Republican Sarah Stewart is the next Alabama chief justice and will lead the Alabama Supreme Court for the next six years.
Stewart, who has been an associate justice for five years, defeated Democrat Greg Griffin, a circuit court judge in Montgomery, with 66% of the 2.2 million votes, according to unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State.
Stewart was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court as an associate justice in 2018. Prior to that, she was appointed by Gov. Bob Riley in 2006 as judge over Alabama’s 13th Judicial Circuit where she presided over more than 20,000 criminal and civil cases.
Stewart will replace Tom Parker, chief justice since 2019, who has to retire because of the state’s age limit for judges.
U.S. Reps. Sewell, Palmer, Moore easily hold off general election challengers
Three of Alabama’s congressional incumbents, U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, and Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, were easily holding off challengers Tuesday night. The Associated Press called all three races for the incumbents.
Sewell was on her way to an eighth term Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Robin Latiker in Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. Sewell had received about 62% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the Alabama Secretary of State Tuesday night.
Her House committee assignments currently include ways and means and armed services.
Moore won his third term Tuesday night, the first in the newly drawn Alabama Congressional District One.
Moore previously represented District 2 but now lives in District 1 after the 2023 map redrawing to put more Black voters in District 2.
Moore beat fellow GOP District 1 incumbent Jerry Carl in the March primary.
He defeated Democrat Tom Holmes with 78% percent of the vote Tuesday, according to preliminary results.
In his campaign, Moore ran on his support for former President Donald Trump and other conservative bonafides. He currently serves on the House agriculture and judiciary committees.
Palmer defeated Democrat Elizabeth Anderson 74% of the vote, according to preliminary numbers.
He currently serves on the House energy and commerce and oversight and accountability committees.
Voters statewide approve CA to allow school system to sell land
Alabama voters approved Tuesday a statewide constitutional amendment to allow Franklin County Schools to sell some land it owns along Interstate-22 in Walker and Fayette counties.
About 74% of nearly 1.5 million voters said “yes” to the proposal, according to preliminary results from the Alabama Secretary of State.
The issue was on the statewide ballot because it effected multiple counties.
The property is known as “16th Section Land,” property granted to school systems for their benefit by Congress more than a century ago.
Chestnut wins state board of education reelection
Current Alabama Board of Education member and Democrat Tonya Chestnut defeated Republican challenger David Perry and will return for a second four-year term representing District 5. Her seat was one of four state board of education seats up for a vote, but three were decided in the March primary.
Chestnut received 55% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Chestnut, a lifelong educator and current vice president of the state board, was first elected to the office in 2020. Her district includes much of Alabama’s Black Belt, including Macon, Bullock, Lowndes, Autauga, Dallas, Wilcox, Monroe, Marengo, Sumter, Choctaw, Washington, Clarke and parts of Mobile and Montgomery counties.
She is one of two Democrats on the eight-member state board of education. Gov. Kay Ivey serves as president of the state board by virtue of her office.
Other races decided in March primary
District 1 Republican Jackie Zeigler faced no primary or general election challengers and will begin her third term in January. Her district includes Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh, Butler, Crenshaw, Covington, Coffee and part of Mobile county.
Districts 3 and 7 board seats were finalized in the March primary, where more than half a million dollars was raised by Republican candidates. Both were open seats due to Republican incumbents not running for re-election.
Republican Allen Long defeated two primary challengers and faced no challengers in the general election. He replaces one-term District 7 Republican Belinda McRae who chose not to run for re-election.
District 7 includes much of northwest Alabama, including Lauderdale, Lawrence, Colbert, Franklin, Marion, Lamar, Winston, Walker, Fayette, Morgan, Pickens and parts of Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties.
Republican Kelly Mooney defeated three challengers in the District 3 primary election and had no challengers in the general election. She will represent a district that includes parts of central and east-central Alabama.
District 3 includes Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore and Shelby counties, as well as parts of Jefferson, Montgomery and Talladega counties.
Longtime District 3 Republican Stephanie Bell, first elected in 1994, chose not to run for re-election.
New board of education terms begin in January, immediately upon being sworn in.
The winners will join board members Tracie West, a Republican in District 2; Yvette Richardson, a Democrat in District 4; Marie Manning, a Republican in District 6; and Wayne Reynolds, a Republican in District 8. They were elected or reelected in 2022.