The Alabama Democratic Party defended House candidates Allison Montgomery and Terri Osborne on Thursday, accusing Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen of using attacks on their gender identities to distract voters from issues affecting Alabama families.
The statement followed Stadthagen’s remarks at an October 8 meeting of the Eastern Shore Republican Women, where he described the two transgender candidates as men with “mental disorders.” Montgomery called his comments “just plain prejudice,” as APR previously reported.
Montgomery is running for House District 25 in Madison County, while Osborne is seeking the House District 96 seat in Baldwin County. Both are on the November 3 ballot.
“Allison and Terri are committed community leaders, with platforms that represent necessary solutions that have been sorely lacking in discussions in our Republican-led Legislature,” state Senator Bobby Singleton, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said.
The party argued that Republican leaders should address grocery and gas costs and other pressures on household budgets rather than attack the candidates personally. It accused the Republican legislative supermajority of failing to address Alabama families’ needs.
Singleton said Republicans’ focus on Montgomery and Osborne diverted attention from their own record and the Democratic candidates’ proposals.
Democrats also alleged a double standard in Republicans’ stated concern for protecting children, contrasting their attacks on the candidates with what the party described as a failure to condemn the alleged conduct underlying Republican state Representative Brett Easterbrook’s recent arrest.
Easterbrook faces charges of attempted first-degree human trafficking and soliciting prostitution following an undercover operation in Escambia County. Authorities allege he offered money for sex with someone he believed was under 19.
The Democratic statement also cited former Satsuma School Board President Kory Wesley, who faces an attempted trafficking charge, and former Orange Beach Public Works Director Timothy Tucker. Tucker faces a soliciting prostitution charge, with no reported allegation involving someone he believed was a minor. The release inaccurately grouped all three cases together. All three men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The party reiterated its support for Montgomery and Osborne, describing them as exemplary members of their communities and saying their campaigns offered voters better representation and practical policy solutions.
