Elections in two JeffCo-area seats Tuesday
Voters in some parts of Jefferson County will be headed to the polls Tuesday to choose among candidates for two state House of Representatives seats.
In the House District 55 race, voters will select a replacement for Rep. Fred Plump. The Fairfield Democrat resigned in May after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The DOJ accused the freshman representative of taking money from a fund used to support programs in Jefferson County under the direction of another Jefferson County legislator and kicking back a portion of it to a legislator’s assistant.
District 55 includes parts of Birmingham, West End and Fairfield. Nearly every candidate interviewed cited job creation, public safety and education as the key issues in the district.
The special primary election for House District 16 also will be held Tuesday. That district includes Fayette County, northern Tuscaloosa County and western Jefferson County.
The District 16 seat is vacant after former Rep. Kyle South, a Fayette Republican, stepped down June 30 to become CEO of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce.
Seven Democrats are competing for the District 55 seat. If none of the candidates wins more than half the vote, a run-off for the two top candidates will be held Oct. 24. With no Republican opponent, the Democratic candidate who wins the primary will almost certainly become the House District 55 representative.
However, in District 16, five Republicans are running for their party’s nomination, and the candidate who wins more than half the vote will face Democratic candidate John Underwood in the general election for the seat on Jan. 9.
For more information on the candidates, go to
House District 55 Special Election Candidates
House District 16 Special Election Candidates
To find out whether you’re in either of the districts and find your polling place, visit Alabama Votes.
Alabama Reflector contributed to this report.
North Carolina and Texas have primary elections Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know
The midterm elections are officially underway and contests in Texas and North Carolina will be the first major opportunity for parties to hear from voters about what's important to them in 2026.
Trump promised the MAGA base no new wars. Then he went to war with Iran
President Trump promised his "Make America Great Again" voters an "America First" foreign policy. With the war in Iran, he's testing MAGA world's willingness to be flexible on one of its core beliefs.
Kristi Noem set to face senators over DHS shutdown, immigration enforcement
The focus of the hearing is likely to be on how Kristi Noem is pursuing President Trump's mass deportation efforts in his second term, after two U.S. citizens were killed by immigration officers.
College students, professors are making their own AI rules. They don’t always agree
More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, AI has become a part of everyday life — and professors and students are still figuring out how or if they should use it.
Melania Trump presides at UN Security Council meeting as U.S. attacks Iran
U.S. first lady Melania Trump presided over a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday focusing on children in conflict, as the United States has joined Israel in attacking Iran.
In Vermont, small town meetings grapple with debate on big issues
Typically concerned with local issues, residents at town meetings in Vermont and elsewhere increasingly use the forum to debate polarizing national and international events.
