Voter turnout in the May 24 primary election proved that the Alabama Republican Party’s (ALGOP) dominance in Yellowhammer State politics has strengthened.
Using the previous and most recent gubernatorial primaries as a benchmark, the success can be illustrated in the number of voters that turned out in each party’s elections.
In 2018, 589,533 Republicans cast ballots compared to 283,081 Democrats that went to the polls.
Fast forward to this year’s primary elections when Republican voter turnout increased nearly 11% to 654,294 from 2018, while Democrat turnout declined more than 40% to 168,074.
Republicans outvoted Democrats nearly 4:1 in their parties’ respected gubernatorial primary elections this cycle.
Just a week after ALGOP’s dominating performance in the primary election cycle, Alabama Democratic Party executive director Wade Perry announced Tuesday that he would exit his role overseeing operations of the state’s minority party.
In announcing his resignation in favor of a non-partisan role, Perry admitted that he wished there were more successes for the Alabama Democratic Party to hang its hat on.
“We’ve done a lot of good things,” Alabama Political Reporter quoted Perry as saying. “I’m proud of what has been accomplished there. I would like for it to have been more, of course. But I think we’ve made a lot of progress in a number of areas.”
In a statement provided to Yellowhammer News regarding Republicans’ recent electoral success, ALGOP chairman John Wahl asserted that voters were dissatisfied with President Joe Biden’s “failed socialist policies.”
“It’s no surprise our voters turned out in full force for the primary,” advised Wahl. “Alabamians have had enough of Joe Biden and his failed socialist policies. It’s time to put an end to empty supermarket shelves, skyrocketing gas prices, and runaway inflation, and the only way to do that is at the ballot box.”
He concluded, “The Alabama Republican Party is looking forward to the 2022 and 2024 election cycles, as we remain committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of our Alabama voters.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.