A Madison County Judge swears in Marilyn Lands, Alabama’s newest state representative to flip a Statehouse seat to the Democratic side for the first time in more than a decade.
Alabama’s newest state representative flipped a Statehouse seat to the Democratic side for the first time in more than a decade.
Marilyn Lands won the District 10 seat after taking 62.3% percent of the vote in Tuesday’s special election.
She toppled Madison City Council Member and Republican candidate, Teddy Powell.
A Madison County judge swore in Lands Wednesday afternoon inside the Madison County Courthouse.
Some of her constituents gathered to support her.
Lands told WAAY 31 News she’s excited for what the future holds.
She says she’s ready to advocate for women, reproductive rights and better health care for all.
Lands made invitro-fertilization (IVF) and abortion rights the center of her campaign.
She says Alabamians are ready for change and that her victory is only the beginning.
“I think Alabama has sent a message,” Lands continued, “District 10 has sent a message to the state and to the country that Alabamians are ready for change. I am just proud to be part of that change.”
Lands says her first priority is to repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban.
She also hopes to address mental health issues, support education and get rid of the state’s grocery tax.
“Alabama’s gone too far,” Lands explained, “People are ready for us to ‘Wow, back up’ to make some progress because all we’ve been doing is moving in the wrong direction.”
But, Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl issued the following statement concerning Tuesday’s Special Election for District 10:
“National Democrats are trying to insinuate that House District 10 is a bellwether decision, not just for Alabama but also for the entire country. What they forget to say is that this is a purple district where Democrats always had a chance. Pretending that this election reflects on the entire state of Alabama is disingenuous and shows either a lack of understanding of the political landscape or an attempt to mislead voters.
“Low turnout special elections are hard to predict, and notorious for unexpected outcomes. Results in these types of races are about which candidate is able to excite their base. There are a lot of opinions on what messaging is best in this type of situation, and the Republican candidate chose a middle of the road strategy in an attempt to bring in swing voters. That was the candidate’s decision and we respected it, though unfortunately it did not have the desired outcome of turning out Republican voters. It’s important to remember that only 14.5% of the population voted in this special election, and that is extremely low turnout when compared to a regular general election. Democrats got lucky yesterday, and the Alabama Republican Party is committed to taking this seat back in 2026.
“The Alabama Republican Party has been extremely successful in swing districts across the state in recent years. Our strategy has been highlighting bold, Conservative messaging that pushes back on the national Democrat Party’s flawed policies and woke, socialist agenda. The GOP picked up 50 seats across Alabama in 2022 with this bold messaging. We talked about parental rights in education, protecting our children from indoctrination, and the fact we can tell the difference between a man and a woman. Republicans across the country did not fare as well as Republicans here in Alabama, and the lesson is we cannot not be afraid to stand strong for Conservative values. Republicans win when we talk about policy and the principles we believe in.”
Lands next stop is Montgomery.
She plans to get there Tuesday morning as the legislature goes back into session.
