Super Tuesday is upon us, and several critical seats in both state and federal politics will be on statewide ballots along with a constitutional amendment and the presidential election.
Presidential election
Former President Donald Trump will find tight races in several states, but Alabama will likely not be one of them. While several candidates are still on the GOP ballot, some of which have already dropped out of the race, Trump is a virtual shoo-in for Alabama's presidential candidate. The GOP number two behind Trump, Nikki Haley, will also appear on state ballots.
AL-2
Alabama's newly redrawn second congressional district, the result on both sides of the aisle is anybody's guess.
Preliminary polling has the seat likely leaning towards a Democratic candidate, making it possible that Democrats will flip the seat.
The three leading Democratic candidates are State Reps. Napoleon Bracy (D-Chickasaw), Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) and Shomari Figures.
See: ADC's Joe Reed demands AL-2 Democrat front-runners Figures, Daniels kicked off party ballot
The GOP frontrunners are former State Sen. Dick Brewbaker, Caroleene Dobson, and State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore). Dobson is a political newcomer but began to gain momentum early in the race.
The District 2 seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise). However, the district was dramatically remade by a federal court recently and now may be more winnable for a Democratic candidate. Moore's hometown was moved into the first congressional district under the new map for 2024. Moore now faces District 1 U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) in the Republican primary.
AL-1
In an interesting turn of events, Moore and Carl will face off as two incumbent Congressmen vying for a single seat. After the redrawing of AL-2, Moore chose not to seek reelection in his district and pursue Carl's seat, which was also heavily affected by the redistricting.
Both Moore and Carl have spent the election cycle pointing out the perceived foibles in one another's congressional voting records and more.
AL-6
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) faces Gerrick Wilkins and Ken McFeeters as he attempts to retain his seat representing Alabama's sixth congressional district. The federal redistricting affected Palmer's district but not enough to suspect a drastic change.
Wilkins, a Vestavia Hills resident, and Alabama businessman, came into the race in October last year as a political newcomer. McFeeters had an unsuccessful bid for Alabama's then-vacant House District 47 in 2022.
Although Wilkins has gained support and some prominent endorsements, there is no evidence that Palmer is at any risk of losing his seat.
The winner of the Republican primary for sixth district congress will face Democrat Elizabeth Anderson, who was unopposed in the Democrat primary. The two nominees meet in the November 5 general election in a heavily Republican district.
Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
The race for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice has been contentious, to say the least. Current Supreme Court Justice Sarah Stewart faces Bryan Taylor for the position. Now a practicing attorney, Taylor is a former state senator from Prattville and former legal advisor to Govs. Bob Riley and Kay Ivey.
Taylor did not shy away from throwing accusations at Stewart early on in the race, calling her a "woke" and a "RINO" (Republican In Name Only).
While content in the early campaign months to ignore Taylor, Stewart's campaign recently released a new ad on every major television market in Alabama.
See: Final days of Republican primary for Supreme Court Chief Justice heats up between Stewart, Taylor
Related: Taylor calls on Stewart to recuse from further votes in IVF case over campaign contributions
State Board of Education
District 3 includes all of Shelby, Bibb, Coosa, Chilton, and Elmore counties, along with parts of Montgomery, Jefferson, and Talladega counties.
Three candidates are vying for the seat: Ann Eubank, Kelly Mooney and former State Rep. Charlotte Meadows.
Eubank, an educator and accountant turned political activist, has worked with the campaigns of Ted Cruz (R-Texas), former U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and gubernatorial candidate Tim James.
Mooney spent 15 years as an administrator at Briarwood Christian School. Mooney is the over 41-year wife of State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Hills). Mooney is also the endorsed candidate by the departing Stephanie Bell, whose seat is up for grabs.
Meadows has been out of the Alabama political sphere since losing her seat to State Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery) in the 2022 general election. She announced her candidacy for the state education board in October 2022.
Meadows says she will run on expanding parental rights in education and government transparency. Additionally, in what would be a relative oddity on the state board, Meadows also says she will be running on expanding school choice.
Court of Criminal Appeals
Appellate prosecutor Rich Anderson will face Thomas Govan for the fourth seat on Alabama's Court of Criminal Appeals.
The seat was held by Chris McCool, who recently announced his candidacy for the Alabama Supreme Court.
Anderson, a Montgomery native and practicing lawyer for over 20 years, ran for the appeals court in 2018 but failed to garner the GOP nomination. McCool won the 2018 nomination and won unopposed in the general election.
According to FCPA financial reports filed in February, Govan has out-fundraised Anderson by slightly more than a 2:1 margin. Govan had $116,515 cash on hand leading into the final month of the Republican primary campaign.
Both Govan and McCool received endorsements from the Business Council of Alabama in their respective races.
Public Service Commission
Alabama Public Service Commission president Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh faces Robert Lane McCollum in her bid to maintain the seat.
McCollum previously ran for PSC Commissioner in 2022, losing the runoff to current commissioner Chip Beeker. Data indicate Cavanaugh faces little threat of losing her seat. However, many have speculated that another victory could set her up to run for the position of Lieutenant Governor in 2026.
Constitutional Amendment
Amendment One, the only statewide amendment on March 5, would remove the legislature's requirement to pass a "Budget Isolation Resolution" (BIR) by a 60% majority on local measures when the state's two budgets have not already passed.
If the two budgets have not already been passed, a BIR is required to pass by 60% in advance of each measure.
Vote YES if you believe the legislature should be able to address local bills by the routine simple majority (50% plus one vote) before the budgets are passed.
Vote NO if you believe the legislature should handle the two budgets before passing any local bills.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
