Another sitting Alabama lawmaker has a primary contest in May.
Two-term incumbent Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, is being challenged by Scott Ortis in Alabama Senate District 15.
“For too long, career politicians have made things harder than they need to be,” Ortis said in a campaign announcement this week. “We need strong leadership that understands how businesses actually operate, how health care really works, and why limited government and lower taxes matter to everyday Alabamians.”
Scott is the father of the late Sid Ortis, a Mountain Brook teen who passed away in 2015 after a high-profile battle with bone cancer. The family later established the Sid Strong Foundation to support pediatric cancer research.
“I am a father and retired businessman who wants to serve my community and come home. I believe in term limits and citizen leaders. We need fresh ideas, and more conservative, business-minded outsiders in Montgomery.”
Alabama Daily News reported last month at least eight sitting legislators have primary challengers raising money ahead of the May 19 contests. Qualifying starts next week.
Ortis has not yet filed a campaign finance report but filed registration paperwork with the state last week.
Roberts had at the end of November more than $604,000 on hand, according to his latest campaign finance filing.
Roberts on Tuesday told Alabama Daily News he is not done serving in Montgomery.
Roberts this year was the Senate sponsor of the bill to reform the Birmingham Water Works Board, making it smaller and appointing more members from the surrounding counties served by the board. Roberts and others argued that management issues at the utility were deterring job growth in the area. The legislation led to multiple filibusters by Democrats in protest.
“That is a huge economic development and quality of lifestyle issue for the people that I represent, and it’s one of the more monumental pieces of legislation we’ve gotten done,” Roberts said. “And I’m very proud of the board and the way they’re moving forward.”
Roberts said he’s not a career politician either. He has a master’s degree in real estate development and urban affairs and joined the Legislature after retiring from a professional career that included owning his own real estate and development company.
Now he has 10 young grandchildren, a new generation of Alabamians he wants to positively impact.
“That’s why I’m running,” he said.