Incumbents prevail despite low Super Tuesday turnout

Published 11:05 pm Wednesday, March 6, 2024

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Just over one fourth (26.53%) of Butler County voters turned out of the March 5 Primary. Despite the low turnout, incumbents prevailed in the County Commission races.

Incumbent Joey Peavy won re-election as Butler County Commissioner for District 1 in the March 5 primary election. 

Peavy faced two other challengers in the Republican Primary Tuesday, winning with nearly 59% of the votes cast.

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Peavy received 463 votes (58.76%).  Alvin Stinson received 267 (33.88%) and Adam Smith gained 58 (7.36%).

For District 5, incumbent Darrell Sanders emerged victorious with 397 (71.92%) of votes cast in the Republican primary. His appointment, Valerie McLain, received 155 (28.08%).

With no Democratic challengers, both Peavy and Sanders won re-election to the commission.

Challenger Jamey Thompson defeated incumbent Wayne Boswell for the Butler County Board of Education District 4 seat with just over 80% of votes cast in the Democratic primary. Thompson received 262 votes (80.37%) while Boswell received 64 (19.63%). With no Republican challenger, Thompson was elected to the District 4 school board position.

The hotly contested race for Representative of Congressional District 2 ended in runoffs. Republican and former state representative Dick Brewbaker gained nearly 40% of votes and will go up against Caroleene Dobson in the April 16 runoff for the GOP ballot. Democrat Shomari Figures, a former deputy chief of staff and counselor to Attorney General Merrick Garland, received 34.51% of the votes cast and will challenge Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels from Huntsville in the runoff election.

Republican Sarah Stewart gained an overwhelming victory for Alabama’s Supreme Court Chief Justice and moved unchallenged to the November election. 

Republican Chad Hanson earned 56% of the votes for Judge of the Civil Appeals Court, Place 2. Rich Anderson prevailed in the race for Judge of the Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 2.

Republican Twinkle Cavanagh won with 61% of the votes to move unchallenged as the candidate for Public Service Commission President.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump emerged victorious as winners in the Super Tuesday primaries and will move to the general election in November. The race was called with Biden gaining 40 out of 52 primary delegates and Trump winning 41 out of 50. Voters in Butler County cast 1,079 votes (92.54%) for Biden in the Democratic Primary and 2,355 votes (90.16%) for Trump in the Republican race.

Voters failed to pass Statewide Amendment 1, 51-49%. If passed, the bill would have removed a step from the Legislature’s process for passing local bills which affect only one city or county.