The city of Hoover has never had one of its residents serving in the state Legislature, and now after Tuesday’s general election, it will have two.
Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw and Greystone resident Susan DuBose both won their respective races for Alabama House Districts 47 and 45.
Shaw, a Republican, defeated Democrat Christian Coleman in House District 47, which includes portions of Hoover and Vestavia Hills. DuBose, also a Republican, won over Libertarian Kari Mitchell Whitaker in House District 45, which includes parts of north Shelby County, eastern Jefferson County and southwest St. Clair County, including parts of Chelsea, Greystone, Highland Lakes, Leeds, Mt Laurel and Shoal Creek.
Meanwhile, two other legislative districts that include parts of Hoover also gained new representatives.
Helena Councilwoman and Republican Leigh Hulsey defeated Democrat Richard Rouco of Hoover in House District 15, which includes parts of Bessemer, western Hoover, much of Helena and communities such as McCalla and Tannehill.
And Bessemer resident and Democrat Ontario Tillman captured a win over Libertarian Carson Lester in House District 56, which includes Ross Bridge and part of the Lake Cyrus community in Hoover, part of Homewood and most of Bessemer, Brighton, Lipscomb and the Oxmoor Valley and Shannon communities.
Three Republican incumbents who represent parts of Hoover in the state Legislature won re-election Tuesday: Sen. Dan Roberts in Senate District 15, Rep. Arnold Mooney in House District 43 and Jim Carns in House District 48.
Also, at the national level, Republican U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer — a Hoover resident — won re-election to a fifth term with a victory over Libertarian Andria Chieffo in the Sixth Congressional District, and Democrat Terri Sewell of Birmingham won a seventh term in the Seventh Congressional District by defeating Republican Beatrice Nichols and Libertarian Gavin Goodman.
Here is more on the election results for each of these races and comments by some of the candidates:
Alabama House District 47
With all but one precinct counted, Mike Shaw received 8,582 votes (64%) to Christian Coleman’s 4,815 votes (36%).
Shaw said his victory was bittersweet. He has loved his job on the Hoover City Council the past six years and has loved working for the residents of Hoover, and this is an opportunity to also work for residents of Vestavia Hills and parts of unincorporated Jefferson County, he said.
“It’s another opportunity to serve in a different way, and I’m just excited to get to work and take the things I’ve learned at the city level and apply them at the state level,” Shaw said.
He tried to keep his campaign as positive as possible, and he feels voters resonated with his calls for fiscal conservatism, smart government, small government and pro-business philosophies, he said.
Many voters in House District 47 also shared his thoughts about the public schools that serve the district, which are some of the top schools in the state, he said.
The state needs some innovative solutions for failing and troubled schools, but the Hoover and Vestavia Hills school districts are well-oiled machines, “and we need to make sure we don’t mess with it,” Shaw said.
Moving from Hoover city government to state government is a big step, but he’s ready to make the change, he said.
Shaw gathered Tuesday night with supporters at the Soiree Event Gallery in Hoover, entertaining guests that included state Sen. Dan Roberts, state Rep. Arnold Mooney, state Rep. David Faulkner, state rep. Jim Carns, Jefferson County commissioners Jimmie Stephens and Steve Ammons and Hoover Councilmen John Lyda, Steve McClinton and Sam Swiney.
Stephens said he thought Shaw will make a great state legislator.
Alabama House District 45
Susan DuBose, after defeating incumbent Dickie Drake in the May Republican primary, picked up 12,039 votes (86%) to 1,945 votes (14%) for Libertarian Kari Mitchell Whitaker.
“I just wanted 80% or more, so I’m thrilled and very happy,” DuBose said Tuesday night after having an election watch party at her Greystone home.
DuBose said she felt like her ability to connect with people played a big part in her victory. She has been campaigning for more than a year and been able to develop relationships with a lot of people she didn’t know before — from Irondale to Chelsea and Leeds, she said.
She has tried to be available, engaged and truly interested in what people in the district have to say, and people have told her they appreciated that, she said. “I think that’s what they felt was lacking in our district,” she said.
DuBose said she’s honored and humbled to be able to represent people and ready to get to work.
Legislators elected Tuesday are scheduled to meet in Montgomery Thursday to elect leaders, and there are 25 to 30 new members in the Legislature, DuBose said.
“I’m very excited about our new freshmen coming in,” she said. “I think we’re going to form a strong freshman class. We’ve down there to work and make a difference for this state.”
DuBose said she believes voters connected with her call for greater election integrity.
“People want to know their vote counted — that their votes are secure and safe,” she said. “There’s still a lot of concern out there about election integrity.”
People also agreed with her a lot that education in Alabama needs to be improved, she said. While the schools in District 45 are in good shape, statewide only 78% of third graders are proficient in reading.
“That’s a huge problem,” DuBose said. “That’s a problem we’ve got to fix.”
Alabama House District 15
Leigh Hulsey received 10,805 votes (64%), compared to 6,160 votes (36%) for Richard Rouco and will take over the seat given up by Republican Allen Farley.
“I’m incredibly grateful and humbled for the opportunity,” Hulsey said during an election-night house party at her home in Helena. “It’s overwhelming but very exciting.”
Hulsey said she worked really hard to connect with as many voters as she could on a direct, personal level, often visiting with people on their doorsteps.
“We were very intentional about being accessible and connected with them,” she said. “I think that has been important in my role on the City Council, and I think it’s a beneficial way in being able to represent people.”
She worked hard at getting people to feel comfortable with her and know that they can reach her, she said.
As for issues, she believes voters spoke strongly about a desire to eliminate the grocery tax and repeal recent gas tax increases that were approved in 2019. She strongly favors both of those ideas and will advocate for those changes, but she doesn’t know yet if there is enough support to make them happen, she said.
“The beauty of government is not one person is making the decisions, but it’s also the downside sometimes,” she said.
She already has begun talking to some officials to see if they would at least consider suspending the grocery tax for a couple of years if they’re not ready to eliminate it altogether, she said.
She is less hopeful about repealing the gas tax increases, “but it doesn’t mean I won’t ask.”
Hulsey said she also heard a lot about the idea of school choice but believes her district is divided about that idea. She still needs to navigate that to figure out who the district feels about that collectively, she said.
Alabama House District 43
Arnold Mooney won 12,733 votes (745), compared to 3,754 votes (22%) for Prince Cleveland and 644 votes (4%) for Jason Burr, giving Mooney a third term in District 43, which stretches across north Shelby County roughly from U.S. 280 to Old Town Helena and from Oak Mountain State Park northward.
He said he was thrilled with the election results and humbled to have the opportunity to represent the people of House District 43 again. He also is thankful to be the chairman of the Shelby County legislative delegation, he said.
Mooney said Shelby County is the most conservative county in the state and ranks first in the state in household median income ($78,889), per capita income, unemployment rate, education rate, home median price and health outcomes. He is proud to represent people who share his conservative mindset, he said.
“I’m hoping we’ll see a change nationally,” he said.
One of his policy beliefs that rings true with residents of the district is that parents should be able to determine what schools are best for their children, not the government telling parents what is best for their children.
Alabama House District 48
Jim Carns captured 12,506 votes (85%) in his campaign against Libertarian Bruce Stutts, who got 2,181 votes (15%) in the district that includes parts of Greystone, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and north Shelby County.
Carns first served in the Legislature from 1990 to 2005, then served on the Jefferson County Commission from 2006 to 2010 and has been a state representative again since 2012.
“I am honored to serve District 48 for another term,” he said. “I have always worked hard to be the best voice for my constituents in Montgomery, and I plan to continue that effort in the next four years.“
Alabama House District 56
Ontario Tillman captured 8,987 votes (90%), compared to 868 votes (9%) for Libertarian Carson Lester.
House District 56 includes Ross Bridge and part of the Lake Cyrus community in Hoover, part of Homewood and most of Bessemer, Brighton, Lipscomb and the Oxmoor Valley and Shannon communities.
“The people — they spoke again,” Tillman said. “They raised their voices to be heard and said I’m their choice, and I’m excited.”
At the same time, Tillman said he’s humbled and looks forward to serving the residents of the district.
He believes his focus on economic development, community development, eliminating the sales tax on groceries and raising pay for current and retired teachers resonated with people in District 56.
Tillman said his first move as a legislator will be to listen, learn and understand the process so he can be the most effective representative for the people.
He spent election night at a joint party at Bistro on 19th in Bessemer with state Sen. Merika Coleman, state Rep. Fred Plump and Patrick Sellers, who won election to Alabama House District 57.
Alabama Senate District 15
Dan Roberts won a third term in District 15 by earning 35,657 votes (86%) in his matchup against Libertarian Michael Crump, a self-described anarchist who wanted to give voters another option and decrease the size of the government. Crump received 5,761 votes (14%).
“[I am] grateful to the voters of Senate District 15 for choosing me to serve them again for another four years,” Roberts said. “It is an honor and privilege to represent Jefferson and Shelby counties in the Alabama Legislature. I look forward to working diligently to move Alabama forward in the coming years.”
U.S. House District 6
Gary Palmer received 154,058 votes (84%) in Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District, defeating Libertarian challenger Andrea Chieffo, who received 27,792 votes (15%). Palmer, whose district includes most of Hoover, was first elected in 2014 and said he wanted to work on workforce development and help students catch up academically following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sixth Congressional District covers the wealthier part of Birmingham, nearly all of Jefferson County outside Birmingham, most of Blount County, and all of Bibb, Chilton, Coosa and Shelby counties.
U.S. House District 7
Terri Sewell won 123,060 votes (64%), while Beatrice Nichols received 67,353 votes (35%) and Gavin Goodman netted 3,207 votes (2%). The Seventh Congressional District includes Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox counties, and portions of Clarke, Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa counties, including Ross Bridge and Lake Cyrus.
