Both Democratic and Republican party leaders in Jefferson and Shelby counties hope to nudge more voters across party lines in Tuesday’s midterms. Jefferson County is blue, while Shelby County is among the most solidly Republican counties in the state.
Hillary Clinton won Jefferson County in the 2016 general election, and county Democrats enjoyed a clean sweep of judicial races. But in Shelby County, voters gave President Donald Trump a decisive win; many Republican candidates in local races ran unopposed by Democrats.
But party leaders in both camps say year is different.
“We are in no way conceding to the Democrats,” Jeannie Flaherty, executive director of the Jefferson County GOP says.
She’d like to see a high percentage of straight-ticket GOP voters, but admits, that’s not realistic in Jefferson County.
If the 2016 presidential race is an indicator, 60 percent of the votes for Trump came from straight ticket voting in Jefferson County.
“I want us to have the most engaged electorate. I want people to show up and vote,” Flaherty says. “That way we will get fair, honest, ethical and engaged leadership in Jefferson County.”
Richard Mauk, chairman of the Jefferson County Democrats, says he’s optimistic about voter turnout and predicts victory for a majority of his party’s candidates.
He expects the Jefferson County Commission race between incumbent Republican Joe Knight and his Democratic challenger J.T. Smallwood will be competitive. Smallwood is the Jefferson County tax collector.
The races for Jefferson County district attorney and for sheriff also have been heated.
Democrat Danny Carr faces Republican Mike Anderton. Incumbent Sheriff Mike Hale, a Republican, faces Democrat Mark Pettway, a detective in the sheriff’s office.
Mauk says the outcome in all of the races depends on turnout.
“In 2014, Jefferson County only turned out 40 percent, and of that, Democrats got 54 percent and Republicans got 45 percent of the vote,” he says.
Her predicts Democrats will turn out in higher numbers this election because of galvanizing issues such as the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court and the #MeToo movement.
Voters see that “they can have rights taken away,” Mauk says. “We’re concerned about health care. We’re concerned about having enough money to rebuild our infrastructure.”
Carole Marks, chairwoman of the Shelby County Democrats, says the national debate also is helping fuel interest in Democratic candidates there.
Ten Democrats are seeking office in Shelby County. Four years ago, Shelby County Republicans ran unchallenged in the midterm election.
Marks says there are many Democrats in Shelby County that no one we knew. “We’re pleased that we’ve been able to pull them out into the open,” she says.
In the special U.S. Senate election last year, Marks says Democrat Doug Jones won 41 percent of the Shelby County votes.
Many voters in that election based their decision on the candidates instead of a political party, Marks says. If that happens on Tuesday, she predicts there will be some successful Democratic candidates in the deeply red Shelby County.
Find more on the Jefferson County candidates in this guide from our partners at Birmingham Watch.