Here is a summary of what happened with the Republican and Democratic primary elections on Tuesday, May 19, for races that impact Baldwin County.
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Two state legislators who represent Baldwin County were upset in last week’s Republican primary election that determined the party’s nominees for November’s general election.
Danielle Duggar unseated state Rep. Matt Simpson for the House District 96 Republican nomination with 51.4% of the vote.
Duggar told Gulf Coast Media Wednesday that she felt shocked and elated when she realized she had won her party’s nomination because “it was a long time coming.”
“I ran against the same incumbent in 2022. We had a really close race. I got about 45% of the vote that time,” she said. “So, this had been four years in the making, and it was just such a relief, and it was just such a feeling of elation to have finally won and to achieve that goal and be able to, you know, get some good conservative representation for the people in my district. I was just so happy.”
Simpson was elected in 2018 and was seeking a third term.
“While tonight’s election results didn’t go the way I had hoped, I am at peace knowing that I gave all I could to serve the people,” Simpson said in a Facebook post on election night. “I wish the best of luck to Danielle Duggar in her upcoming role and I will be praying the she has success for the people of our area.”
District 96 covers Daphne, Spanish Fort and the unincorporated communities of Montrose, Belforest, Malbis, Blakeley, Bromley and Stapleton.
Terry L. Waters secured his spot as Republican nominee for the District 22 state senate seat over incumbent Sen. Greg Albritton. Waters earned 52.1% of the vote.
“Thank you to the people of District 22 for placing your trust in me. I’m honored, humbled and ready to serve. I’m incredibly grateful to my family, friends, volunteers and supporters who made this possible,” Waters said in a statement to Gulf Coast Media. “To everyone in District 22, whether you supported me or not, I promise to work hard, listen and represent this district with integrity.”
District 22 covers Bay Minette and the unincorporated communities of Little River, Blacksher, Tensaw, Lottie, Latham, Vaughn, Stockton, Crossroads, Bromley, Malbis, Plantation Hills, Ellisville & Belforest.
Of the 17,433 total votes cast, 9,077 came from Baldwin County voters. In addition to North Baldwin, District 22 also covers parts of Escambia, Mobile and Washington counties.
Albritton was elected in 2014 and had previously served in the House of Representatives for one term.
Both will face a Democratic challenge in November. Two candidates were unopposed within their own party in May, automatically earning the nomination: Terri Osborne for the District 96 in the Alabama House of Representatives and Ashley Sharpe for District 22 in the Alabama Senate.
Another incumbent official was ousted in terms of Baldwin County representation.
Richard Cox beat longtime Baldwin County commissioner James E. "Jeb" Ball to secure the District 1 Republican nomination. In the close race, Cox earned 51.7% of the vote to Ball's 48.3%.
"I think we were in a good clean race, and we let the people decide. I'm not a politician, so I don't know how to get too excited over it," Cox told Gulf Coast Media Tuesday night. "I just wanted to try to give back to this county, and I asked the people to give me that opportunity, and they apparently have honored me with that. So, I'm honored and real humble about it."
MORE PRIMARY SUMMARY: RUNOFFS
Eight elections were not decided on Tuesday, as no candidate earned a majority of votes in races where there were three or more people vying to be named nominee. Those are the Republican races for attorney general, commissioner of agriculture and industry, lieutenant governor, Public Service Commission Place 2, Baldwin County Commission District 4, State House of Representatives District 95 and both party's elections for the U.S. Senate.
"I am excited for the next four weeks to continue taking my message to the voters of Alabama," Wes Allen, who made the runoff for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary alongside John Wahl, told Gulf Coast Media.
Wahl, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, earned 41% of the vote to Allen's 38%.
"This race is now a clear choice between a proven conservative fighter and politics as usual," Wahl said in a statement. "As Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, I built a record of standing up for our values, standing with President Trump, and taking action when it matters. I am ready to take this fight for freedom, liberty, and the American Dream to Montgomery. It is time to drain the swamp and put the people back in control again."
Jay Mitchell, who is seeking the attorney general nomination, "reiterated his commitment to backing the blue, defending the sanctity of life and protecting Alabama from the out-of-state special interests who are seeking to buy the Attorney General's Office," according to a press release from his office.
Mitchell earned 34.4% of the vote, trailing Katherine Robertson's 41%.
Barry Moore leads his race for the U.S. Senate with 39.2% of the vote to Jared Hudson's 26%.
"From the start of this campaign, my message has been clear to Alabamians: President Trump needs someone with a proven record who is ready to work on day one in the Senate to pass critical legislation like the SAVE America Act," Moore said in a statement. "From Gulf Shores to Muscle Shoals, we have built a broad coalition of support, and we look forward to building on this over the next few weeks as we continue to work every day to prove we are the best choice for Alabama."
Frances Holk-Jones and Joe Freeman will face off for the state House District 95 nomination after getting 42.4% and 39% of the vote, respectively.
Freeman told Gulf Coast Media Tuesday night he thinks he and his team knocking on over 8,000 doors resonated with voters.
"The biggest thing that voters are talking about is transparency, being very transparent, having the ability to, you know, return phone calls, emails, actually have conversations with the candidates," Freeman said. "... At the end of the day, I'm just a [conduit] between the voters and Montgomery, so I want to get together with their leaders and really talk about what their concern moving forward is to help the legislation of District 95."
Here are the dates to know for runoff elections:
*Except for persons casting absentee ballots pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA voters).
WIDE-OPEN RACES
Some of the largest margins of victory were earned by:
On the Republican side of the governor's race, Tommy Tuberville got 85.5% of the vote against two other candidates, neither of whom earned more than 10%.
Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate for governor, got 79% of the vote among six candidates, none of whom earned more than 10% among 364,280 votes cast.
State Sen. Chris Elliott earned the spot as Republican nominee for his District 32 seat, for which he's seeking a third term, with 73% of the vote.
Republican candidates Young Boozer got 68% of the vote for state treasurer, Andrew Sorrell got 68% of the vote for state auditor, Caroleene Dobson got 65.5% of the vote to avoid a runoff and become the Republican nominee for secretary of state, and Kristi Hagood got 63% of the vote for Place 7 circuit court judge in the 28th Judicial Circuit.
CLOSE RACES
Grant Blackburn appeared to be just ahead of William "Liam" Scully in the race for Republican nominee for Baldwin County District Court judge. At 50.7% to Scully's 49.3%, a difference of 406 votes, and with potential provisional votes outstanding before certification, the race could trigger an automatic recount.
COUNTY COMMISSION TURNOVER
With Ball's loss, it appears three of the four Baldwin County Commission seats will be filled with new representatives.
Two commissioners did not run for reelection. Angelo Fermo secured his nomination in District 2, with 50.55% of the vote against Kyle L. Henderson's 49.45%, while District 4 is headed to a runoff between John "Tater" Harris, who got 47.42% of the vote, and Brett Gaar, who got 28.82% of the vote.
The lone returning commissioner is slated to be Billie Jo Underwood in District 3, whose 53.72% of the vote was enough to avoid a runoff among a total of three candidates, a rare demonstration of unified confidence from voters across many crowded fields this spring.
"I'm beyond thankful for that. That saves a lot of money and a lot of time. We have a lot of work to do at Baldwin County, and when you're in the middle of campaign season, it slows everything down," Underwood said of avoiding a runoff. "You can only imagine nobody wants to really, you know, make any major decisions or anything, so you've got to, you know, get past all this campaign stuff. I'm happy to be past that for now."
Underwood, a Foley native who lives in Summerdale, represents the central Baldwin cities of Loxley, Robertsdale, Silverhill and Summerdale, but her win was countywide because commission positions are voted on by everyone, not just by district.
With a major turnover coming to county leadership, Underwood said she is confident in her veteran role moving forward.
"I have no doubt we have fantastic staff. It's not going to be easy, but I've worked hard, I've showed up every day, and I know it's going to be OK because I know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't God's will. I'm a person of big faith," she said.
OTHER LOCAL RACES
Anthony Lowery will continue on as Baldwin County's sheriff after a sometimes heated election cycle all but concluded Tuesday night with his first public election to the position.
According to unofficial results, Lowery secured 52% of the vote against challenger Matt McKenzie's 48%. Just over 31,800 people voted for either candidate out of Baldwin County's 40,382 total ballots cast among nearly 209,000 registered voters.
Lowery came into the position with nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience, including nearly two decades with the Baldwin agency that started as civil affairs commander in 2007 before moving up to become chief deputy from 2018 until his appointment to sheriff.
Prior to joining the sheriff's office, he spent a decade with the Baldwin County District Attorney's Office rising from investigator to chief investigator.
"I couldn't be more honored by the people of Baldwin County electing me to be their sheriff," Lowery told Gulf Coast Media. "I was blessed because I had really three things going for me. I had one of the best sheriff's offices in the state that I was a part of building; I had a group of deputies and corrections officers and support staff that were fully supportive of what we've been doing; but the main thing is my wife, my family and my friends have battled for me from day one, and that kind of support is just irreplaceable."
McKenzie gave up his Baldwin County Commission District 2 seat to run for the sheriff position. Lowery was appointed to the role in 2024 by outgoing Gov. Kay Ivey after Huey "Hoss" Mack retired from a nearly 20-year career to become executive director of the Alabama Sheriff's Association.
He told Gulf Coast Media he was "disappointed with the low turnout from the people of Baldwin County, but other than that, the people spoke and they made their decision, and I got to live with that."
Another incumbent, Jason P. Woerner, retained his Baldwin County Board of Education District 5 seat by earning 65.6% of the vote against Whitney Scapecchi's 35.4%.
STATEWIDE AMENDMENTS
Both proposed statewide amendments passed, the first with 82% in favor and the second with 58% in favor.
The first amendment will allow a judge to deny bail to a person charged with solicitation, attempt or conspiracy to commit murder. The amendment will also allow a judge to deny bail to a person charged with shooting or discharging a firearm, explosive or other weapon into an occupied dwelling, building, railroad locomotive or car, aircraft, automobile, truck or watercraft.
Currently, a judge may deny bail to a person charged with capital murder, murder, kidnapping in the first degree, rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, sexual torture, domestic violence in the first degree, human trafficking in the first degree, arson in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, terrorism and aggravated child abuse.
The second amendment ensures that a district attorney's salary cannot be reduced during the term of office that he or she was appointed or elected to fill.
MOOT CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT
With 40.3% and 31.1% of the vote, respectively, former District 1 U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl and current state Rep. Rhett Marques earned the most votes in the moot election for Alabama's First Congressional District.
A U.S. Supreme Court decision paved the way earlier this month for congressional maps to be redrawn, allowing Alabama to revert to its 2023 map and nix what had become the state's second Democrat-majority, based largely in Mobile's constituency.
A special primary for this race will be held Aug. 11.
WHO'S FACING SOMEONE IN NOVEMBER
There will be 18 candidates in 14 races from the primary elections facing opposition on November. Those races are for attorney general, auditor, commissioner of agriculture and industry, governor, lieutenant governor, Public Service Commission Place 1, Public Service Commission Place 2, secretary of state, treasurer, Baldwin County Commission District 3, state House of Representatives District 96, state Senate District 22, state Senate District 32 and U.S. Senate.
