By ABBY DRIGGERS, Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Sitting Supreme Court Justice Greg Shaw fended off a challenge from State Sen. Cam Ward Tuesday in the Republican primary for his Place 1 seat on the high court.
Shaw received 341,442 votes earning 58.43%, while Ward received 242,913 votes, good enough for 41.57%, according to the latest unofficial tally from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.
With no Democrat signed up to run, Shaw will be uncontested in the general election on Nov. 3.
Brad Shattuck, campaign advisor for Shaw, said the campaign is “humbled by the results.”
“The results show that a strong conservative justice like Greg Shaw, someone who strictly interprets the constitution and is Trump-tough, is exactly what the voters of Alabama want”.
At a returns watch reception in Montgomery, Ward thanked supporters and announced he was conceding to Shaw as the results displayed behind him.
“I’m so thankful for the people who texted me, Facebook messaged me, called me and said, ‘We’re with you, we support you’,” Ward said.
An active lawmaker for more than 15 years, Ward had the support of many in the State House. Sen. Garlan Grudger, R-Cullman and Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, were some of several lawmakers present at his event.
“Tomorrow, guess what, I’m going to walk back into the Senate and we’re going to have another Judiciary Committee meeting,” Ward said. “We’re going to start over again. We came up short tonight but I cannot thank everyone in this room enough for what y’all did for me.”
As his supporters headed home, Ward joked with Sen. Grudger.
“Tomorrow, wanna go over the Judiciary calendar?”
In Alabama, Supreme Court judges are elected in partisan elections to six-year terms.
Incumbent Justice Brad Mendheim was the only candidate to file for the election for the Alabama Supreme Court, Place 2. The primary for Place 2 was cancelled and Menheim automatically advances to the general election on Nov. 3..
The Alabama Supreme Court will continue to be comprised of all Republican members. The last time a Democrat was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court was Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb in 2008. She retired in 2011.