The Alabama Forestry Association (AFA) has endorsed former State Rep. April Weaver’s (R-Brierfield) campaign for State Senate District 14.
“April Weaver is exactly what we need in that State Senate,” AFA President Chris Isaacson remarked in a release, further describing the candidate as “a fiscal champion, a proven conservative and a valued friend to the Forestry Association.”
SD14 was vacated by former State Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) when he accepted an appointment to become director of the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.
Weaver said in a statement that she was “humbled and honored” by the AFA’s decision, adding she was “proud to stand with them and the principles they espouse.”
The former state representative has been tabbed as SD14’s frontrunner by close observers of Alabama politics due to having high name recognition in the district and a state campaign account with over $140,000 ready to spend. Weaver’s former state house district is encompassed by Senate District 14.
AFA’s announcement of their endorsement on Monday comes around two weeks before official qualifying with the major parties is set to open, further cementing Weaver as the favorite to win the seat.
The Alabama Forestry Association represents participants in all aspects of the state’s timber industry “from the stump to the mill.”
Forestry’s endorsement is Weaver’s second in her nascent State Senate campaign; shortly after announcing her intention to run in December 2020, she picked up support from Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth.
Weaver was first elected to the Alabama House in 2010 after a career in nursing and hospital management. She left the State House in May 2020 to take a position in the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services.
“As a future constituent of April’s and a longtime friend, I am proud to stand by someone with her strength and courage to stand up for what is right. April has a long track record of service to this region, and I can think of no one better suited to represent us in the Senate,” stated AFA Board of Directors member Keefe Burt.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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