[[{“value”:”Democrat candidate Marilyn Lands, a certified professional counselor, defeated Republican Teddy Powell, a Madison City Council member, to fill an empty Alabama state House seat.
After past GOP state representative David Cole admitted to voter fraud, Alabama state House District 10 was made unoccupied.
In a particular election, Lands won the seat held by Democrats in the Huntsville-area by almost 25 points over Powell.
According to Decision Desk HQ, Lands won by a vote of 62.4 % to 37.6 %.
According to NBC News, Lands ‘ campaign included in vitro fertilization and abortion.
After the state’s high court decided that frozen embryos obtained through in vitro fertilization are children and have the same constitutional rights as “unborn children,” in vitro fertilization became a contentious issue in Alabama.
IVF services were suspended by several clinics in the state to consider the legal repercussions of the decision.
” Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and throughout the country. Our legislature must repeal Alabama’s no- exceptions abortion ban, entirely restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception”, Lands said in a statement, according to NBC News.
Banning IVF is a great social winner… like the proper- wing defunding the police https ://t.co/KGgOHLAYBw
— Ryan James Girdusky ( @RyanGirdusky ) March 27, 2024
NBC News reports:
While campaigning, Lands focused on IVF and access to abortions, telling voters that she supports repealing the state’s around- total ban on abortions, which went into effect after the U. S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Her campaign website lists endorsements from organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Alabama AFL-CIO, and Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that fights gun control.
Republican Gov. Following a popular backlash over a ruling by the state Supreme Court in February that threatened the procedure, Kay Ivey signed a GOP-backed bill to protect IVF. Following the great court’s decision, Democrats campaigning on IVF saw Tuesday’s contest as an early test.
After David Cole, a Republican who defeated Lands by 7 percentage points in the special election next year, admitted to a voter fraud charge and resigned, the election was called.
Republican Teddy Powell defeated Democrat @marilynforAL in the special election for Alabama House District 10, a swing district in the Huntsville-area, by what appears to be a pretty big margin ( district was Trump + 1, Doug Jones + 5 ) in the picture ). twitter.com/XBTv9trUeK
— Grace Panetta ( @grace_panetta ) March 27, 2024
Democrat wins Alabama special election after focusing on IVF, abortion https ://t.co/9CSQGVrkhH
— The Hill ( @thehill ) March 27, 2024
From The Hill:
Given its purple political leanings in a generally red state, the state House district is an unusual one. Social observers monitored the race to see if the issues of IVF and abortion might influence voters in the distinctive Alabama district.
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee ( DLCC), called the results a “political earthquake” in a statement.
” Voters are choosing to fight for their fundamental freedoms by electing Democrats across the country,” she said,” This special election is a harbinger of things to come. Republicans across the country have been put on notice that attacks on IVF are taking place. From the bluest blue state to the reddest red.”
According to USA Today, Lands argued the “law passed in response to the state Supreme Court’s IVF ruling, which aimed to protect IVF providers and patients from prosecution, fell small and did not address the root concerns with the court’s decision”.
In his campaign, Powell apparently focused on the economy and infrastructure.
DDHQ: Democrat Marilyn Lands has won the special election for Alabama’s 10th State House District. ( Trump + 1 in 2020 and R+7 in 2022 )
GOP DEM FLIP pic. twitter.com/1Ung9i7h4h
— InteractivePolls ( @IAPolls2022 ) March 27, 2024
USA Today noted:
Powell argued that it was a distinct from abortion, but he also expressed support for IVF access. He even criticized Lands for articulating the 10th District race’s position on biological issues.
” I’m not sure any race can or should be about a second issue”, he told USA TODAY. Our district faces a number of difficulties that are unrelated to this particular issue.
The race could be a microcosm for broader 2024 election trends.
Democratic candidates from across the nation are campaigning on issues like immigration and the economy, including Donald Trump, the rumored GOP presidential nominee. They think that voters will care about inflation and regional security among the most pressing issues this year.
Democrats, however, see abortion as a key motivating issue for voters, based on a string of ballot measure successes since the 2022 midterms.
However, the race in Alabama is one of the first data points this year to identify issues that have the biggest impact. And the results nod in favor of Democrats.”}]] [[{“value”:”
Marilyn Lands, a Democrat candidate and licensed professional counselor, defeated Republican Teddy Powell – a Madison City Council Member – to fill a vacant Alabama state House seat.
Former GOP state Rep. David Cole’s guilty plea to voter fraud left the Alabama House District 10 vacant.
In a special vote, Lands beat Powell by almost 25 points and gave Democrats the Huntsville area seat.
According to Decision DeskHQ, Lands was the winner by a margin of 62.4% compared to 37.6%.
NBC News reported that Lands made in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and abortion critical elements of her campaign.
In vitro fertilisation became a controversial issue in Alabama after the state’s high court ruled frozen embryos created by in vitro fertility are children and have the same legal rights of “unborn children.”
Multiple clinics in the State suspended IVF services while they considered the legal repercussions.
“Today, Alabama families and women sent a strong message that will be heard by Montgomery and the entire nation.” Our legislature must repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions ban on abortion, fully restore access IVF and protect the right of contraception,” Lands stated in a statement to NBC News.
Banning IVF is a huge political winner… like the right-wing defunding the police https://t.co/KGgOHLAYBw
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) March 27, 2024
NBC News reports
Lands’ campaign focused on IVF, access to abortions and IVF. She told voters that she supported repealing the state’s near-total abortion ban, which came into effect in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Her campaign website lists endorsements from groups like Planned Parenthood and the Alabama AFL-CIO, as well as the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a GOP-backed law to protect IVF following widespread backlash against a February ruling by the State Supreme Court that threatened the procedure. Tuesday’s election was seen as a test for Democrats who are campaigning on IVF following the high court ruling.
The special election was called because David Cole, the Republican who defeated Lands by 7 percentage points in 2022, pleaded guilty last year to a charge of voter fraud and resigned.
BREAKING: Democrat @marilynforAL has defeated Republican Teddy Powell, who just conceded in the special election for Alabama House District 10, a Huntsville-area swing district, by what looks like will be a pretty big margin (district was Trump +1, Doug Jones +5 in 2020) pic.twitter.com/XBTv9trUeK
— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) March 27, 2024
Democrat wins Alabama special election after focusing on IVF, abortion https://t.co/9CSQGVrkhH
The Hill (@thehill), March 27, 2024
From the Hill:
The district of the state House is unusual because it has a purplish-colored political leaning in a predominantly red state. Political observers watched the race to see whether the issues of IVF or abortion could sway voters in this unique Alabama district.
Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee’s (DLCC), described the results as a “political quake” in a press release.
“This special election is an omen of things to come. Republicans across the nation have been warned that attacks on IVF will have consequences. From the bluest state to the reddest, voters across the country are choosing to fight to protect their fundamental freedoms through electing Democrats,” she added.
According to USA Today Lands argued that the “law passed as a response to the state Supreme Court’s IVF ruling which aimed at protecting IVF providers and patient from prosecution fell short and didn’t address the root concerns regarding the court’s order.”
Powell’s campaign reportedly focused on infrastructure, economy and the economy.
DDHQ: Democrat Marilyn Lands won the special election in Alabama’s 10th state house district. (Trump +1 in 2020 and R+7 by 2022)
GOP DEM FLIP pic.twitter.com/1Ung9i7h4h
InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022), March 27, 2024
USA Today has noted:
Powell supported IVF, but argued it was different from abortion. He also criticised Lands for framing the race in the 10th district around reproductive issues.
“I don’t think any race should or can be about a single topic,” he told USA Today. “Our district faces many challenges, which are not related to this issue.”
The race could be a microcosm of the broader election trends in 2024.
Republican candidates in the United States, including the presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, campaign on issues like immigration and the economy. They believe that inflation and national security will be the two most important issues for voters in 2018.
A string of successful ballot measures since the midterm elections in 2022 has led Democrats to believe that abortion is a major issue for voters.
The Alabama race is one of the first data points to be analyzed this year in order to determine which issues have the greatest impact. The results are in favor of Democrats.
“}]]
