Republican John Knapp Wins House District 65 Over Independent Elaine Beech

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ala. — Republican John Knapp, a longtime law enforcement officer, won the Alabama House District 65 seat Tuesday, defeating independent Elaine Beech, a former Democratic lawmaker who once held the seat.

Returns reported by the Baldwin County Probate Office showed Knapp with 85% of the vote and Beech with 14%, with more than 73% of the vote counted. The district spans parts of four counties, and it was not clear from that report whether the figures reflected voters outside Baldwin County. All results remain unofficial until certified.

The district covers all of Washington County and portions of Baldwin, Choctaw and Clarke counties. The result guarantees new representation for voters there. Rep. Brett Easterbrook, R-Fruitdale, who has held the seat since 2018, did not seek reelection.

An independent with unusual backing

On paper, the race was a contest between a Republican and an independent, with no Democrat running. Beech’s history and fundraising made it more complicated.

Beech represented District 65 as a Democrat from 2009 to 2018, when Easterbrook defeated her. South AL News previously reported that she sought to run in the 2022 Republican primary, but the state party rejected the bid because of her earlier Democratic affiliation.

This year, she reported a surge of money from political action committees, many of which typically back Republicans. After failing to raise more than $10,000 in previous months, she brought in nearly $62,000 in September, according to campaign finance filings. The two largest single contributors were ALAPAC, the political arm of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, at $20,000, and AVOTE, the political action committee of the Alabama Education Association, at $15,000. She also picked up endorsements from the Alabama Realtors Association, the Alabama Farmers Federation and the Medical Association.

Knapp reported no contributions in September. His only reported contribution in August was $5,000 from the Alabama Republican Party, and filings from the House Majority PAC show a $5,000 contribution to him in July.

“It’s odd for an independent to get this much support,” Alabama Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen said in October, adding of Knapp: “He is our nominee; we are going to have his back.”

The fundraising prompted public speculation that Beech had quiet support from House leadership. The office of House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, firmly denied that and said Knapp had received the same level of Majority PAC support as every House Republican incumbent or candidate.

Knapp said at the time that he did not know why the groups gave to his opponent. “I’ve been in law enforcement 24 years. I’m pro-police and pro-Constitution. That’s what we need in Montgomery,” he said.

Knapp’s path to the seat

Knapp, a political newcomer who has worked for the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, according to his campaign’s social media page, won the Republican primary over Dee Ann Campbell with about 58% of the vote.

During the fall campaign, he framed the race around his law enforcement background and Republican turnout, saying party voters were not going to the polls the way they should. “Every vote matters, and we’ve got to get as many out to the polls as possible,” he said.

Beech, who was appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to chair the Statewide Health Coordinating Council, campaigned mostly on local and health care issues.

Beech responds on Facebook

In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Beech thanked her supporters and family and said she had run a clean campaign “when I could have said some negative things.”

“I couldn’t overcome the straight party voting and the negative propaganda and untruths that were mailed out about me,” she wrote. “But what goes around comes around.”

Beech also said she was upset over the disqualification of Jessica Massey Ross, who she said was the best candidate. She closed by writing, “I will live my best life with my grandkids and kids and most of all my Auburn family.”

Easterbrook’s pending case

Although he was not on the ballot, Easterbrook’s legal case drew attention to the seat in the campaign’s final weeks.

He was arrested in early October during an undercover prostitution and human trafficking sting in Atmore, in Escambia County, that led to 17 arrests, including those of other public officials. He is charged with attempted first-degree human trafficking and soliciting prostitution. A judge approved a prosecution motion to reduce the initial trafficking charge because the case arose from a police sting and no actual victim was involved.

A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 18. Easterbrook has not been convicted of any crime and is presumed innocent.