Tuesday's Primary runoff turnout, which according to the Secretary of State's office, was 12%, fell within the expected parameters.
Some attributed the low number to the lack of intrigue at the top of the ballot in the U.S. Senate Republican primary between former Business Council of Alabama head Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), which, also as expected, was a decisive win for Britt.
The unfinished business of legislative races, carried over from both parties' primaries last month, was scattered throughout Alabama.
1) State Senate District 12: Keith Kelley tops Wendy Draper -- Keith Kelley earned the GOP nod in State Senate District 12, a seat held by outgoing State Sen. Del Marsh (R-Anniston). Kelley will face Democrat Danny McCullars.
Although there are some Democrat strongholds in SD12, the district is solidly Republican, and Kelley is expected to do well in November.
Kelley defeated Wendy Draper, the wife of Anniston Mayor Jack Draper, by 10.5%. Draper had to stave off ballot challenges questioning her prior support for elected Democrats.
2) State Senate District 23: Hank Sanders' comeback bid comes up short -- Former State Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma) served nine terms in the Alabama State Senate from 1983 until 2018. He did not run in 2018, but his daughter, now State Sen. Malika Sanders Fortier (D-Selma), did win the seat and served one term before she opted to run for the Democrat gubernatorial nomination, which ended in defeat for her on Tuesday night.
The elder Sanders was also defeated in his bid for a tenth term in Tuesday's SD23 Democratic primary. Sanders lost to Robert Stewart, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), by 11 points in the runoff contest.
Stewart will be a favorite in the district that includes Perry, Dallas, Lowndes, Wilcox, Butler, Monroe, Conecuh and Clarke Counties. He will face Republican Michael Nimmer of Butler County and Libertarian Portia Shepherd of Perry County on the November ballot.
3) State House District 2: Ben Harrison wins, but future uncertain -- Former Limestone County Commissioner Ben Harrison defeated Jason Black, also a Limestone County Commissioner, for a victory in the contest for the State House District 2 Republican nomination. However, Harrison's success will not be final until unanswered questions are resolved regarding misappropriated ballots in last month's Republican primary, which allegedly gave Black an edge over third-place finisher Kimberly Butler.
Barring a surge from an independent candidate, which was Harrison's undoing in the past in a reelection bid for the Limestone County Commission, Harrison is likely to win the HD2 seat if he can overcome the ballot controversy.
Harrison has the distinction of being one of the few to appear during the legislature's public comment period to oppose the 2019 passage of the Rebuild Alabama Act that raised fuel taxes.
4) State House District 4: Parker Moore holds on -- Incumbent State Rep. Parker Moore (R-Hartselle) survived a primary challenge from Patrick Johnson, earning 53.7% of the ballots cast on Tuesday.
Although Moore is a first-term incumbent, he has proved to be a legislative campaign veteran, having to win two elections in 2018, one to fill the unexpired term of Micky Hammon, who was removed from office after pleading guilty to mail fraud, and the 2018 general election.
5) State House District 14: Tim Wadsworth beats Tom Fredericks -- This contest got belligerent at times, but State Rep. Tim Wadsworth (R-Arley) defeated Tom Fredericks by 11 points in the HD14 Republican primary.
Wadsworth questioned Fredericks' residency throughout the campaign. Fredericks had previously run against the aforementioned Moore in HD4 in 2018 for the Republican nomination.
6) State House District 40: Chad Robertson edges Julie Borelli by 21 votes -- Chad Robertson and Julie Borelli were the two survivors in a crowded GOP primary contest last month for the seat currently occupied by State Rep. K.L. Brown (R-Jacksonville).
Robertson's victory was roughly 0.4% of the ballots cast in the eastern Alabama House district.
7) State House District 55: Incumbent Rod Scott beaten by 33 votes -- Ivy League-educated State Rep. Rod Scott (D-Fairfield) was narrowly defeated Tuesday by Fred "Coach" Plump in the HD55 Democratic Party primary.
Scott has served in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2006 in a district that includes Fairfield, Elyton and a portion of Birmingham.
8) State House District 100: Mark Shirey prevails -- Shirey was thought to be the favorite in Tuesday's contest against political upstart Pete Kupfer, who was away in the campaign's closing stages on a Coast Guard training assignment.
In the late stages of this election, which will determine who fills the vacancy soon to be left by long-time State Rep. Victor Gaston (R-Mobile), Kupfer's GOP credentials were challenged, which resulted in a disqualification of his eligibility to serve on the Mobile County Republican Party Executive Committee.
Shirey won the election by earning 68% of Tuesday's vote.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.
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