In less than a week, voters in House District 10 will go to the polls to elect a new state representative in a special election to fill the unexpired term of now-former State Rep. David Cole (R-Madison).
House District 10 consists mostly of Madison, parts of Huntsville, and small parts of unincorporated areas around Madison. Madison City Councilman Teddy Powell, the GOP nominee, and Marilyn Lands, the Democrat nominee, will face off for the open seat.
Recently, Lands posted a video to her Facebook with Dr. Michael Belmont, a retired OB/GYN, alleging that women's reproductive healthcare, including access to contraception, was under attack by politicians in Alabama.
"There are real consequences to politicizing reproductive healthcare," Lands said in the video. "All across the country, extremists are pushing for new and cruel ways to restrict women's freedoms. These politicians do not understand or care about women's health."
Lands' comments seem to contradict efforts by her campaign to brand her as a moderate. Several lawmakers and political operatives who spoke to 1819 News allege Lands is trying to score political points by capitalizing on the recent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) controversy.
Since the Alabama Supreme Court's IVF ruling, Lands has moved further to the left on the issue. Recent redistricting has turned HD10 into a purple seat, and many political consultants agree that candidates have had to run as close to the center as possible to attract swing voters.
CNN weighed in on the IVF debate Wednesday, saying Democrats are elevating reproductive rights amid the fallout over the recent Alabama high court ruling despite it being remedied by the Alabama Legislature.
Lands lost the last time she ran in this race by more than six points to the Republican, so some Democrats now fear that her blatantly jumping on the pro-abortion bandwagon may not sit well with the voters of that district.
1819 News reached out to Lands' campaign asking for clarification on the claim that contraception was under attack and also what her position on abortion was. We have yet to receive a response as of publishing.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email Bradley.cox@1819news.com or on Twitter @BradleyCoxAL.
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