By MARY SELL, Alabama Daily News
The Alabama Republican Party will select a candidate to replace the late Rep. David Wheeler on this year’s general election ballot. According to state law, it has some time to make a decision.
Alabama code says that in the event of a death or resignation of a candidate, the state executive committee “may fill such a vacancy … not later than 76 days before the election.”
Wheeler, a first-term Republican, died March 9.
Candidate certification for the May 24 primary had already passed at the time of Wheeler’s death. He was the only Republican who qualified to run in House District 47 in Jefferson County.
“We are looking for a strong, qualified Republican who has a heart to serve their community,” ALGOP Chairman John Wahl told Alabama Daily News.
Interested potential candidates can still contact the party, he said.
Wahl said this is an unusual situation and the party takes the responsibility of replacing an elected official and candidate seriously.
“We are going to work hard to look for the right candidate, to listen to the constituents in the district, work with local Republicans and our committee members to find the right candidate to represent District 47,” Wahl said.
State law requires the party to pick a nominee by late August, but Wahl said Republicans won’t wait that long.
“Our goal is to have a candidate chosen by the primary election so they have the same time to campaign for the general election as all other candidates.”
There will be a Democrat on the November ballot. Christian Coleman and Jim Toomey are Democrat candidates on the May 24 primary ballot.
Updated list of House Races
| District | Incumbent | 2022 Status | Announced candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Pettus | Running | Maurice McCaney (R) |
| 2 | Lynn Greer | Open seat | Jason Spencer Black, (R), Kimberly Butler (R), Ben Harrison (R), Terrance Irelan (R) |
| 3 | Andrew Sorrell | Open Seat | Susan Bentley (D), Wesley Thompson (D). Fred Joly (R), Kerry Underwood (R) |
| 4 | Parker Moore | Running | Patrick Johnson (R), Sheila Banister (R) |
| 5 | Danny Crawford | Running | |
| 6 | Andy Whitt | Running | |
| 7 | Proncey Robertson | Running | Ernie Yarbrough (R), Moses Jones Jr. (D) |
| 8 | Terri Collins | Running | |
| 9 | Scott Stadthagen | Running | |
| 10 | Mike Ball | Open Seat | David Cole (R), Marilyn Lands (D) |
| 11 | Randall Shedd | Running | |
| 12 | Corey Harbison | Running | James C. Fields Jr. (D) |
| 13 | Connie Rowe | Open Seat | Greg Barnes (R), Keith Davis (R), Christopher Dozier (R), Charles Waits (R), Matt Woods (R) |
| 14 | Tim Wadsworth | Running | Cory Franks (R), Tom Fredricks (R) |
| 15 | Allen Farley | Open Seat | Leigh Hulsey (R), Richard Rouco (D), Brad Tompkins (R) |
| 16 | Kyle South | Running | |
| 17 | Tracy Estes | Running | |
| 18 | Jamie Kiel | Running | |
| 19 | Laura Hall | Running | |
| 20 | Howard Sanderford | Open Seat | James D. Brown (R), Frances Taylor (R), Angela McClure (R), James Lomax (R) |
| 21 | Rex Reynolds | Running | |
| 22 | Ritchie Whorton | Running | |
| 23 | Tommy Hanes | Running | Mike Kirkland (R) |
| 24 | Nathaniel Ledbetter | Running | Don Stout (R) |
| 25 | Mac McCutcheon | Open Seat | Buck Clemons (R), Mallory Hagan (D), Phillip Rigsby (R) |
| 26 | Kerry Rich | Open seat | Ben Alford (D), Brock Colvin (R), Annette Holcomb (R), Todd Mitchem (R) |
| 27 | Wes Kitchens | Running | Herb Neu (D) |
| 28 | Gil Isbell | Running | Mack Butler (R) |
| 29 | Becky Nordgren | Open Seat | Mark Gidley (R), Jamie Grant (R) |
| 30 | Craig Lipscomb | Running | |
| 31 | Mike Holmes | Open seat | R.T. Barksdale (R), Chadwick Smith (R), Troy Stubbs (R) |
| 32 | Barbara Boyd | Running | Evan Jackson (R) |
| 33 | Ben Robbins | Running | Fred Crum Sr. (D) |
| 34 | David Standridge | Running | |
| 35 | Steve Hurst | Running | |
| 36 | Randy Wood | Running | |
| 37 | Bob Fincher | Running | |
| 38 | Debbie Wood | Running | Micah Messer (R) |
| 39 | Ginny Shaver | Running | Brent Rhodes (R) |
| 40 | K.L. Brown | Open Seat | Gayla Blanton (R), Julie Borrelli (R), Katie Exum (R), Pam Howard (D), Bill Lester (R), Bill McAdams (R), Chad Robertson (R), Jakob Williamson (D) |
| 41 | Corley Ellis | Running | Chris Nelson (D) |
| 42 | Van Smith | Running | |
| 43 | Arnold Mooney | Running | Prince Cleveland (D) |
| 44 | Danny Garrett | Running | |
| 45 | Dickie Drake | Running | Susan Dubose (R) |
| 46 | David Faulkner | Running | |
| 47 | David Wheeler | Open Seat | Christian Coleman (D), Jim Toomey (D), Republican yet to be named |
| 48 | Jim Carns | Running | William Wentowski (R) |
| 49 | Russell Bedsole | Running | Michael Hart (R) |
| 50 | Jim Hill | Running | |
| 51 | Allen Treadaway | Running | |
| 52 | John Rogers | Running | LaTanya Millhouse (D) |
| 53 | Anthony Daniels | Running | |
| 54 | Neil Rafferty | Running | Britt Blalock (D), Edward Maddox (D) |
| 55 | Rod Scott | Running | Travis Hendrix (D), Phyllis Oden-Jones (D), Fred "Coach" Plump (D), Antwon Womack (D) |
| 56 | Louise Alexander | Open Seat | Tereshia Huffman (D), Cleo King (D), Jesse Matthews (D), Ontario Tillman (D) |
| 57 | Merika Coleman | Open Seat | Kevin Dunn (D), Danielle Matthews (D), Charles Ray Winston III (D), Delor Baumann (R) |
| 58 | Rolanda Hollis | Running | |
| 59 | Mary Moore | Running | |
| 60 | Juandalynn Givan | Running | Nina Taylor (D) |
| 61 | Rodney Sullivan | Open Seat | Ron Bolton (R), Kimberly Madison (R) |
| 62 | Rich Wingo | Open Seat | Brenda Cephus (D) Bill Lamb (R) |
| 63 | Cynthia Almond | Running | Samual Adams (D) |
| 64 | Harry Shiver | Open Seat | Angelo Jacob Fermo (R), Donna Givens (R) |
| 65 | Brett Easterbrook | Running | Dee Ann Campbell (R), Marcus Caster (D) |
| 66 | Alan Baker | Running | |
| 67 | Prince Chestnut | Running | Laurine Pettway (D), Jarmal Jabbar Sanders (R) |
| 68 | Thomas Jackson | Running | Fred Kelley (R) |
| 69 | Kelvin Lawrence | Running | Karla Knight Maddox (R) |
| 70 | Chris England | Running | |
| 71 | AJ McCampbell | Running | |
| 72 | Ralph Howard | Running | Curtis Travis (D) |
| 73 | Kenneth Paschal | Running | |
| 74 | Charlotte Meadows | Running | Malcolm Calhoun (D), Phillip Ensler (D) |
| 75 | Reed Ingram | Running | |
| 76 | Penni McClammy | Running | |
| 77 | Tashina Morris | Running | |
| 78 | Kenyatte Hassell | Running | |
| 79 | Joe Lovvorn | Running | |
| 80 | Chris Blackshear | Running | |
| 81 | Ed Oliver | Running | |
| 82 | Pebblin Warren | Running | Terrence Johnson (D), Lennora Tia Pierrot (R) |
| 83 | Jeremy Gray | Running | |
| 84 | Berry Forte | Running | |
| 85 | Dexter Grimsley | Running | Payne Henderson (R) |
| 86 | Paul Lee | Running | |
| 87 | Jeff Sorrells | Running | Eric E. Johnson (R) |
| 88 | Will Dismukes | Running | Will Dismukes (R), Jerry Starnes (R) |
| 89 | Wes Allen | Open Seat | Marcus Paramore (R) |
| 90 | Chris Sells | Running | |
| 91 | Rhett Marques | Running | Les Hogan (R) |
| 92 | Mike Jones, Jr. | Open Seat | Steve Hubbard (D), Greg White (R), Matthew Hammett (R) |
| 93 | Steve Clouse | Running | |
| 94 | Joe Faust | Running | Jennifer Fidler (R) |
| 95 | Steve McMillan | Open Seat | Frances Holk-Jones (R), Richard Brackner(D), Michael Ludvigsen (R), Reginald Pulliam (R) |
| 96 | Matt Simpson | Running | Danielle Duggar (R) |
| 97 | Adline Clarke | Running | |
| 98 | Napoleon Bracy | Running | |
| 99 | Sam Jones | Running | Levi Wright Jr. (D) |
| 100 | Victor Gaston | Open Seat | Pete Kupfer (R), Joe Piggot (R), Mark Shirley (R) |
| 101 | Chris Pringle | Running | |
| 102 | Shane Stringer | Running | |
| 103 | Barbara Drummond | Running | |
| 104 | Margie Wilcox | Running | |
| 105 | Chip Brown | Running |
Updated list of Senate Races
| District | Incumbent | 2022 Status | Announced candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Melson | Running | John Sutherland (R) |
| 2 | Tom Butler | Running | Kim Caudle Lewis (D), Bill Holtzclaw (R) |
| 3 | Arthur Orr | Running | |
| 4 | Garlan Gudger | Running | |
| 5 | Greg Reed | Running | |
| 6 | Larry Stutts | Running | |
| 7 | Sam Givhan | Running | Korey Wilson (D) |
| 8 | Steve Livingston | Running | |
| 9 | Clay Scofield | Running | |
| 10 | Andrew Jones | Running | |
| 11 | Jim McClendon | Open Seat | Lance Bell (R), Michael Wright (R) |
| 12 | Del Marsh | Open Seat | Keith Kelley (R), Wendy Ghee Draper (R), Wayne Willis (R), Danny McCullars (D) |
| 13 | Randy Price | Running | John Allen Coker (R) |
| 14 | April Weaver | Running | |
| 15 | Dan Roberts | Running | Brian Christine (R) |
| 16 | Jabo Waggoner | Running | |
| 17 | Shay Shelnutt | Running | Mike Dunn (R) |
| 18 | Rodger Smitherman | Running | |
| 19 | Priscilla Dunn | Open Seat | Merika Coleman (D), Louise Alexander (D) |
| 20 | Linda Coleman-Madison | Running | Rodney Huntley (D) |
| 21 | Gerald Allen | Running | Lisa Ward (D) |
| 22 | Greg Albritton | Running | Stephen Sexton (R) |
| 23 | Malika Sanders-Fortier | Open Seat | Darrio Melton (D), Michael Nimmer (R), Hank Sanders (D), Thayer Bear Spencer, (D) Robert Stewart (D) |
| 24 | Bobby Singleton | Running | |
| 25 | Will Barfoot | Running | |
| 26 | Kirk Hatcher | Running | |
| 27 | Tom Whatley | Running | Jay Hovey (R), Sherri Reese (D) |
| 28 | Billy Beasley | Running | Frank "Chris" Lee (D) |
| 29 | Donnie Chesteen | Running | Nathan Mathis (D) |
| 30 | Clyde Chambliss | Running | |
| 31 | Jimmy Holley | Open Seat | Mike Jones (R), Josh Carnley (R), Norman Horton |
| 32 | Chris Elliott | Running | |
| 33 | Vivian Figures | Running | Pete Riehm (R) |
| 34 | Jack Williams | Running | |
| 35 | David Sessions | Running |