(The Center Square) — Tuesday’s Alabama Republican primary race pitting two first-term GOP congressmen was nearly too close to call, but U.S. Rep. Barry Moore managed to knock off the incumbent in one of the nation’s most Republican-leaning districts.
U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, a Mobile Republican, was defeated by the Enterprise native, who was redistricted out of his seat after a federal court decision created a new majority Black congressional district.
Moore won 51.8% to 48.2% according to preliminary results over Carl with 95% reporting. Media outlets called the race for Moore shortly before 11 at night. He will take on Democrat candidate Tom Holmes, who ran unopposed, in November’s general election.
In District 2, former Justice Department official Shomari Figures, the son of state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, is headed to a runoff April 16 with state Rep. Anthony Daniels of Huntsville. Figures was unable to get to 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff with Daniels, the minority leader of the House. With 43.5% of the preliminary count and 95% of precincts reporting, Figures was the top vote recipient, followed by Daniels with 22.4%.
Former state Sen. Dick Brewbaker, a Montgomery businessman, bested Caroleene Dobson with a 41.7% to 27.3% tally for the GOP nomination in District 2 and will face the winner of the Democratic runoff.
Republican state Supreme Court Justice Sarah Stewart defeated Bryan Taylor for the GOP’s nomination for chief justice with a 61% to 39% vote at 80% of precincts reporting. Stewart, a Mobile native, was elected to the state’s highest court in 2018, while Taylor, a Prattville native, is a former state senator.
Stewart will take on Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin, the Democratic nominee for chief justice who ran unopposed.