WASHINGTON — Voters in four of Alabama’s congressional districts will head to the polls Tuesday to pick their nominees for the November ballot.
Tuesday’s special primary elections mark the end of a period of uncertainty and upended congressional maps this year in the wake of a Republican-led redistricting push. The Supreme Court paved the way for the state to use a Legislature-drawn map, throwing out the court-drawn one.
After the results of the originally scheduled May 19 primary were voided, Alabama’s newly redrawn 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional district races will finally be on the ballot. In an unusual occurrence, the winner of each race will take all, with no runoffs.
1st District
Former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, former Navy pilot John Mills and Air Force veteran Austin Sidwell will vie for the Republican nomination for the newly redrawn 1st District seat encompassing Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The new district combines the Gulf Coast region again. It also includes Escambia and most of Covington County.
The special primary winner will face the sole Democrat in the race, Clyde W. Jones Jr., in the general election.
In the solidly Republican district, Carl said he’s ready to hit the ground running again in Congress after serving two terms. He lost in the 2024 primary against U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, who is now running for U.S. Senate.
“I loved serving the people in District 1, and it’s such a rare chance to actually get to run for an office that you’ve held in the past,” Carl previously told Alabama Daily News.
As a veteran, Mills opted to run for the seat to continue his service to the country in a different capacity.
“When I retired and took the uniform off, I didn’t forget about the Constitution,” Mills told ADN last month. “There is no expiration date on my oath, my allegiance to the Constitution. So I see it being destroyed, and I don’t see what we need in the race to preserve it.”
Sidwell, a U.S. Air Force veteran and vice president of his family’s business, said he wants to bring an outsider perspective to the office. He’s also highlighted his understanding of young families as he’s raising one at 36.
“I’m bringing a different perspective, a perspective of a guy that still has a family in the home, that has a different view of where we’re going,” Sidwell previously told ADN. “Not necessarily looking at just problems that are facing us right this second, but also the problems facing us in the future.”
2nd District
The newly redrawn 2nd District brings together the Wiregrass and capital city to create a Republican-friendly district, but with a Democratic incumbent and control of Congress on the line, all eyes will be on the race in November.
On the Republican side, six candidates are vying to compete against U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile in the general election.
State Rep. Rhett Marques, real estate broker Hampton Harris, small business owner Christian Horn, former USDA official David Matthews, former Green Beret Joshua McKee and Marine veteran James Richardson are on Tuesday’s ballot.
Marques, who President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., endorsed, said his eight years in the Alabama Legislature have prepared him to tackle important issues on the federal level. He said Trump and Britt understand that and that’s why they endorsed the Enterprise Republican.
“They know they have a proven conservative Christian fighter who is going to go up there with a proven record of standing for families and children, cutting taxes, putting more money in people’s pockets, and standing with our military, our veterans, our law enforcement (and) our farmers,” Marques previously told ADN.
Harris, 29, said he hopes to bring a new energy to Congress and focus on affordability and veterans.
“I think pretty much anybody will agree with me, no matter who is there, that we need more honesty and more transparency in D.C,” he told ADN last month. “And so that’s something I want to bring up there, and stand for our rights, and also stand for our military.”
Horn, who has previously run for Secretary of State and Alabama’s old 7th congressional district, wants to leverage his family’s history in the 2nd District to better serve constituents’ needs.
Matthews, who worked in the Agriculture Department under Trump, said his executive branch experience will translate well to help Alabama in Congress.
“I am the only person who understands how the decisions in Congress directly affect the people of Alabama and the executive branch,” he told ADN. “I left my senior executive leadership position in the Trump administration, where I was the one who helped deploy all the congressionally designated spending, because I am tired of us electing people who do not know how to get the job done and make Alabama better for everyone.”
McKee wants to help bring the country together if elected.
“We need someone out there that wants to unite everybody and bring everybody back together, regardless of our differences. We’re stronger when we’re together, and that’s the most important part,” he previously told ADN.
Richardson has said he wants to protect people’s freedoms if he’s elected, as he did during his military service.
6th District
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, is running for his seventh term representing the solidly Republican 6th Congressional District. The central Alabama district changed slightly due to redistricting with the shifting of boundary lines in Elmore and Jefferson counties.
The congressman is focused on the border, combating inflation, and advancing regulatory reform, among other issues, according to his campaign website.
Physical therapist assistant Case Dixon is the sole Republican challenger to Palmer. Dixon has highlighted his outsider status focused on tackling the debt, cutting taxes and reforming the health care system, according to his website.
Four Democrats will be on the ballot on Tuesday for the newly redrawn 6th District seat. Target cashier and disability rights organizer Jacob Bouma-Sims, content creator Ashtyn Kennedy, former Pelham City Councilman Maurice Mercer and nurse and veteran Keith Pilkington are vying for the nomination.
On her campaign website, Kennedy highlights her support of the federal legalization of recreational and medical cannabis, universal healthcare and opposition to data centers.
Mercer wants to lower costs for families, implement healthcare reform, invest in education and support small businesses, according to his website.
7th District
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, is unopposed in the Democratic primary and is running for her ninth term in the central and western Alabama district. The new boundary lines removed Lowndes County from the district and added Washington, Monroe and Conecuh counties and shifted the entire Clarke County into the district. The district still favors Democrats.
Two Republicans are now vying for the seat after redistricting. Educator Ammie Akin and former pastor David Perry will face off on Tuesday to determine who will run against Sewell in November.
Akin wants to strengthen educational opportunities and fight wasteful spending, according to her campaign announcement.
On his website, Perry highlights that he wants to focus on economic development and public safety if elected.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can view sample ballots here.