Three Republicans, one Democrat qualify for east Alabama special election

Three Republicans and one Democrat qualified for the House District 38 special election last week.

The district covers southeastern Chambers County and most of eastern Lee County in east Alabama. It was held by Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, until she resigned this summer to move near the Florida panhandle. Garrett Dixon, Micah Messer and Kristin Nelson will face each other in the GOP primary on Oct. 21. 

Messages seeking comment were left with Dixon and his campaign manager last week and Monday.

Messer, 31, said in an interview Friday that he is running to ensure “true conservative values” are represented in the state house. He said his priorities if elected are to cut government waste and reduce taxes.

“We need to make sure we’re being the most efficient with the taxpayer dollars as we can be,” Messer said. I want to reduce our taxes, and that includes working towards removing property taxes for your primary residence and lowering the state income tax.”

He also wants to sponsor an election audit bill to ensure election integrity in the state. Wood sponsored a similar bill in 2025. It passed the House in March, but was never considered by the Senate. According to the Movement Advance Project, seven states do not have a law requiring an election audit.

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or voter fraud reaching levels to overturn an election. According to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative leaning think tank that tracks election fraud, there have been 39 cases of election deceit in Alabama in the past 25 years. Over 2.2 million Alabamians voted in the 2024 presidential election. 

“A certain number of precincts would be randomly selected to be checked to see if the elections were done correctly, and that all the ballots were counted correctly. That would include a hand count of the paper ballots,” he said. “We’re not talking about like 50% of the state’s precincts here, but just something that we can put in place that would regularly check the elections to verify the integrity of the election.”

Messer, who ran in the 2022 GOP primary against Wood, said he had not decided if he would run in the 2026 midterm election for the seat. If he wins the special election, he said he would run for reelection, but would not if he lost. 

“I think whoever wins this race deserves to have the full opportunity of at least having four years,” he said.

The business owner said voters should choose him because he is an outsider to Alabama politics.

“I’m an outsider. I’m not part of the crew. I’m not part of the Montgomery establishment,” Messer said. “I am just an everyday small business owner that believes that we need change in Montgomery.”

Nelson, 41, said in an interview Friday afternoon that she would also prioritize reducing income tax. Alabama’s income tax rates are set by a 1933 constitutional amendment. Nelson said she’d change it the same way it was created.

“We would have to go back in and make that amendment,” she said. “Obviously not having served in the Legislature at this point, I don’t know all the details and formalities of what that looks like, but I do think that it is something that is very needed. Ultimately that’s the Legislature’s role, is to make those amendments when needed.”

She also wants all public and private K-12 schools to have a resource officer and wants the state to continue to invest in K-12 education. She has homeschooled her children since 2015, and supports policies like the CHOOSE Act so that parents can make the best decision for their children’s education.

“It just has that trickle effect of we make our schools safer, we make our community safer, we have less crime, and overall, we make our state safer,” Nelson said. “God gives us children as gifts, and we need to be able to educate them how we see fit and what’s best for them and exactly what they need.”

Nelson previously said she was not sure about running for office in 2026, but in a text message Saturday said she would since learning about the Democratic candidate in the special election Hazel Floyd.

“In the Nelson home we have a philosophy of, ‘If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.’ Every day we strive to be problem solvers, critical thinkers, and great neighbors,” Nelson wrote in a text message. “I want to lead by example, face the problems head on, and be willing to sit at the table to get to a resolution even when we may not all agree.”

Floyd, 21, said in an interview on Thursday that she is running to give her community a young voice in the Legislature. If elected, she said she wants to boost business development beyond Valley city limits, strengthen public education funding and support farmers.

“When you drive around District 38, you really only notice that Valley is booming. Some of our other cities are more rural areas, they’re lacking and losing businesses,” Floyd said.

Floyd graduated from the University of Alabama in May after attending Alabama public schools for her childhood education. She said that, because of her experience in public school, she wants more state funding to go to public schools, rather than private schools. The CHOOSE Act, a voucher-like program that can be used for private school tuition using state funding, was appropriated $180 million from the Education Trust Fund (ETF) for FY 2026. The state budget is intended to fund public education.

“I know a lot of students that I would be representing, since I represent all ages in our district, a lot of students are worried about safety,” she said. “ I would also like to be able to vote on bills that allow students to feel safer in schools, without feeling trapped.”

In a statement on Dixon’s campaign website, the cotton and peanut farmer said he understood the issues that rural Alabamians face.

“With a heart for service and a history of stewardship, Garrett Dixon is ready to stand up and be a voice for the district he’s always called home,” the statement said.

The primary election is on Oct. 21, with a runoff election on Nov. 18, if needed. The general election will be on Feb. 3, 2026. 

The Legislature has seen several departures this year, triggering special elections. Voters in Cullman County will go to the polls Tuesday and again in October to choose Alabama House representatives. In addition to House District 38, special elections will also take place early next year for House districts in Walker and Tuscaloosa counties.

Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, won a special election in June for a Senate seat previously held by former Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, leading to the Walker House special election. The Tuscaloosa seat opened up after Ivey appointed former Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Meet the Candidates

Micah Messer

Age: 31

Residence: Smiths Station

Occupation: Business owner

Education: B.S. Computer Information Systems, University of South Alabama, 2016

Party: Republican

Previous political experience: Second-time candidate in HD 38

Kristin Nelson

Age: 41

Residence: Lanett

Occupation: Stay-at-home mom, part time at an engineering consulting firm

Education: Associates degree, Southern Union Community College, 2004; B.S. Business Administration, Troy University, 2007; M.S. Education, Troy University, 2011

Party: Republican

Previous political experience: First-time candidate

Hazel Floyd

Age: 21

Residence: Valley

Occupation: unemployed

Education: B.A. Political Science and Philosophy, the University of Alabama, 2025

Party: Democrat

Previous political experience: First-time candidate