On Saturday, former President Donald Trump won the Jefferson County Republican Party straw poll in a landslide. The event was held in Gardendale.
In the race for President of the United States, Trump came in first with 72% of the vote, Gov. DeSantis finished a distant second with 19%; businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley tied for third place at 5%.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie rounded out the voting with just 1%. Christie, Ramaswamy, and DeSantis have recently suspended their campaigns following their poor Iowa performance.
In the battle for Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District, incumbent Congressman Gary Palmer received 57%, insurance agent Ken McFeeters received 14%, and businessman Gerrick Wilkins received 29%.
RELATED: Rep. Palmer defends record against conservative challengers in congressional debate
In Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District, Robin Litaker received 61% of the vote, while talk radio host Chris Horn received 39%. The winner of the Republican primary in CD7 will go on to challenge Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Selma) in the general election.
In the battle for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, former State Senator Bryan Taylor received 66% of the vote, overshadowing Associate Justice Sarah Stewart’s 34%.
For Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Place 2, Chad Hanson received 62% of the vote, while Stephen Davis Parker received 38%. In the Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2 race, Thomas Govan received 51%, narrowly edging out Rich Anderson with 49%. Both work in the Alabama Attorney General’s office.
In the race for President of the Alabama Public Service Commission, incumbent Twinkle Cavanaugh received 73% of the vote. Tallapoosa County’s Robert L. McCollum received just 27% of the vote.
Ann Eubank and Charlotte Meadows tied for Alabama Board of Education Place 3, each receiving 37% of the vote. Kelly Mooney finished third with 26%.
In Alabama Board of Education Place 7, Oscar Mann received 53% of the vote. Doug Bacchus came in second with 24%, narrowly ahead of Allen Long at 23%.
The Alabama Republican primary will be on March 5, 2024. Alabama does not have party registration so that anyone may participate in the primary. The winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries will then face each other in the November 5 general election.
RELATED: Reps. Carl, Moore campaign to GOP voters in Mobile – ‘We all have some tough decisions to make’
In recent election cycles, Democrats — while getting electorally demolished statewide — have general elections locked down in Jefferson County. Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Chris Brown, however, said he’s optimistic that 2024 will be a year where Republican candidates in Jefferson County can break through.
Joel Blankenship and Johnnie Amari are both running as Republicans for Probate Judge in Jefferson County – not against each other, as Jefferson County has two probate judge positions.
Incumbent Republican Jefferson County Tax Collector Johnny Curry is also running for re-election in 2024. Curry was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey. Brown insisted that all these races are winnable if Republicans will get behind their Jefferson County GOP candidates.
At this point in the election cycle, polling indicates that a Trump versus Biden rematch of the 2020 presidential election is virtually inevitable. Trump hopes to return to the White House after losing the office in 2020. Grover Cleveland was the last President to lose re-election and then return to the White House four years later in 1893.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.
