(The Center Square) – Tuesday’s primaries in Alabama will decide a new state Supreme Court chief justice and those running for two redrawn congressional districts in the southern part of the state.
The presidential primaries are headlined by former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on the Republican side. On the Democrats’ ballot are President Joe Biden, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips and the “uncommitted” box that scored better than expected in Michigan on Tuesday.
Voters do not register by political party. They can vote only in one primary.
The two new congressional districts were necessitated by a federal court order that created a new Black-majority congressional district, District 2, in southern Alabama. The district has a 49% Black population and stretches from northern Mobile County to the Georgia border and includes Montgomery.
In the new District 1, first-term Congressmen Jerry Carl and Barry Moore battle for one seat in the GOP primary. Moore is from Enterprise, Carl from Mobile.
Moore is a member of the Freedom Caucus and both candidates have tried to paint themselves as Trump-supporting conservatives who’ll fight to secure the border. He is planning a campaign rally with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, on Saturday in Stockton.
“I’m the only candidate in this race who’s actually delivered on the Trump agenda,” Carl said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “I’ve worked to secure the border and deport illegals, slash wasteful spending, and stop Biden’s radical agenda.”
Carl, a former president of the Mobile County Commission, has endorsements from the mayors of several cities in Mobile and Baldwin counties who are concerned that Moore has pledged not to bring any federal dollars to his district.
No Democrats are running in District 1.
In District 2, the crowded Democratic field of 11 candidates includes a state senator and four state representatives. State Sen. Merika Coleman of Pleasant Grove is joined by state Reps. Anthony Daniels of Huntsville, Napoleon Bracy Jr. of Mobile, Jeremy Gray of Ophelia and Juandalynn Givan of Birmingham. Daniels is the minority leader of the House.
James Averhart, Shomari Figures, Phyllis Harvey-Hall, Willie Lenard, Vimal Patel and Larry Darnell Simpson are also on the ballot.
On the Republican side, there are eight candidates vying for their party’s nomination, including Atmore state Sen. Greg Albritton, former two-term state Sen. Dick Brewbaker from Montgomery, Caroleene Dobson, Karla DuPriest, Wallace Gilberry, Hampton Harris, Stacey Shepperson and Belinda Thomas.
Republicans Sarah Stewart and Bryan Taylor are running for the chief justice position. Justice Stewart, a Mobile native, was elected to the state’s highest court in 2018, while Taylor, a Prattville native, is a former state senator.
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin will be Democratic nominee for chief justice. He is running unopposed.