Former Alabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education Jeana Ross and Arab City Councilman Alan Miller are headed to a runoff for the Republican nomination for Alabama House District 27 in Marshall County.
Ross, who lives in Guntersville, had 1,404 votes (39.23%) in unofficial returns Tuesday evening. Arab City Councilman Miller had 737 votes (20.59%) as of 9:09 p.m. Tuesday.
The runoff will take place on April 30. Since no Democratic candidate is running, the winner will become the next representative for the district, which includes most of Marshall County.
“We are grateful to the voters and extremely happy about our turnout. I look forward to getting our conservative message out to Marshall County over the next four weeks,” Ross said in a statement Tuesday.
A message seeking comment was left with Miller on Tuesday.
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The Alabama Republican Party called the race for Ross and Miller at 9:25 p.m.
Chairman John Wahl congratulated Ross and Miller in a statement and added that “the Republican Party is committed to defending individual liberties and enacting legislation that puts people first.”
The seat opened after Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, won an election in January to replace former Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield, R-Arab. Scofield left the Senate in November to join the Business Council of Alabama after about 13 years in the Alabama Legislature. Kitchens got 84% of the vote in the 2018 election and 89% of the vote in 2022.
A total of $181,542 was raised in the race, with Ross raising nearly $105,000, well over half of the funds raised by the six candidates combined. She spent $65,409 and had $38,396 cash on hand as of April 1. Miller raised $14,308 and spent $481. He had $13,827 cash on hand as of March 29.
Ross said her time in Gov. Kay Ivey’s cabinet factored in her decision to run for office. As a former secretary of Early Childhood Education, Ross stressed her commitment as an advocate for children and families, particularly in shaping the state’s pre-K program.
She said in a previous interview that she knows the concerns and interests of constituents in the district, and after working for nearly eight years in Montgomery, she feels like she can be an effective representative.
On the topic of education, Ross emphasized the importance of early childhood education in closing the achievement gap. She noted findings that graduates of First Class Pre-K were less likely to face academic challenges.
Miller cited his background on the Arab City Council’s finance committee, saying he knew how to balance a budget.
Miller addressed immigration issues. He acknowledged public concerns regarding border security, citing reports of migrants on the terrorist watch list crossing into the United States. Miller said law enforcement should address immigration, advocating for legislation granting authorities more power in handling immigrants involved in serious crimes.
