Alabama Democratic Party Chair Bobby Singleton outlined plans to expand the party’s grassroots organizing, fundraising and legislative policy efforts during a One Alabama rally in north Alabama on Tuesday, urging Democrats to strengthen their presence in local communities and build support beyond election season.
Singleton, who also serves as Senate minority leader, said the party must demonstrate its commitment to communities through consistent outreach and service rather than limiting its activity to election campaigns.
“We gotta be able to show our humanity,” Singleton said. “We gotta be able to show that we really care and not just talk about it.”
He outlined a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to sponsor home construction in Democratic Senate districts. Singleton said he had raised $200,000 toward the initiative, which he described as part of a broader effort to demonstrate the party’s commitment to community service.
He also said young Democrats are developing an app to document volunteer work and community engagement. The app would allow the party to track volunteer hours and show voters what its members are doing in their communities.
“We want to show them all those volunteer hours, and we want to say what they were,” Singleton said.
The party also plans to establish a policy team to monitor legislation in Montgomery and Washington, D.C., summarize proposed bills and help Democrats communicate their positions to constituents.
Singleton said the effort would allow the party to be more proactive during legislative debates and better equip local organizers to discuss policy with voters.
“We’re gonna be able to look at all those bills that we’re gonna be fighting, give you a synopsis of those bills,” Singleton said. “So when it’s time for us to rally the troops and go to Montgomery, you already understand the issue before you get there.”
Singleton also called for stronger county-level fundraising operations, saying county Democratic Party chairs should hold at least four fundraisers each year. He said the party needed to build financial resources that could support candidates and local organizations over time.
The initiatives are part of Singleton’s broader effort to build a more unified party, including recruiting candidates for local offices and encouraging Democrats to work together.
Singleton said the party’s ambitions extend beyond statewide and legislative races to local elections, including courthouse and municipal offices. Recruiting Democratic candidates throughout the state would help establish a more durable presence in Alabama politics.
Singleton also urged north Alabama Democrats to keep campaigning aggressively in the final stretch before Election Day, emphasizing personal outreach over reliance on digital communication alone. Singleton nevertheless urged supporters to campaign as though their candidates were trailing.
“I want us to run like we’re 20 points behind,” Singleton said. “We can’t get comfortable and feel like we’re dead even.”
The rally also featured remarks from Representative Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, who criticized the most recent legislative session and called on lawmakers to prioritize issues including education, maternal health and mental health care.
Lands said she had brought forward proposals to address those issues but was disappointed by the Legislature’s priorities.
“We have real problems in this state,” Lands said. “We have hungry children. We have a mental health crisis. We have work to do, and we need to be about doing the work with the people and about raising this state up.”
Lands criticized lawmakers for spending time on cultural and symbolic issues, including the Ten Commandments, school prayer and the national anthem, instead of focusing on what she described as more pressing needs.
“I am so tired of being last in all the key metrics that really matter,” Lands said.
House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, also addressed the crowd, encouraging candidates to continue campaigning despite negative attacks and differences in campaign spending.
Daniels said he was proud of those who chose to run for office and urged them to remain focused on speaking with voters.
“I want you to hold your head up high,” Daniels said. “You know who you are. You stay the course, you continue to work.”
Daniels argued that candidates should not allow political attacks to distract them from issues affecting Alabama families, including grocery prices and the cost of living. Singleton similarly criticized Republican policies on affordability and gun laws, arguing that Democrats should offer concrete responses to the problems families face.
He pointed to rising grocery costs as an issue the party should address and said its legislative priorities should reflect the needs of working families.
Singleton said the party’s organizing efforts must continue regardless of the election’s outcome.
He said Democrats had invested too much effort in building relationships to abandon that work after Election Day and urged supporters to stay involved in their local communities.
