Qualifying has ended, and the races are set for the 2025 municipal election season.
While the votes won’t be counted for months, one indicator of the health and competitiveness of a candidate’s campaign is fundraising, and there are competitive races around the state with candidates from cities such as Hoover, Mobile and Birmingham leading the way.
According to the Alabama League of Municipalities, the qualifying period ended on June 24. However, only candidates who raise or spend over $1,000 are required to file reports with the Secretary of State's office.
House Bill 156, which passed last year, amended the campaign finance report to help candidates in municipal elections where under $1,000 was raised or spent.
The bill said, "A candidate running for a municipal office is exempt from the filing requirements of Sections 17-5-4 and 17-5-8, Code of Alabama 1975, unless and until the candidate receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000)." That bill allowed candidates in races that don't raise or spend that amount to be exempt from state filing requirements.
The most recent campaign finance reports, which include June fundraising totals, were due to the Alabama Secretary of State's Office on July 2.
It should come as no surprise that the biggest races are in the major cities, specifically Mobile, where an open seat and several incumbents face well-funded challengers. Here's a look at where we stand for the 2025 municipal elections, excluding those that have already taken place or races where the top fundraisers face no opposition.
5 Biggest Fundraisers in Mayoral Races (running with opposition):
- Randall Woodfin – Birmingham
- Spiro Cheriogotis – Mobile
- Connie Hudson – Mobile
- Nick Derzis – Hoover
- Charles (Eddie) Smith, Jr. – Opelika
The top mayoral fundraiser in the state is incumbent Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who is running for a third term. According to the SOS website, Woodfin has raised $1,192,198.83 in monetary contributions and has $722,916.19 cash on hand. Meanwhile, his closest opponent, State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham), has raised $176,500 and has $166,002 cash on hand. Lashunda Scales reported having raised $13,510 with $3,788 ending funds. Pastor Frank Woodson has raised $8,983 with $6,435 cash on hand, and Brian Rice has $3,418, showing $2,671 in ending funds.
Following Woodfin, two candidates for the Mobile mayor's race are among the top five fundraisers for this cycle. The seat is open following Mayor Sandy Stimpson's opting not to run for a fourth term. Former District Judge Spiro Cheriogotis is the second-highest fundraiser, having raised $971,276.88, with $698,734.54 on hand. County Commissioner Connie Hudson has raised $605,375.04 and has $419,118 on hand. Barbara Drummond has raised $236,274 and has $160,816.33 on hand.
Fourth on the list of highest monetary contributions for the 2025 cycle is Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis, who has raised more than anyone in the state, challenging an incumbent, with $349,201. Incumbent Mayor Frank Brocato has raised $195,776. To date, Derzis has outraised Brocato by $153,425 and currently has $101,214 more cash at the end of the reporting cycle than Brocato.
Rounding out the top five is recently retired Opelika City Council President Charles (Eddie) Smith, Jr., who is battling a recent cancer diagnosis and has raised $334,933, with $200,460 in cash on hand. Smith is facing Raven Harvis, who has raised $101,863 but ended this fundraising period with only $4,831 cash on hand.
5 Biggest Fundraising in Active City Council races (running with opposition):
- Tanveer Patel – Hoover City Council Place 1
- Beau Fleming – Mobile City Council District 5
- Clinton Woods – Birmingham City Council Place District 1
- Josh Vasa - Birmingham City Council Place District 3
- Benjamin Reynolds – Mobile District 4
Tanveer Patel leads the pack of council candidates statewide, raising $82,615 in her effort to win an open seat on the Hoover City Council. However, despite her high total, she has less cash on hand than her opponent, Robin Schultz. Schultz has raised $29,200 but has $21,797 on hand compared to Patel’s $17,083. Schultz received the endorsement from the incumbent Curt Posey.
With just over $71,275 raised so far, Beau Fleming, who is running for Mobile City Council Place 5, has the second-highest amount raised among candidates with opposition. Place 5 is held by Joel Daves, who announced last April that he would not seek re-election.
Birmingham Council candidates, incumbent Councilman Clinton Woods and Joshua Vasa, running for Birmingham City Council, take the third and fourth places. Woods has raised $63,657, with $51,320 in cash on hand, and Vasa, who is running for District 3, has raised $51,599, with $18,520 in cash on hand. District 3 is an open seat following the retirement of Councilwoman Valerie Abbott after two decades.
Hoover's Steve McClinton and Birmingham’s Hunter Williams, who do not have opposition, are among the highest council fundraisers.
The election will be held on August 26. Campaign finance reports are available on the Secretary of State's website, where they can be searched by candidate name or political race. Beginning August 4, campaign finance reports will be due on a weekly basis.
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