Democrat Marilyn Lands has won the special election for Alabama House District 10 in north Alabama, flipping a previously Republican-held seat in what has been among Alabama’s few competitive districts in recent years.
As of 9 p.m., the unofficial election results show Lands received more than 62% of the vote to her Republican opponent Teddy Powell’s 37%. All results are unofficial until certified by the Alabama Secretary of State.
While both candidates had strong name recognition within the district, Lands attributed her victory to her campaign’s focus on pushing back against the state’s near-total ban on abortion, an issue that has drawn national attention in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on in vitro fertilization.
“Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation,” Lands said. “Our Legislature must repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception.”
Powell, who ran on improving infrastructure in Madison County, as well as education and economic development, conceded the race to Lands just over an hour after the polls closed.
“Running for House District 10 has been a true honor,” Powell said. “The voters have spoken and I’m honored to have been considered for this office. I wish Mrs. Lands the absolute best as she goes on to serve the people of District 10 in the House of Representatives.”
The seat was previously held by Rep. David Cole, R-Madison, who had defeated Lands two years ago in a competitive race. Cole was forced to resign, however, after entering a plea deal on a felony voter fraud charge.
The race to represent HD10 has drawn national attention, largely in part due to IVF services being shuttered following the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling that granted frozen embryos similar legal protections to that of children.
As the first competitive election between Republicans and Democrats in the state since the court’s ruling, the race has also been viewed as a litmus test of sorts for voters’ feelings on reproductive rights.
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, also weighed in on the election, calling it a “harbinger of things to come.”
“Tonight’s victory is a political earthquake in Alabama – the heart of Republican territory and ground zero for the most egregious attacks on our fundamental freedoms,” Williams said.
“In the first real test of backlash from voters on attacks on reproductive care and IVF, Alabama voters showed up in force to support Democrat Marilyn Lands, who ran courageously and unabashedly as a defender of reproductive freedoms.”