Tuesday night, Mobile elected a new mayor for the first time since 2013.
Spiro Cheriogotis, a former prosecutor and district judge, defeated State Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile) in a runoff election that marked the end of the city’s most competitive mayoral race in recent history.
Drummond won the August 26th general election with 33.7% of the vote, but Cheriogotis turned the tables on Tuesday night, ascending to Mobile’s highest office with the backing of three-term incumbent Sandy Stimpson.
With 95% of precincts reporting, Cheriogotis holds a lead of 24,714 votes to 23,370 over Drummond, or 51.40% to 48.60%.
Although technical glitches at multiple polling locations caused voters to cast more provisional ballots than usual, the Cheriogotis campaign claimed victory.
“Thank you to everyone who is in this room,” Cheriogotis said.
“Thank you to every Mobilian who put their trust in me and in this campaign. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, goodness. Thank you to everyone who knocked on doors, made phone calls, waved signs, donated, prayed, and believed that we could write a new chapter for this city. Thank you. Thank you. And most of all, thank you to everyone who voted. It came down to every last vote in this race.”
For the most part, the race, which is officially non-partisan, saw the candidates debate their personal qualifications and their differing visions for the city. However, the campaign became increasingly polarized along party lines in its waning stages.
Last week, Alabama Works PAC, an organization founded by Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), distributed a flyer calling Cheriogotis a “MAGA Republican.”
A spate of prominent Democrats also endorsed Drummond.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker, U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, and Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin lent their support to the State Rep., who represents HD103 as a Democrat. Tuesday morning, former Vice President Kamala Harris referred to Drummond as a “rising star.”
Nevertheless, Cheriogotis now becomes the mayor-elect of a city that voted for Harris by a margin of roughly 13 points during the 2024 presidential election.
He will assume office on November 3rd, taking over for Stimpson, who declined to seek a fourth term. The two men haven’t always gotten along. In 2022, the pair exchanged barbs after Stimpson blamed a violent crime spree on a “broken” criminal justice system.
Then a district judge, Cheriogotis fired back, calling the mayor’s statement “childish” and a “cop out.”
However, the two made amends earlier this year. In February, Candace Cooksey, Stimpson’s director of communications, became Cheriogotis’ campaign manager. Three months later, Stimpson endorsed the former judge, describing him as the best candidate to keep his administration’s momentum going.
At Cheriogotis’ victory speech, Stimpson handed the mayor-elect a physical baton.
“We talked about passing a baton off,” Stimpson said. “I just happen to have a baton.”
Cheriogotis took full advantage of the apparatus that helped propel his predecessor to 12 years in office: according to campaign finance reports filed with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance Division, One Mobile PAC, a political action committee linked to Stimpson, donated $68,500 to Cheriogotis’ campaign and provided it with $13,620 more in in-kind services.
Cheriogotis was also endorsed by former Mobile mayor Mike Dow and local associations of realtors and law enforcement.
He consistently enjoyed a significant fundraising lead, an advantage he maintained into the race’s final week, according to campaign finance reports.
From September 13th to September 19th, Cheriogotis raised $81,227.89 and spent $148,386.92, leaving him with $143,965.96 on hand. Drummond, conversely, raised $59,020 and spent $67,676.08 during the same time period, leaving her with $67,122.52 on hand.
“We’ve proven that when we come together, Mobile can do great things,” Cheriogotis said.
“Tonight is only the beginning. So I want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who chose to go all in for this city. Who chose to go all in for this campaign. I can’t wait to serve you, and I will serve you with the same energy and vigor I have run this campaign.”
As news of Cheriogotis’ victory spread, congratulations began to pour in from across the state.
“A big win tonight for Conservatives running in municipal elections,” Alabama Republican Party chair John Wahl posted on social media. “Congratulations!”
Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
