Questions about who represents the true conservative candidate have emerged as the Republican primary for Alabama House District 38 heads to a runoff on November 18.
No candidate secured a majority in the October 21 election. Kristin Nelson led with 46.7 percent of the vote, followed by Garrett Dixon with 33.3 percent, and Micah Messer with 20 percent. Following the results, Messer endorsed Dixon, calling him “the kind of conservative leadership Alabama needs.”
The Alabama Policy Institute, through its advocacy arm Alabama Policy Action, surveyed candidates ahead of the race on major conservative issues including taxes, gambling, Medicaid expansion and school choice. Messer and Dixon both responded to the questionnaire, aligning closely with the institute’s priorities, while Nelson did not—a decision that has drawn attention among conservative voters as the runoff approaches.
In another instance, Nelson publicly agreed with a Facebook post calling for the abolition of teacher tenure in Alabama, which read: “The state of Alabama needs to abolish tenure. I guarantee we would see a difference in a positive way. If we had to earn our spot every year, we’d see the dead weight go to the house. Sorry, not sorry.”
Teacher tenure in Alabama provides due process protections for educators after a probationary period, preventing arbitrary dismissal and promoting stability within public schools. Critics argue it can make it difficult to remove underperforming teachers, while supporters say it safeguards educators from political or personal retaliation. Nelson’s apparent agreement with the post has drawn criticism from Republican educators who warn that eliminating tenure could worsen teacher recruitment and retention in an already strained system.
As the runoff nears, the question of “who is the kind of conservative leadership Alabama needs” has become the defining fault line—a contest not only over the conservative agenda but also over the future of education policy within the Republican Party. The divide underscores a growing debate within the district about what true conservative leadership looks like in Alabama today.
