Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on reproductive rights and chipping away at Alabama’s near-total abortion ban, won a special election Tuesday for a Huntsville-area state House seat.
Decision Desk HQ, a website that reports election results, called the race for Lands shortly after 8:30 p.m.
As of 9:22 p.m. Tuesday, Lands had 3,715 votes (62.3%) in unofficial returns. Madison City Councilman Teddy Powell, the Republican nominee, had 2,236 votes (37.5%). The district covers south Huntsville, southern Madison County and parts of the city of Madison.
Lands will succeed former Rep. David Cole, R-Madison, who resigned in August after pleading guilty to voter fraud charges.
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In a statement, Lands said that “Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation.”
Lands, like Democrats in the state and nationwide, ran on protecting reproductive rights. In a previous interview, she discussed having an abortion in the past, and said she wanted to protect medical treatment that was available 20 years ago.
“Our legislature must repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception,” she said in the statement, adding that she looks “forward to representing everyone in District 10 and building a brighter future for Alabama.”
Lands said reproductive rights became a priority in her campaign after the Alabama Supreme Court’s Feb. 16 ruling on in vitro fertilization, which declared frozen embryos are children and led to at least three clinics halting IVF treatment. She also said that the right to contraception should be protected on a state level.
Powell ran on issues like additional funding for infrastructure. He said previously that he wanted to ensure north Alabama continued to develop economically. He also took a moderate approach to the state’s CHOOSE Act, which provides up to $7,000 in an Educational Savings Account (ESA) for non-public school expenses, saying the law may have to be changed in future.
Powell conceded to Lands shortly after the polls closed at 7 p.m.
In a statement, Powell started with wishing Lands “the absolute best.” He said it was an honor to be considered for the seat and thanked voters for their support.
“We are proud of the campaign we ran. We ran a tough and respectful race and that is something that we are incredibly proud of. Our state has so much to offer and I believe if we come together, we can accomplish great things,” he said in the statement.
Lands’ win marks the first net gain for the Democrats in either chamber of the Alabama Legislature since 2002, when they picked up a seat in the Alabama Senate. Democratic Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, flipped a Republican-held seat in 2022, the first such flip for Democrats since 2010. But Rep. Dexter Grimsley, D-Newville, lost to current Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, that same year.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
