Democrats Travis Hendrix and Sylvia Swayne Advance to Runoff for Alabama State House District 55
Seven Democrats competed for the nomination to succeed former State Representative Fred Plump (D).
The Democratic primary occurred today to select a candidate for the January special election to fill a vacancy in the Alabama State House of Representatives. A candidate needs to achieve a 50%+1 majority in the primary to receive the nomination. Otherwise, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on October 24, 2023.
The special election for State House District 55 was called following the resignation of State Representative Fred Plump, a Democrat, earlier this year after being indicted on multiple federal charges in an alleged kickback scheme. He represented this district from November 2022 to May 2023.
A runoff has officially been ordered between Travis Hendrix and Sylvia Swayne. The race was called in their favor as they’re currently leading with 27.91% and 21.45%, respectively. The remainder of the vote went to Phyllis Oden-Jones with 20.20%, Cara McClure with 15.16%, Ves Marable with 7.50%, Kenneth Coachman with 4.41%, and Antwon Womack with 3.37%. 2,401 votes have been counted.
Hendrix is a sergeant with the Birmingham Police Department who previously sought the Democratic nomination for District 55 in 2022 but lost the primary to Plump.
Swayne currently works managing quality assurance agents for the tech industry in Birmingham. She is the first openly transgender woman to run for public office in Alabama.
A member of the Fairfield City Council, Oden-Jones also sought the Democratic nomination for District 55 in 2022 losing the primary to Plump.
McClure is the founder of the social justice organization Faith & Works. In 2018, she was the Democratic nominee for Place 1 on the Alabama Public Service Commission - losing 60.4-39.5 to Republican Jeremy Oden.
A musician and music producer, Marable previously served on the Fairfield City Council and now is the Co-Chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Conference.
Coachman previously served as the Mayor of Fairfield, Alabama from 2009 to 2017. He currently works at Miles College, a private historically Black college.
Womack currently serves as the Vice President of the Ensley Highlands Neighborhood Association. He is the third candidate who sought the Democratic nomination for District 55 in 2022 who lost the primary to Plump.
Alabama State House District 55 covers parts of Jefferson County, home to the city of Birmingham.
The special election for this seat in the Alabama House of Representatives will occur on January 9, 2024. The winner of the runoff is currently running unopposed as no Republicans or Independents have filed to appear on the ballot. Republicans currently control the 105-member legislative chamber with a 75-27 supermajority against Democrats, with three vacancies. District 55 is one of two vacancies to be filled in January, while a third will occur in March.