On Tuesday, all three candidates competing in the Republican primary for the nomination in the state House District 38 special election failed to receive a majority of the vote. The top two candidates, Garrett Dixon and Kristin Nelson, will now move on to a two-way contest in a November 18 run-off election.
House District 38 covers parts of Chambers and Lee counties. The Republican state representative who had represented the district since 2018, Debbie Hamby Wood, announced her resignation in July because she would need to move out of her district as a result of her husband’s new job.
Dixon received Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth’s endorsement shortly after his campaign was announced in August. His campaign website describes Dixon as a “dedicated cotton and peanut farmer.” On Tuesday, he came in second with 874 out of the 2,626 votes cast according to the unofficial results.
“Thank you to everyone who voted and helped us advance to the November 18 runoff,” Dixon posted to his campaign Facebook page on Wednesday. “Running for House District 38 has been a great experience, and I’m grateful for the strong support we’ve received.” The message also stressed “the impact of higher prices and rising crime.”
Nelson received over 350 more votes than Dixon on Tuesday: approximately 46.7 percent of the votes cast, or 1,226 total.
Her campaign literature highlights her involvement with the local community as well as the homeschooling of two sons. The four main policy planks listed are “creating job opportunities,” “improving education,” “fighting crime,” and “lowering the tax burden.” Nelson has said she would focus on reducing income taxes if elected.
“I am so honored to have led the pack tonight, but there is still work to do!” Nelson wrote in a social media post shortly after results were published. In an interview with the Alabama Reflector on Tuesday, she explained that her campaign “knew that this was a possibility with three people being in the race.”
The winner of the November run-off will face Democratic nominee Hazel Floyd in the general election on February 3. Floyd’s initial campaign announcement highlighted three pillars: “strengthening our rural communities,” “supporting public education,” and “championing farmers and small businesses.”
The last election for HD38 both Republican and Democratic candidates competed in was held in 2018, and Wood received 69.1 percent of the vote. In Wood’s 2022 reelection campaign, she received 88 percent of the vote while a Libertarian candidate, Charles Temm Jr., received just over 11 percent.
