Walker County educator Mike Elliott captured the Republican nomination for Alabama House District 13 on Tuesday, defeating State Rep. Greg Barnes (R-Jasper) by a decisive margin. Unofficial returns show Elliott with 5,875 votes (57.67%) to Barnes’s 4,312 (42.33%).

Tuesday’s race amounted to a continuation of last year’s special election to fill the seat vacated when State Sen. Matt Woods (R-Jasper) was elected to the Alabama Senate to fill the vacancy left by then-Senate Pro Tem, now-Secretary Greg Reed.

Despite insisting that he mailed it on time, in accordance with state law, Elliott had qualified for that race, but was removed from the ballot by Republican officials after his ethics forms failed to arrive.

Barnes ultimately won the September 2025 special primary against Dustin Beaty and took office in December.

Elliott, a longtime educator who taught at Walker, Lynn, and Curry High Schools from 2002 to 2022, ran on conservative values, economic development for Walker County, and lower taxes. He carried key precincts across the district, including Jasper Mall, Curry, Cordova, and Nauvoo.

Because no Democrat qualified for the seat, Elliott is expected to take the seat after the November general election.