Alabama special primary roundup: Low turnout, few surprises in congressional races

Tuesday’s special Alabama congressional primaries had two things in common: few voters and few surprises. 

Those who cast ballots in four of the state’s seven congressional districts — setting up races under a congressional map the U.S. Supreme Court once ruled racially discriminatory — largely favored incumbents, familiar faces or establishment-backed candidates. 

Repeated concerns about low turnout in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts, where the primaries took place, also appeared to be realized Tuesday night. As of 10:34 p.m., the Alabama Secretary of State’s office reported turnout of 5.24%, continuing a downward trend through the year. The May 19 primaries drew about 23% turnout, while fewer than 11% of registered voters cast ballots in the June 16 runoff. 

The special primaries were called after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which substantially raised the bar for challenges to congressional maps under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision eventually cleared the way for the court to overturn Allen v. Milligan, a 2023 case that led to Alabama’s congressional maps being redrawn and allow the the Legislature to approve the use of a prior map. As a result of the Legislature’s actions, the May 19 votes in the affected districts were invalidated.

The act setting up Tuesday’s primaries did not allow for runoffs, meaning the winners of the elections only needed to secure a plurality of votes, not a majority.

In their statements after the results were announced Tuesday, Republican winners tended to focus more on national issues than state ones and accused Democrats of embracing socialism. Democrats, who had fewer contested races Tuesday, tended to focus on affordability.

1st Congressional District

Former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl of Mobile won the Republican nomination over two other candidates with about 75% of votes, according to unofficial returns. The district covers Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties, and most of Covington County. He will face Democratic nominee Clyde Jones, Jr. in November. 

Carl campaigned on his previous congressional experience and his desire to go back to Capitol Hill. He hopes to return to the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Natural Resources.

He represented the district from 2021 to 2025. Carl narrowly lost a Republican primary for the seat in 2024 to U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, after the district was redrawn to take in more of the Wiregrass. The seat was left vacant by Moore, who is the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate. 

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2nd Congressional District

Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, won the Republican nomination in the redrawn district Tuesday night, setting up a contest with U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, in a race that could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Marques during the campaign touted his endorsement from President Donald Trump and his conservative record in the Alabama Legislature. 

“Basically they are communists who are trying to control their party and they’re letting them, and that’s scary,” Marques said to about 100 supporters in Enterprise Tuesday evening. “Do you really want Alabama to look like New York and California?” 

Figures said in a statement that he had worked for the people of Alabama “because that is who we should be working for.”

“My opponent would be just another rubber stamp on the same policies that are making life more expensive for the people right here in Alabama,” Figures said. 

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6th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, easily won nomination for a seventh term in Congress Tuesday and will face former Pelham City Council member Maurice Mercer, who won the Democratic nomination for the seat, considered strongly Republican.

Palmer, first elected in 2014, ran on a platform calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, abortion restrictions and gun access. Mercer, like other Democrats running this year, focused on affordability issues and said he would work to raise the minimum wage. 

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7th Congressional District

Former educator Ammie Akin won the Republican nomination for the 7th Congressional District Tuesday evening. Akin said in a statement that she would work to strengthen agriculture and business opportunity and would share “a new vision for our district.”

Akin will face U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, who has represented the district since 2011. While the new map altered the boundaries of the 7th Congressional District compared to the map used in 2024, it is still considered strongly Democratic. 

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