Alabama State Senate elections, 2010

Alabama State Senate elections, 2010

Majority control • Campaign contributions

Qualifications • Competitiveness analysis

State Legislative Election Results

List of candidates District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22• District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35

Alabama State Senate

Elections for the Alabama Senate were held in Alabama on November 2, 2010. State senate seats in all 35 districts were on the ballot. In the election, Republicans won the majority.

A total of 7 incumbents lost in the general election. All 7 were Democrats.

The signature filing deadline was April 2, 2010, and the primary Election Day was June 1, 2010. In Alabama, senators serve four-year terms with no term limits and take office at midnight on the day of their election.

Although Alabama senators serve four-year terms, and all 35 seats are up for election every four years. 38 states have state senates where the terms of senators last for four years. Ten of these 38 states, including Alabama, feature non-staggered elections.

The incumbent senator ran for re-election in 27 of the 35 state senate seats that were up for election in 2010. (77.14%)

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2010 and State senate elections, 2010

November 2 General Election Results

The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:

1. Tammy Irons
2. Bill Holtzclaw
3. Arthur Orr
4. Roger Bedford
5. Greg Reed
6. Shadrack McGill
7. Clay Scofield
8. Jerry L. Fielding
9. Phillip Williams
10. Del Marsh
11. Gerald Dial
12. Cam Ward
13. Slade Blackwell
14. Priscilla Dunn (Alabama)
15. Scott Beason
16. Rodger Smitherman
17. Linda Coleman-Madison
18. George M. "Marc" Keahey
19. Henry Sanders
20. Dick Brewbaker
21. Billy Beasley
22. Bryan Taylor
23. Jimmy Holley
24. Trip Pittman
25. Rusty Glover
26. J.T. Waggoner
27. Gerald Allen
28. Bobby Singleton
29. Quinton Ross
30. Tom Whatley
31. Harri Anne Smith
32. Vivian Figures
33. Ben Brooks
34. Paul Bussman

Majority control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates

Heading into the November 2 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Alabama State Senate:

Alabama State Senate
Party		As of November 1, 2010	After the 2010 Election
	Democratic Party	20	12
	Republican Party	15	22
	Independent	0	1
Total		35	35

Campaign contributions

See also: State-by-state comparison of donations to state senate campaigns

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Alabama in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.

Year	Number of candidates	Total contributions
2008	35	$944,880
2006	89	$24,792,035
2004	0	$0
2002	84	$15,536,155

During the 2010 election, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $24,953,102. The top 10 contributors were:

2010 Donors, Alabama State Senate
Donor	Amount
Alabama Republican Party	$1,493,942
Tennessee Valley Citizens for Economic Development	$1,397,160
Alabama Education Association	$868,675
Business Council of Alabama	$817,000
Senate Majority PAC	$745,634
Alabama Farmers Federation	$597,293
George Davis Flowers	$568,947
Progress for Alabama PAC	$525,696
Alabama Democratic Party	$435,499
Alabama Power Co	$390,250

Incumbency

Unopposed incumbents

Eight incumbents (29.63%) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.

• Three Democratic incumbents face no November challenger.
• Five GOP incumbents face no November challenger.

Primary challenges

Six incumbents faced competition in the June 1 primary. One incumbent, Republican Steve French, lost to his challenger, Slade Blackwell. The following five incumbents (4 Democrats, 1 Republican) won their primaries:

• District 17: Incumbent Republican Scott Beason
• District 18: Incumbent Democrat Rodger Smitherman
• District 19: Incumbent Democrat Priscilla Dunn
• District 23: Incumbent Democrat Henry Sanders
• District 33: Incumbent Democrat Vivian Figures

Retiring incumbents

Eight incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 27 incumbents (77.14%) ran for re-election. Of the eight incumbents who did not seek re-election, four were Democrats and four were Republicans.

Incumbents who retired are:

• District 1: Incumbent Democrat Bobby E. Denton.
• District 5: Incumbent Republican Charles Bishop.
• District 9: Incumbent Democrat Hinton Mitchem.
• District 11: Incumbent Republican Jim Preuitt.
• District 13: Incumbent Democrat Kim Benefield.
• District 14: Incumbent Republican Henry Erwin.
• District 25: Incumbent Republican Larry Dixon.
• District 28: Incumbent Democrat Myron Penn.

Qualifications

Under Article IV, Section 47, of the Alabama Constitution, Senators must be at least 25 years of age at the time of their election, must be citizens and residents of the State of Alabama for at least 3 years, and residents of their district at least one year, prior to election.

List of candidates

Partisan dominance in state senates heading into the 2010 state legislative elections

District 1

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Ryan Clayton 2,288
• Tammy Irons 14,200 a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Jerry Freeman 4,315 a
• Angela M. Laughlin 2,686

November 2 General election candidates:

Tammy Irons 23,178

Jerry Freeman 18,266

Note: Incumbent Bobby E. Denton (D) did not run for re-election.

District 2

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Tom Butler a Incumbent Butler was first elected in 1994.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Bill Holtzclaw a

November 2 General election candidates:

Tom Butler 23,060

Bill Holtzclaw 33,050

District 3

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Arthur Orr a Incumbent Orr was first elected in 2006.

November 2 General election candidates:

Arthur Orr 39,245

District 4

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Zebulon Little a Incumbent Little was first elected in 1998.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Tom Beason 4,565
• Paul Bussman 7,061 Primary Runoff: 7,490 a
• Patricia McGriff 5,079 Primary Runoff: 6,339

November 2 General election candidates:

Zebulon Little 18,733

Paul Bussman 25,621

District 5

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Bill Cleghorn 2,550
• Brett Wadsworth 6,827 a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Greg Reed 7,977 a
• Thad Turnipseed 7,874

November 2 General election candidates:

Brett Wadsworth 12,213

Greg Reed 33,500

Note: Incumbent Charles Bishop (R) did not run for re-election.

District 6

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Roger Bedford a Incumbent Bedford was first elected in 1994.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Jim Bonner a

November 2 General election candidates:

Roger Bedford 20,452

Jim Bonner 17,816

District 7

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Jeff Enfinger a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Paul Sanford a Incumbent Sanford was first elected in a special election in June of 2009 to replace Parker Griffith.

November 2 General election candidates:

Jeff Enfinger 20,819

Paul Sanford 25,333

District 8

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Lowell Barron a Incumbent Barron was first elected in 1983.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Shadrack McGill a

November 2 General election candidates:

Lowell Barron 20,016

Shadrack McGill 20,603

District 9

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Kenneth Brothers 649
• Tim Mitchell 2,761 a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Tony Cochran 4,238
• Clay Scofield 6,532 Primary Runoff: 10,571 a
• Don Spurlin 5,656 Primary Runoff: 9,956
• John E. Wilson 3,927

November 2 General election candidates:

Tim Mitchell 13,933

Clay Scofield 30,834

Note: Incumbent Hinton Mitchem (D) did not run for re-election.

District 10

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Larry Means a Incumbent Means was first elected in 1998.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Paul J. Peloquin, Sr. 1,795
• Phil Williams 8,662 a

November 2 General election candidates:

Larry Means 17,459

Phil Williams 20,249

District 11

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Jerry L. Fielding a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Ray Robbins a

November 2 General election candidates:

Jerry L. Fielding 19,929

Ray Robbins 17,323

Note: Incumbent Jim Preuitt (R) initially filed to run but was replaced with Ray Robbins on the Republican ticket.

District 12

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Wallace Wyatt, Jr. a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Del Marsh a Incumbent Marsh was first elected in 1998.

November 2 General election candidates:

Wallace Wyatt, Jr. 15,210

Del Marsh 26,715

District 13

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Russell Emrick 2,363
• Greg Varner 6,487 a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Gerald Dial a

November 2 General election candidates:

Greg Varner 18,443

Gerald Dial 18,800

Note: Incumbent Kim Benefield (D) did not run for re-election.

District 14

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Cam Ward a

November 2 General election candidates:

Cam Ward 42,511

Note: Incumbent Henry Erwin (R) did not run for re-election.

District 15

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Slade Blackwell 14,165 a
• Steve French 9,606 Incumbent French was first elected in 1998.

November 2 General election candidates:

Slade Blackwell 46,018

District 16

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• J.T. Waggoner a Incumbent Waggoner was first elected in 1990.

November 2 General election candidates:

J.T. Waggoner 43,604

District 17

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• T.E. Hudson a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Scott Beason 14,252 a Incumbent Beason was first elected in 2006.
• Jim Murphree 8,371

November 2 General election candidates:

T.E. Hudson 8,973

Scott Beason 38,777

District 18

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Fred Horn 3,083
• Rodger Smitherman 7,719 a Incumbent Smitherman was first elected in 1994.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• No Republican ran for election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Rodger Smitherman 25,154

District 19

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Priscilla Dunn 10,862 a Incumbent Dunn was first elected in 2009.
• Nathan J. Reed 2,043

June 1 GOP primary result:

• No Republican ran for election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Priscilla Dunn 29,227

District 20

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Linda Coleman a Incumbent Coleman was first elected in 2006.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• No Republican ran for election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Linda Coleman 28,282

District 21

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Phil Poole a Incumbent Poole was first elected in 1994.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Gerald Allen a

November 2 General election candidates:

Phil Poole 19,509

Gerald Allen 20,528

District 22

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Marc Keahey a Incumbent Keahey was first elected in 2009.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Danny B. Joyner 4,981 a
• Jeff Peacock 4,763

November 2 General election candidates:

Marc Keahey 24,785

Danny B. Joyner 19,939

District 23

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Robert W. Green 8,661
• Henry Sanders 19,427 a Incumbent Sanders was first elected in 1983.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• No Republican ran for election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Henry Sanders 30,322

District 24

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Bobby Singleton a Incumbent Singleton was first elected in 2005.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• No Republican ran for election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Bobby Singleton 30,803

District 25

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Doug Smith a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Dick L. Brewbaker a

November 2 General election candidates:

Doug Smith 14,425

Dick L. Brewbaker 38,919

Note: Incumbent Larry Dixon (R) did not run for re-election.

District 26

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Quinton Ross a Incumbent Ross was first elected in 2002.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• No Republican ran for election.

November 2 General election candidates:

Quinton Ross 28,703

District 27

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• T.D. Little a Incumbent Little was first elected in 1991.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Tom Whatley a

November 2 General election candidates:

T.D. Little 17,379

Tom Whatley 21,245

District 28

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Locy Baker 3,081
• Billy Beasley 10,361 Primary Runoff: 10,012 a
• Howard C. Burton 1,366
• Johnny Ford 5,999 Primary Runoff: 6,056
• Sam Harris 596

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Kim West a

November 2 General election candidates:

Billy Beasley 28,619

Kim West 12,033

Note: Incumbent Myron Penn (D) did not run for re-election.

District 29

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Jennifer Adams (Withdrawn)

June 1 GOP primary result:

• George Flowers 12,797 a
• Nathan Mathis 7,181

Independent candidate:

• Incumbent Harri Anne Smith won re-election as an Independent. In her previous term in office, she represented the Republican Party.

November 2 General election candidates:

George Flowers 19,225

Harri Anne Smith 23,800

District 30

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Wendell Mitchell a Incumbent Mitchell was first elected in 1982.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Ken Barnett 2,708
• Ray Boles 4,909
• Bryan Taylor 7,358 a

November 2 General election candidates:

Wendell Mitchell 19,506

Bryan Taylor 25,868

District 31

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Jimmy Holley a Incumbent Holley was first elected in 1998.

November 2 General election candidates:

Jimmy Holley 29,301

District 32

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Trip Pittman a Incumbent Pittman was first elected in 2007.

November 2 General election candidates:

Trip Pittman 42,365

District 33

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Vivian Figures 6,572 a Incumbent Figures was first elected to replace her late husband Michael A. Figures in 1997.
• Herman Thomas 3,441

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Walter G. Bracey 1,247 Primary Runoff: 2,040
• Jeffrey Jones 1,078
• Brad Moser 2,024 Primary Runoff: 3,053 a

November 2 General election candidates:

Vivian Figures 23,241

Brad Moser 8,419

District 34

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• No Democrat ran for election.

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Rusty Glover a Incumbent Glover was first elected in 2006.

November 2 General election candidates:

Rusty Glover 34,325

District 35

June 1 Democratic primary result:

• Scott Buzbee a

June 1 GOP primary result:

• Ben Brooks a Incumbent Brooks was first elected in 2006.

November 2 General election candidates:

Scott Buzbee 12,653

Ben Brooks 18,307

See also

• Alabama State Senate
• Alabama State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2010
• Primary election dates in 2010

External links

• List of Democratic candidates
• List of Republican candidates
• List of independent candidates
• Democratic primary results
• Republican runoff candidates
• Alabama GOP primary results (dead link)
• Alabama Democratic Party's list of state senate candidates
• Alabama Republican Party's list of state senate candidates (dead link)
• Democratic primary runoff results
• Republican primary runoff results (dead link)
• Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Alabama State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
• Statewide general election results
• Certified general election results

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Footnotes

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Current members of the Alabama State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Steve Livingston

Minority Leader:Bobby Singleton

Senators

District 1

Tim Melson (R)

District 2

Tom Butler (R)

District 3

Arthur Orr (R)

District 4

Garlan Gudger (R)

District 5

Vacant

District 6

Larry Stutts (R)

District 7

Sam Givhan (R)

District 8

Steve Livingston (R)

District 9

Wes Kitchens (R)

District 10

Andrew Jones (R)

District 11

Lance Bell (R)

District 12

Keith Kelley (R)

District 13

Randy Price (R)

District 14

April Weaver (R)

District 15

Dan Roberts (R)

District 16

J.T. Waggoner (R)

District 17

Shay Shelnutt (R)

District 18

Rodger Smitherman (D)

District 19

Merika Coleman (D)

District 20

Linda Coleman-Madison (D)

District 21

Gerald Allen (R)

District 22

Greg Albritton (R)

District 23

Robert Stewart (D)

District 24

Bobby Singleton (D)

District 25

Will Barfoot (R)

District 26

Kirk Hatcher (D)

District 27

Jay Hovey (R)

District 28

Billy Beasley (D)

District 29

Donnie Chesteen (R)

District 30

Clyde Chambliss (R)

District 31

Josh Carnley (R)

District 32

Chris Elliott (R)

District 33

Vivian Figures (D)

District 34

Jack Williams (R)

District 35

David Sessions (R)

Republican Party (26)

Democratic Party (8)

Vacancies (1)