State Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, announced Wednesday he is switching districts in the 2026 elections to keep much of his current territory.
Hatcher’s announcement follows Sen. Will Barfoot’s last week and a November redrawing of Hatcher’s current Senate District 26 and Barfoot’s Senate District 25.
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco previously ruled the current state Senate map violated the Voting Rights Act by illegally diluting the influence of Black voters around Montgomery.
The change stretches Hatcher’s current Montgomery based district into Elmore County, making it whiter and more Republican. Barfoot currently represents most of Elmore County, but would represent more of Montgomery and none of Elmore County under the new map.
The Senate district swap keeps both men among many of their current constituents.
“I am honored to announce my campaign for the Alabama Senate in District 25, a district shaped by our community’s voices and aspirations,” Hatcher said in a written statement Wednesday. He’s been in the Legislature since 2018.
“Throughout my time in public service, we have expanded educational access, strengthened local economies, and ensured that every resident has a fair shot at success. I look forward to continuing to build on that work as your state senator, listening to neighbors across our new district, and fighting every day for our shared future.”
There is a one-year, in-district residency requirement for state senators, but it is set aside under state law when a district is recently redrawn, as SD25 and SD26 were in November.
“As we look ahead to the 2026 election cycle, I am energized by the possibility of deepening my service to District 25,” Hatcher said. “This campaign is about listening first, to the citizens of the district, and then working together to deliver results that reflect our shared values and potential.”
Party qualifying for 2026 races ends later this month. Barfoot and Hatcher qualified this week and so far they’re the only ones raising money in those districts.
The state is appealing Manasco’s order that says the new map will be used in the 2026 and 2030 state Senate elections, and any special elections, until new lines are drawn by the Legislature after the 2030 census.
The new map selected by Manasco, one of three proposals, was opposed by plaintiffs in the original lawsuit because of what it does to Hatcher’s current district.
Lawyers for plaintiffs said the plan creates an opportunity district in Senate District 25 “at the expense of the existing opportunity in SD26.”