Special general elections were held in District 14 of the Alabama State Senate and District 73 of the Alabama House of Representatives on July 13. The primary was held on March 30, and the filing deadline to run passed on Jan. 26. The Republican primary for the House District 73 seat went to a primary runoff on April 27.
In District 14, April Weaver (R) defeated Virginia Applebaum (D) for the seat. Weaver received 89.6% of the unofficial election night vote. The seat was vacated by Cam Ward (R), who was appointed as director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles on Dec. 7. Ward had been a member of the state Senate since 2010.
In District 73, Kenneth Paschal (R) defeated Sheridan Black (D) for the seat. Paschal received 74.9% of the unofficial election night vote. The seat was vacated by Matt Fridy (R), who was elected to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in Nov. 2020. Fridy had been a member of the state House since 2014.
There is one additional special election scheduled in the state this year. Kenyatté Hassell (D) is facing Loretta Grant (R) in the Sept. 7 general election for the District 78 seat in the state House. Hassell progressed to the general election after winning the special Democratic primary runoff on June 22. Grant advanced to the general after the special Republican primary was canceled.
The Sept. 7 election will mark the fifth state legislative special election in Alabama in 2021. This is a 10-year high for special elections in the state. The previous yearly high was four special elections in 2013. Alabama held a total of 23 special elections between 2010 and 2020. Alabama held only one special election in 2020 for House District 49.
Additional reading:
Alabama State Senate District 14
Alabama House of Representatives District 73
Alabama House of Representatives District 78