fortier said. Like her parents, Sanders-Fortier is also an attorney. Since winning election, she said she’s been touched that both Republicans and Democrats have reached out to convey respect for her father. Sanders-Fortier said education, sentencing reform and urging Medicaid expansion will be among her top priorities. Alabama is one of 14 states that have not expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. “We say we’re a country where if you do an honest day’s work, there should be some basic benefits that go along with that. Certainly, health care should be one of those benefits. I think ultimately that is something we should all be able to agree on,” Sanders-Fortier said. She said she wants to urge more people to get involved in the political process, and plans to have what she calls deputy senators to share what is going on in their communities. Sanders last year had filed paperwork with the Alabama Democratic Party to run for a 10th term, a move that likely kept primary challengers from emerging for an open legislative seat. As qualifying ended, he announced he had made a last-minute decision not to run, and asked his daughter to do so instead. Sanders’ retirement comes at the same time a number of other longtime African-American legislators are leaving the Alabama Legislature. Some of them were elected not long after 1970 when African-Americans joined the Alabama Legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. State Rep. Alvin Holmes, a member of the House since 1974, lost re-election in Montgomery. State Rep. James Buskey of Mobile retired after 42 years in office. As the old generation gives way to the new, Sanders-Fortier joins a large entering class of freshman in both chambers of the Legislature. “I am just as proud as any father can be. I know I am going to remain proud, because she is going to make us all proud,” Sanders said. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Like father, like daughter: Malika Sanders-Fortier elected to father’s old Senate seat
After qualifying to run for re-election earlier this year, Alabama’s longest-serving state senator, Selma-Democrat Hank Sanders decided not to seek a 10th term in office. Recognizing the opportunity to build upon her father’s legacy, 44 year old Malika Sanders-Fortier decided she would run for the empty seat. Her campaign embraced the idea of “Fresh Leadership and Wise Council,” drawing upon her own unique ideas for Alabama’s 23rd Senate District, while knowing her father and his three-decades worth of experience in Montgomery would be there for guidance along the way. And on Tuesday, after months of campaigning, Sanders-Fortier’s bested independent candidate Mark Story to win the seat. “Thank you for the support and the prayers during this 2018 Senate District 23 Election. Let’s continue to work together to grow and improve our communities,” Sanders posted on Facebook Wednesday morning.
Hank Sanders, Alabama’s longest-serving state senator, won’t seek 10th term
After qualifying to run for re-election, Alabama’s longest-serving state senator, Selma-Democrat Hank Sanders has decided not to seek a 10th term in office. Sanders made announcement in a statement Saturday afternoon. “Some time it is time. Some time we do not realize it is time until something special happens. I had thought that I would run to serve one more term in the Alabama State Senate, and I qualified to run in January,” Sanders said. “However, when I took off 24 hours for our 48th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago, I began to realize what a heavy load I carry. I realized that when you cannot get 24 hours away except for your wedding anniversary, then it is time to reevaluate.” Sanders said he came to the conclusion that he did not want to run on Friday, Feb. 9, the last day to qualify to run. “I came to the conclusion that I did not want to have to wait for another anniversary over a long period of years to get away for 24 hours,” Sanders explained. Sanders, 75, has served as senator for District 23 since 1982. Sanders’ daughter Malika Sanders-Fortier has decided she will run for the seat left empty by her father. “I asked my daughter Malika Sanders-Fortier if she would consider qualifying and running for the Senate District 23 seat. We discussed it, and she said yes. I felt great because Malika has my spirit,” Sanders continued. “She is a lawyer, a mother, and is dedicated to lifting the community. I am convinced that she can carry on as well as I could, and I will not have to struggle to take 24 hours for another anniversary or other special occasion.” According to a list of candidates that have qualified to run for Senate District 23, Sanders-Fortier has also qualified. No other candidates, from either major parties, have qualified to run. Sanders said he will fulfill the remainder of his current term withdraw his candidacy in the coming days. “I will withdraw my candidacy for the Democratic Primary in the coming days, and I will serve out the remainder of this term, which is approximately nine months,” Sanders added. Read Sanders full statement below: Some time it is time. Some time we do not realize it is time until something special happens. I had thought that I would run to serve one more term in the Alabama State Senate, and I qualified to run in January. However, when I took off 24 hours for our 48th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago, I began to realize what a heavy load I carry. I realized that when you cannot get 24 hours away except for your wedding anniversary, then it is time to reevaluate. I thought and prayed on it. On February the 9th, I came to the conclusion that I did not want to have to wait for another anniversary over a long period of years to get away for 24 hours. I asked my daughter Malika Sanders-Fortier if she would consider qualifying and running for the Senate District 23 seat. We discussed it, and she said yes. I felt great because Malika has my spirit. She is a lawyer, a mother, and is dedicated to lifting the community. I am convinced that she can carry on as well as I could, and I will not have to struggle to take 24 hours for another anniversary or other special occasion. I have run for elective office at least a dozen times, and I have served in the Alabama State Senate in District 23 for nearly 35 years. I will withdraw my candidacy for the Democratic Primary in the coming days, and I will serve out the remainder of this term, which is approximately nine months. I want to express my heartfelt thank you to the people for electing me to serve on so many occasions. It has been my honor to serve in the Alabama Senate, and I will continue to serve, even when I am not in elected office.
