A Republican and two Democrats have qualified to run for the open Alabama Senate District 5 seat.
Current Alabama Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, is the Republican nominee in the race, according to the Alabama GOP. Ryan Cagle and Sarah Watkins qualified with the Alabama Democrats
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the special election last week and qualifying for major party candidates ended Tuesday.
Even before the close of qualifying Tuesday, Woods, elected to the House in 2022 after a highly contested GOP primary, had a significant endorsement from the Alabama Farmers Federation.
“I’m excited Matt Woods is running as are the farmers of this county,” Dorman Grace, Walker County Farmers Federation president, said in a written statement. “Matt Woods is one of us – a conservative businessman who has represented us well in the House of Representatives, and we know he will do the same thing in the Senate.”
Cagle is a Walker County native who lives in Parrish. He’s a minister and communication coordinator for several churches, he told Alabama Daily News Tuesday evening.
Cagle said he’s running “because I’m tired of my community suffering because we have people in elected positions who do not care about their constituents.”
“We have a myriad of issues facing our district and our community and our elected officials are very much preoccupied with things that have very little to do with responding to the various crises that affect our community,” Cagle said.
Watkins lives in Oakman in Walker County and told ADN she is a single mother and cares for her aging father. She’s a recent Bevill State Community College graduate and is currently working at a fast food restaurant until she can buy a reliable vehicle and seek other opportunities.
“I have personally struggled and been affected by the many issues we face in our district,” Watkins said. “Many say these issues can’t be fixed. I say they can.”
She said her campaign will focus on growth and safety and fighting poverty and drug addiction.
With a Republican and two Democrats in the race, this contest won’t be settled before the end of the 2025 regular legislative session that starts next month and run until mid-May.
A special primary will take place on March 11. The special general election is June 24.
Woods enters the race with about $22,000 cash on hand, leftover from his 2022 House bid, according to his 2024 campaign finance report.
The special election is needed to replace former Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper. The Senate president pro tem the last four years, Reed announced in November he was leaving the Legislature at the end of the year to serve as Ivey’s senior advisor on workforce transformation.
Senate District 5 includes all of Fayette, Lamar and Walker counties, western Jefferson County and northern Tuscaloosa County.
The deadline for all independent candidates and minor parties is 5 p.m. March 11.