Democrat Tabitha Isner announced this week that she is running for State Senate District 26.
She is inviting supporters from across the River Region to join her campaign kickoff at Montgomery Whitewater, 1100 Maxwell Blvd., on Saturday, March 21, at 3:30 p.m.
“The event will give voters a chance to learn about the new district lines, explore volunteer opportunities, and hear Isner’s vision for a stronger, more people-powered Alabama,” Isner’s press release said.
This year’s race for Senate District 26 comes as Alabama voters prepare to cast ballots under newly redrawn state Senate lines. In November, a federal court ordered Alabama to use a new map for the 2026 and 2030 elections after ruling that the previous Montgomery-area districts violated the Voting Rights Act by packing Black voters into District 26 and limiting their influence in neighboring districts.
Under the court-ordered plan, District 26 now extends into Elmore County, while District 25 takes in more of Montgomery. Both districts are considered opportunity districts, where Black voters will have the opportunity to elect their candidate of choice.
“This campaign is about making sure the people of District 26 are heard,” Isner said. “Families across Montgomery and Elmore want leaders who will focus on what actually matters in their daily lives—community development, quality health care, protected freedoms, and a government that works for regular people, not just the powerful.”
Isner ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, when District 2 included Elmore County and part of Montgomery. After that run, she became vice chair of the Alabama Democratic Party.
Outside politics, she has worked in early childhood education policy, child welfare policy and for a software company. She is married to a local pastor and has one teenage son.
Isner said her campaign is centered on three broad priorities outlined on her website: economic prosperity, defending individual rights and putting more power in the hands of everyday Alabamians.
Her platform includes expanding Medicaid, removing taxes from groceries, supporting public schools, protecting reproductive rights and voting rights, strengthening ethics and open-records laws and restoring more local control to communities.
“At a time when too many people feel ignored and dismissed by politicians, we need leaders who listen, show up, and prioritize the problems that actually affect the community,” Isner said. “I’m running to fight for working families, defend the diversity that makes Alabama great, and help build a River Region where more people can thrive.”
Isner will face Republican senator Will Barfoot, R-Alabama, in the 2026 election. Barfoot currently represents Senate District 25 and sponsored Alabama’s 2024 bill banning divisive concepts and DEI programs. He opposed redrawing the Senate map to give Black voters more voting power.
“It is so important that we tell the full story of Alabama and build a future that includes all of us,” Isner said. “We should not shy away from discussing our difficult and divided history. Rejecting diversity, equity, and inclusion doesn’t move us forward, it takes us back.”
