Who can run in the recently announced August congressional special elections?
Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday called for an August special election for congressional districts 1, 2, 6 and 7 after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 2023 federal court-ordered Alabama congressional map. Alabama will now use a likely 6-1 Republican map passed in a special session in 2023.
Ivey set the special primary election for certain congressional races on August 11. There will be no runoff election. The general election will proceed as planned, along with all other races, on November 3. The May 19 primary will still occur. However, any results cast for the races in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th congressional districts will be nullified after the August election.
1819 News recently asked the Alabama Secretary of State's Office about whether state representatives or state senators who win their primary on May 19 could then also run for Congress in the August special election primary without losing their nomination for the State House or State Senate.
The answer would affect who or how many candidates run for Congress in the August special election. The special election would likely attract more candidates already in office at the state level if they could run without losing the nominations they won on May 19. However, the August special election will be unique because it's happening less than three months after a May primary, yet within the same election cycle.
Laney Rawls, a spokesperson for Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, told 1819 News on Wednesday, "While such a scenario may be possible, any determination would depend heavily on the specific set of facts related to the candidate's individual circumstances and any applicable legal interpretation."
"As such, this Office is not in a position to provide an official 'yes or no' answer, issue a legal opinion, or offer a definitive interpretation of a range of hypothetical scenarios," Rawls said.
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