Alabama Republican Party
Encyclopedia
The Alabama Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party
in Alabama
. It is the dominant (or majority) political party in Alabama. The state party is governed by the Alabama Republican Executive Committee. Most of the committee's more than 200 members are elected in district elections across Alabama. They are elected in the Republican Primary once every four years with the most recent election cycle being in 2010. The Alabama Republican Executive Committee is responsible for electing the State Chairman and all other officers who run the day-to-day operations of the party. The Committee is also responsible for electing The National Committeeman and National Committeewoman from Alabama to the Republican National Committee.
Former State Senator Bill Armistead of Shelby County was elected by the Executive Committee as the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Pary on February 19, 2011. He succeeded State Rep. Mike Hubbard
(R–Auburn) who did not stand for re-election as Chairman. Following the highly successful November 2010 election for the GOP, Hubbard became the first Republican Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives since Reconstruction.
State Legislature
In 1868, William Hugh Smith
was elected to a single two-year term as the state's first Republican governor. That same year saw Republican Andrew Applegate elected as the first ever Lieutenant Governor of Alabama under the state's newly adopted constitution of 1867. That first post Civil War legislature under the new constitution was elected in February, 1868, with a 100 member House of Representatives (two year terms) composed of 97 Republicans and 3 Democrats. The State Senate (four year terms) was even more lopsided with a single Democrat to its 32 Republicans. The 1868 legislature also included 27 African-American Republicans, the first minority members in Alabama history. All but one were members of the House of Representatives. That same year Benjamin F. Royal became the first black State Senator in Alabama history. Governor Smith was defeated for re-election in 1870, garnering 49.5% of the vote and losing by a margin of just 1,439 votes. Although the Senate was not up for re-election that year, Democrats retook the House with 57 seats to the Republicans 38 seats of which 19 were African-American Republicans.
After Republicans spent a single term out of the Governor's office, David P. Lewis
was elected as the state's second GOP governor, winning 89,020 to 78,524 over his Democrat opponent. He served from 1872 to 1874. His GOP Lieutenant Governor was Alexander McKinstry
. During Governor Lewis' term, disputed election results produced two competing legislatures, one with a Democrat majority and the other a Republican majority. After this dispute was ultimately settled, Republicans had a 2 seat majority in the House and Democrats a 1 seat majority in the Senate. Again, this 1872 legislature included 24 African-American Republican members with 5 being in the Senate. The 1874 legislature would see only 13 Republican Senators and House membership at 40. However, this legislature would hit a high water mark for minority representation with 33 African-American Republicans. The 1876 election would result in 18 members (7 of which were African-American) being elected to the House and only 4 Republicans to the Senate. Republicans would be reduced to just 8 members in the House in the 1878 election. Following the 1880 election Republicans held only a single seat in the Alabama House with the election of Benjamin M. Long from Walker County. In fact, Walker County had a strong Republican Party for much of the remainder of the 19th century.
Republican representation in the legislature and other public offices had declined rapidly after the 1875 Constitution was adopted. That document began the process of restricting black voter participation and expanding all forms of Jim Crow laws. Further orchestrated efforts at voter intimidation, lynchings, vote fraud, and the inability of differing Republican factions to work together all doomed the party to long-term failure. After the 1878 election no black, and few Republicans, would be elected to the legislature again until the 1970s.
During this same Reconstruction period three African-American Republicans were elected to the United States Congress from Alabama. They were Benjamin Turner
(42nd Congress), James T. Rapier
(43rd Congress) and Jeremiah Haralson
(44th Congress). However, the first Republican Congressmen from Alabama were elected in 1868. They were Charles W. Buckley (40th and 41st Congress'), Francis W. Kellogg, Benjamin W. Norris, Charles W. Pierce, John B. Callis, and Thomas Haughey who would be assassinated in Alabama while giving a speech. The first Republican Senators from Alabama were Willard Warner (1868-1871) and George E. Spencer
(1868-1879) who were both elected by the legislature before adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In this time period, in the 54th United States Congress, two brothers, Truman H. Aldrich
(1896-1897) and William F. Aldrich (1896-1897), both served as Republicans. William Aldrich also served in the 55th Congress (1898-99) and the 56th Congress (1900-01) with the unusual distinction of having been seated all three times in disputed elections ultimately decided by Congress itself. After William Aldrich left Congress in 1901, no Republican would be elected again until 1964.
reliably elected Republicans to almost all offices as the county had attempted to succeed from Alabama during the Civil War and has always been considered ancestrally Republican. During this period the Republican Party relied heavily on federal patronage with federal appointments during Republican administration in Washington for such offices as local Postmasters.
The modern Republican Party in Alabama traces its roots back to the election of John Grenier
as State Party Chairman in 1962. He played a leading role in re-organizing the party and moving beyond the "Post Office Republican era". His recruitment of serious candidates for Congress in 1964 would help Republicans sweep five of Alabama's eight congressional seats with victories by Jack Edwards, Glenn Andrews, James D. Martin
, John Buchanan
and Bill Dickinson. Martin would give up his congressional seat two years later in an unsuccessful run for Governor against Lurleen Wallace
, but the GOP would hold three of the congressional seats for decades to come. That election, commonly referred to in Alabama as "The Goldwater Landslide" would see the GOP win several dozen local offices. It also included the election of Probate Judges in Cullman County named Guy Hunt and Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
, in Montgomery County. Both would later go on to greater electoral successes. The 1964 election is credited as partially laying the foundations for Alabama's modern Republican Party. Among the party's other prominent officeholders in the period were George G. Siebels, Jr.
who served two terms as Mayor of Birmingham from 1967-1975, and Emory Folmar
who served for many years as Mayor of Montgomery.
became the first popularly elected Republican U. S. Senator in Alabama history.
In 1982, Emory Folmar
would make the party's first serious run for Governor since Martin in 1966. Four years later in 1986, Guy Hunt in a very unusual election would defeat the Democrat with 57% of the vote in the Governor's race. Hunt's election is widely viewed as effectively making Alabama a two-party state. In 1994, Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
would defeat the incumbent Chief Justice of Alabama as Republicans also won 31 seats in the House. Legislative membership continued to climb and Republicans also began winning various statewide offices. Following the November 2010 election, Republicans won control of the Alabama state legislature
for the first time in 136 years winning large majorities in both chambers.
Today, Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and six of Alabama's seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. No Democrat has been elected to the U. S. Senate from the state since 1992 when Richard Shelby was elected to a second term. Shelby switched parties in 1994 and has since been re-elected easily. The Alabama Republican Party has also greatly helped GOP presidential candidates in the state. All Republican presidential nominees have won Alabama in eight straight elections; the last Democrats to carry Alabama were Jimmy Carter
in 1976 and John F. Kennedy
in 1960. Republican John McCain
won Alabama in 2008 with 60.32% of the total statewide vote over Democrat Barack Obama
who received just 38.74%, a 21.58-percent margin of victory for the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona
.
Republicans have also won six of the last seven goverors races in Alabama dating back to 1986. The GOP has also won five consecutive races for Attorney General dating back to 1994. Six of the eight seats on the State Board of Education
have elected Republicans. The Alabama Supreme Court
and appeallate courts are elected statewide and dominated by Republicans. The nine Supreme Court justices are all Republicans. The states appellate courts also have all 10 seats occupied by Republicans. However, the lower courts still retain a Democrat majority. Just prior to the 2010 elections, the 143 Circuit Judges in Alabama consisted of 87 Democrats, 55 Republicans, and 1 Independent. The state's 103 District Judges were aligned as 64 Democrats, 38 Republicans and 1 Independent.
The Yellowhammer State can accurately be described as one of the more staunchly Republican states in the nation. According to The Gallup polling organization, Alabama is the eighth most Republican state in the nation
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It is the dominant (or majority) political party in Alabama. The state party is governed by the Alabama Republican Executive Committee. Most of the committee's more than 200 members are elected in district elections across Alabama. They are elected in the Republican Primary once every four years with the most recent election cycle being in 2010. The Alabama Republican Executive Committee is responsible for electing the State Chairman and all other officers who run the day-to-day operations of the party. The Committee is also responsible for electing The National Committeeman and National Committeewoman from Alabama to the Republican National Committee.
Former State Senator Bill Armistead of Shelby County was elected by the Executive Committee as the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Pary on February 19, 2011. He succeeded State Rep. Mike Hubbard
Mike Hubbard (politician)
Mike Hubbard is a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 79th district in Lee County. He was first elected in 1998 and currently serves as Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives...
(R–Auburn) who did not stand for re-election as Chairman. Following the highly successful November 2010 election for the GOP, Hubbard became the first Republican Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives since Reconstruction.
U.S. House of Representatives
- AL-01: Jo BonnerJo BonnerJosiah Robins Bonner, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and early political career:...
- AL-02: Martha RobyMartha RobyMartha Dubina Roby is the U.S. Representative for . She is a member of the Republican Party. She narrowly defeated incumbent Representative Bobby Bright on November 2 during the United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama, 2010 and assumed office in January 2011.-Early life,...
- AL-03: Mike D. RogersMike D. RogersMichael Dennis "Mike" Rogers , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life and education:...
- AL-04: Robert AderholtRobert AderholtRobert Brown Aderholt is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district includes most of the far northern suburbs of Birmingham, as well as the southern suburbs of Huntsville and Decatur.- Early life, education and career :Aderholt was born in...
- AL-05: Mo BrooksMo BrooksMorris Jackson "Mo" Brooks, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life:Brooks was born in 1954 in Charleston, South Carolina,and moved to Huntsville, Alabama, in 1963...
- AL-06: Spencer BachusSpencer BachusSpencer Thomas Bachus III is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party and the senior member of the Alabama U. S. House delegation...
Statewide offices
- Governor: Robert Bentley
- Lieutenant Governor: Kay IveyKay IveyKay Ellen Ivey is a Republican politician and formerly served as the 38th Alabama State Treasurer. Ivey is the 30th and current Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, since January 2011.-Early life, education, and early political career:...
- Attorney GeneralAttorney General of AlabamaThe Attorney General of Alabama is an elected, constitutional officer of the State of Alabama. The office of the Attorney General is located at the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Henry Hitchcock was elected Alabama's first attorney general in 1819....
: Luther Strange - Secretary of StateSecretary of State of AlabamaThe Secretary of State of Alabama is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Alabama. The office actually predates the statehood of Alabama, dating back to the Alabama Territory. From 1819 to 1901, the Secretary of State served a two-year term until the State Constitution was...
: Beth ChapmanBeth Chapman (politician)Beth Killough Chapman . is an American politician from Alabama. A member of the Republican Party, she is currently the state's 51st secretary of state.-Personal:... - State AuditorState auditor of AlabamaThe State Auditor of Alabama is constitutionally required to make a full and complete report to the Governor of Alabama showing the receipts and disbursement of every character, all claims audited and paid out, and all taxes and revenues collected and paid into the treasury. The office also makes...
: Samantha ShawSamantha ShawSamantha "Sam" Slimp Shaw is an American politician from Alabama. She is a Republican. She was elected State Auditor of Alabama in 2006, and was re-elected in 2010. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alabama Republican Party.-Biography:Shaw was born in Homewood, Alabama to June... - State Treasurer: Young BoozerYoung BoozerYoung Jacob Boozer III is an American banker and the Alabama State Treasurer. Boozer defeated Democrat Charles Grimsley for the seat vacated by Kay Ivey, who was unable to run again for the office due to term limits. In the Republican primary, Boozer beat George Wallace, Jr. by 30 points...
- Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries: John McMillanJohn McMillan (Alabama politician)John Murphy McMillan, Jr. is a prominent Alabama leader in forestry, agriculture, and natural resource and wildlife conservation. He was elected as a Republican in November, 2010, as Alabama's Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries.-Political career:...
State LegislatureAlabama LegislatureThe Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
- President Pro Tem of the Senate: Del MarshDel MarshDel Marsh is a Republican member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 12th District since 1998. He defeated Democratic challenger Judge Wallace Wyatt in the 2010 Midterm Elections...
- Speaker of the House: Mike HubbardMike Hubbard (politician)Mike Hubbard is a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 79th district in Lee County. He was first elected in 1998 and currently serves as Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives...
Early history (1854-1890)
When the Republican Party was first organized in 1854, as an anti-slavery party it did not compete in southern states like Alabama. In fact, its 1860 nominee, Abraham Lincoln, was not even on the ballot in Alabama. Following The Civil War and Alabama's readmission to the union in 1868, Alabama was a Republican dominated state for much of the Reconstruction period due to a combination of factors including its support from unionists, poor white farmers, and newly enfranchised black voters. The Republican Party of Alabama was initially organized on June 4-5, 1867, when the party held its first State Convention in Montgomery.In 1868, William Hugh Smith
William Hugh Smith
William Hugh Smith was the first Republican and the 21st Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, serving from 1868 to 1870 during the period of military reconstruction. A former slave owner, he opposed secession from the union on the grounds it would imperil slave property...
was elected to a single two-year term as the state's first Republican governor. That same year saw Republican Andrew Applegate elected as the first ever Lieutenant Governor of Alabama under the state's newly adopted constitution of 1867. That first post Civil War legislature under the new constitution was elected in February, 1868, with a 100 member House of Representatives (two year terms) composed of 97 Republicans and 3 Democrats. The State Senate (four year terms) was even more lopsided with a single Democrat to its 32 Republicans. The 1868 legislature also included 27 African-American Republicans, the first minority members in Alabama history. All but one were members of the House of Representatives. That same year Benjamin F. Royal became the first black State Senator in Alabama history. Governor Smith was defeated for re-election in 1870, garnering 49.5% of the vote and losing by a margin of just 1,439 votes. Although the Senate was not up for re-election that year, Democrats retook the House with 57 seats to the Republicans 38 seats of which 19 were African-American Republicans.
After Republicans spent a single term out of the Governor's office, David P. Lewis
David P. Lewis
David Peter Lewis was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1872 to 1874. After his term was over, a Republican would not be elected Governor of Alabama for 119 years.He had previously been a delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress in 1861. In 1868 he was a delegate to the...
was elected as the state's second GOP governor, winning 89,020 to 78,524 over his Democrat opponent. He served from 1872 to 1874. His GOP Lieutenant Governor was Alexander McKinstry
Alexander McKinstry
Alexander McKinstry was the third Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. A Republican, McKinstry served under Governor David P. Lewis of the same political party from 1872-1874....
. During Governor Lewis' term, disputed election results produced two competing legislatures, one with a Democrat majority and the other a Republican majority. After this dispute was ultimately settled, Republicans had a 2 seat majority in the House and Democrats a 1 seat majority in the Senate. Again, this 1872 legislature included 24 African-American Republican members with 5 being in the Senate. The 1874 legislature would see only 13 Republican Senators and House membership at 40. However, this legislature would hit a high water mark for minority representation with 33 African-American Republicans. The 1876 election would result in 18 members (7 of which were African-American) being elected to the House and only 4 Republicans to the Senate. Republicans would be reduced to just 8 members in the House in the 1878 election. Following the 1880 election Republicans held only a single seat in the Alabama House with the election of Benjamin M. Long from Walker County. In fact, Walker County had a strong Republican Party for much of the remainder of the 19th century.
Republican representation in the legislature and other public offices had declined rapidly after the 1875 Constitution was adopted. That document began the process of restricting black voter participation and expanding all forms of Jim Crow laws. Further orchestrated efforts at voter intimidation, lynchings, vote fraud, and the inability of differing Republican factions to work together all doomed the party to long-term failure. After the 1878 election no black, and few Republicans, would be elected to the legislature again until the 1970s.
During this same Reconstruction period three African-American Republicans were elected to the United States Congress from Alabama. They were Benjamin Turner
Benjamin S. Turner
Benjamin Sterling Turner was a US Congress Representative from Alabama....
(42nd Congress), James T. Rapier
James T. Rapier
James Thomas Rapier was a United States Representative from 1873 until 1875. He was one of Alabama's three black congressmen during Reconstruction....
(43rd Congress) and Jeremiah Haralson
Jeremiah Haralson
Jeremiah Haralson , was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama.-Early life and education:Born on a plantation near Columbus, Georgia, he was raised as a slave and was self-educated. He moved to Alabama and engaged in agricultural pursuits...
(44th Congress). However, the first Republican Congressmen from Alabama were elected in 1868. They were Charles W. Buckley (40th and 41st Congress'), Francis W. Kellogg, Benjamin W. Norris, Charles W. Pierce, John B. Callis, and Thomas Haughey who would be assassinated in Alabama while giving a speech. The first Republican Senators from Alabama were Willard Warner (1868-1871) and George E. Spencer
George E. Spencer
George Eliphaz Spencer was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama.Born in Champion, New York, he was educated at Montreal College in Canada. After relocating to Iowa he engaged in the study of law. During the Civil War, he enlisted as a captain on October 16, 1862. While serving on the staff of...
(1868-1879) who were both elected by the legislature before adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Alabama Republicans and the Populists (1890-1916)
By the late 1890s, a coalition between the Populist Party and the Republican Party often produced "fusion tickets", that combined forces in several subsequent elections to win control of several of Alabama hill counties in this era. They were most dominant in Marshall, St. Clair, Shelby, and Chilton Counties. Between 1892-1932 Shelby County was usually closely contested under the leadership of A. P. Longshore. Marshall County elected Republican Thomas Kennamer in 1896 to the Alabama House of Representatives. DeKalb County voted in 1896 for GOP Presidential candidate William McKinley. Chilton County was decidedly Republican between 1900-1912, including electing Lewis W. Reynolds as a Republican Probate Judge in 1904 and again in 1916. S. J. Petree was elected as a Republican Probate Judge in Franklin County in 1910; C. C. Scheuing was elected Cullman County Sheriff in 1910; J. B. Sloan was elected as a Republican to the State Senate from a district made up of Blount, Cullman, and Winston Counties. In 1910, J. J. Curtis of Winston County became the first Republican Circuit Judge (for Winston & Walker Counties) in Alabama since Reconstruction.In this time period, in the 54th United States Congress, two brothers, Truman H. Aldrich
Truman H. Aldrich
Truman Heminway Aldrich was a civil engineer, a mining company executive, and a paleontologist, and briefly served in the United States House of Representatives and as Postmaster of Birmingham.-Early life and education:Aldrich was born in Palmyra and suffered from poor health as a young boy...
(1896-1897) and William F. Aldrich (1896-1897), both served as Republicans. William Aldrich also served in the 55th Congress (1898-99) and the 56th Congress (1900-01) with the unusual distinction of having been seated all three times in disputed elections ultimately decided by Congress itself. After William Aldrich left Congress in 1901, no Republican would be elected again until 1964.
Post Office Republicans and the Goldwater landslide (1916-1972)
Following the end of the populist era, Republicans effectively competed in even fewer isolated hill counties, mostly in north Alabama. While the Reconstruction period saw their strongest voting base in the black belt counties, Republicans also relied on many north Alabama counties that had never been strong proponents of the instutition of slavery. They garnered support from a coalition of small farmers, blacks, labor, prohibitionists, labor, etc. Again, these were often voters primarily from counties across the northern width of the state like Lawrence, Blount, Cullman, Walker, Winston, and DeKalb counties. Many of these counties elected Republicans to local office or occasionally to the state legislature even as late as the 1920s. However, only Winston CountyWinston County, Alabama
Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, formerly known as Hancock County before 1858.Its name is in honor of John A. Winston, the 15th Governor of Alabama. As of 2010, the population was 24,484. Its county seat is Double Springs....
reliably elected Republicans to almost all offices as the county had attempted to succeed from Alabama during the Civil War and has always been considered ancestrally Republican. During this period the Republican Party relied heavily on federal patronage with federal appointments during Republican administration in Washington for such offices as local Postmasters.
The modern Republican Party in Alabama traces its roots back to the election of John Grenier
John Grenier
John Edward Grenier was a Birmingham attorney and a pioneer in the development of the modern Republican Party in the U.S. state of Alabama. Grenier was a former litigator for Lange Simpson Robinson & Somerville, one of the oldest and most distinguished law firms in Birmingham. He was Alabama state...
as State Party Chairman in 1962. He played a leading role in re-organizing the party and moving beyond the "Post Office Republican era". His recruitment of serious candidates for Congress in 1964 would help Republicans sweep five of Alabama's eight congressional seats with victories by Jack Edwards, Glenn Andrews, James D. Martin
James D. Martin
James Douglas Martin is a retired Republican politician from the US state of Alabama. His 1962 campaign for the United States Senate was the first serious showing by a member of his party since Reconstruction....
, John Buchanan
John Hall Buchanan, Jr.
John Hall Buchanan, Jr. served as a United States Congressman from Alabama's 6th congressional district.- Early life :...
and Bill Dickinson. Martin would give up his congressional seat two years later in an unsuccessful run for Governor against Lurleen Wallace
Lurleen Wallace
Lurleen Brigham Wallace , born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was the 46th Governor of Alabama from 1967 until her death in 1968. She was the first wife of Alabama Governor George Wallace, whom she succeeded as governor. She succeeded her husband as he was forbidden by Alabama law to succeed himself. She...
, but the GOP would hold three of the congressional seats for decades to come. That election, commonly referred to in Alabama as "The Goldwater Landslide" would see the GOP win several dozen local offices. It also included the election of Probate Judges in Cullman County named Guy Hunt and Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
Perry Oliver Hooper, Sr. is an American jurist who served as the twenty-seventh Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court from 1995 to 2001...
, in Montgomery County. Both would later go on to greater electoral successes. The 1964 election is credited as partially laying the foundations for Alabama's modern Republican Party. Among the party's other prominent officeholders in the period were George G. Siebels, Jr.
George G. Siebels, Jr.
George G. Seibels, Jr., the first Republican Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, was born in 1913 in Coronado, California. He was the son of Rear Admiral George G...
who served two terms as Mayor of Birmingham from 1967-1975, and Emory Folmar
Emory Folmar
Emory McCord Folmar was the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama from 1977 to 1999. Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, Folmar was known to be a Republican...
who served for many years as Mayor of Montgomery.
Recent history (1972 to present)
In 1972, the state party made a historic change from a state convention nominating system for all candidates to having a statewide party primary where voters would directly choose all nominees for public and party offices. This change would only slowly have one of its desired goals to greatly increase support for the GOP. In 1978, the party would begin its long steady build-up to competing for seats in the legislature by winning a few seats in suburban Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery. In 1980, Jeremiah DentonJeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator and a former Republican U.S. senator, for the state of Alabama...
became the first popularly elected Republican U. S. Senator in Alabama history.
In 1982, Emory Folmar
Emory Folmar
Emory McCord Folmar was the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama from 1977 to 1999. Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, Folmar was known to be a Republican...
would make the party's first serious run for Governor since Martin in 1966. Four years later in 1986, Guy Hunt in a very unusual election would defeat the Democrat with 57% of the vote in the Governor's race. Hunt's election is widely viewed as effectively making Alabama a two-party state. In 1994, Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
Perry O. Hooper, Sr.
Perry Oliver Hooper, Sr. is an American jurist who served as the twenty-seventh Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court from 1995 to 2001...
would defeat the incumbent Chief Justice of Alabama as Republicans also won 31 seats in the House. Legislative membership continued to climb and Republicans also began winning various statewide offices. Following the November 2010 election, Republicans won control of the Alabama state legislature
Alabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
for the first time in 136 years winning large majorities in both chambers.
Today, Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and six of Alabama's seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. No Democrat has been elected to the U. S. Senate from the state since 1992 when Richard Shelby was elected to a second term. Shelby switched parties in 1994 and has since been re-elected easily. The Alabama Republican Party has also greatly helped GOP presidential candidates in the state. All Republican presidential nominees have won Alabama in eight straight elections; the last Democrats to carry Alabama were Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in 1976 and John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in 1960. Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
won Alabama in 2008 with 60.32% of the total statewide vote over Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
who received just 38.74%, a 21.58-percent margin of victory for the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Republicans have also won six of the last seven goverors races in Alabama dating back to 1986. The GOP has also won five consecutive races for Attorney General dating back to 1994. Six of the eight seats on the State Board of Education
Alabama State Board of Education
The Alabama State Board of Education is a nine-member body which authorizes the education policy for the state of Alabama. The governor is the ex officio president of the board. The remaining eight members are elected from single-member districts for four-year terms with no limit on the number of...
have elected Republicans. The Alabama Supreme Court
Alabama Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of an elected Chief Justice and eight elected Associate Justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six year terms. The Governor of Alabama may fill vacancies when they occur...
and appeallate courts are elected statewide and dominated by Republicans. The nine Supreme Court justices are all Republicans. The states appellate courts also have all 10 seats occupied by Republicans. However, the lower courts still retain a Democrat majority. Just prior to the 2010 elections, the 143 Circuit Judges in Alabama consisted of 87 Democrats, 55 Republicans, and 1 Independent. The state's 103 District Judges were aligned as 64 Democrats, 38 Republicans and 1 Independent.
The Yellowhammer State can accurately be described as one of the more staunchly Republican states in the nation. According to The Gallup polling organization, Alabama is the eighth most Republican state in the nation