Last month, Birmingham-area urologist Brian Christine declared his candidacy in the special election for an open seat on the Jefferson County Commission. However, Christine has now withdrawn from the race and endorsed former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin for the position.
Jefferson County commissioner Steve Ammons announced in May that he would be stepping down to become CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA).
Ammons' resignation leaves two Republicans and two Democrats on the five-person commission. The special election, which is yet to be scheduled, will determine which party will have the majority.
For this reason, Christine stressed the importance of the race.
"I want people to realize it's important to get out into this election, to vote, and I say, united behind Justice Bolin, get out there and win this race," he explained.
The open seat is for District 5, which includes Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood and Hoover.
Christine said he decided to exit the race because he didn't want to split the conservative vote. He explained that though District 5 leans conservative, it's still possible for a moderate or center-left candidate to win the seat.
"I want there to be unity behind one conservative Republican candidate for this race, and I think that Mike has the stronger chance to win," Christine said. "I think I could do a good job, and I think I could win, but I think against Mike, this would be tough. I think against Mike that would fracture that vote, so I'm supporting him 100%."
Though he'll no longer be in the race for commissioner, Christine said he does not plan on giving up on public service.
"I very much want to run and give public service," Christine insisted. "What that looks like for the future, God will let me know when the time comes and when there's a seat that speaks to my heart and a race that speaks to my heart. I'm going to be all in. I'm going to continue to stay involved. I'm going to continue to stay active in the party and be out there so I am going to run again. We'll see when."
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