Majority-Black Legislative Districts in Play Again as Candidates Stress Groceries, Gas and Health Care

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Four majority-Black legislative districts where Republicans ran unusually strong races in 2022 are contested again in Tuesday’s general election, and candidates from both parties say the cost of living — groceries, gasoline, rent and medicine — is what voters want to talk about.

Three of the districts are in or near the Black Belt, including a House seat and a Senate seat that take in Clarke County, Conecuh County and Monroe County in southwest Alabama. The fourth is an open House seat in Anniston left by Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-Anniston, who is retiring from the Legislature.

“These are districts where there is a little bit more competitiveness between the two parties, whereas most districts in Alabama politics are more heavily favored by one party or the other,” said David Hughes, an associate professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who analyzed the races. “These at least have voters who have a demonstrated record of a bit more bipartisanship compared to elsewhere.”

The four races

• House District 68 (Clarke, Conecuh, Marengo, Monroe, Perry and Wilcox counties): Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, faces Republican Fred Kelley of Monroeville, who is challenging him for the second time.
• Senate District 23 (Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Lowndes, Monroe, Perry and Wilcox counties): Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, faces Republican Thayer Spencer. Spencer did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.
• House District 69 (Autauga, Lowndes, Montgomery and Wilcox counties): Rep. Kelvin Lawrence, D-Hayneville, faces Republican Josh Pendergrass of Prattville. Pendergrass ran for House District 88 in 2022 but ended that campaign after realizing he lived outside the district.
• House District 32 (Calhoun and Talladega counties): Democrat Debra Foster faces Republican Joey Callahan for the seat Boyd is leaving.

Why these seats are competitive

The 2022 races were relatively close, helped by a weak Democratic statewide ticket, a generally favorable year for Republicans and low turnout in Democratic areas. Jackson beat Kelley that year by just under 600 votes, a margin of about 3 percentage points. Lawrence defeated Republican Karla Knight Maddox by about 10 points, 55% to 45%.

Population loss in the Black Belt, a longtime Democratic stronghold, has also changed the math, as has a more even distribution of white and Black voters in some of these districts. Alabama’s electorate is racially polarized: white voters tend to support Republicans and Black voters tend to support Democrats, so even modest shifts in a district’s makeup or turnout can change outcomes.

Hughes said House District 32 “is competitive in the sense that there are a pretty good number of Black voters in Talladega County, around the city of Talladega, but not the same concentrated population that we see in parts of western Birmingham or Montgomery.” House District 69 includes parts of Autauga County with a substantial number of Republican voters, and Stewart’s Senate district takes in significant parts of southern Alabama with fewer Black residents, he said.

This year’s national environment is considered more favorable to Democrats than 2022, with Trump’s approval ratings sagging and voters worried about prices.

Groceries and gas taxes

Candidates in both parties said their top priority is affordability, especially eliminating the state sales tax on groceries and easing fuel costs.

“People are having to determine whether to pay for rent or they buy groceries, or their rent or their medicine,” Lawrence said. “That should not happen in 2026 here in Alabama or in the United States.”

Pendergrass said he wants to address the grocery taxes levied by cities and counties, which remain even as the state has reduced its own rate. “We need to work on the state level with local counties and municipalities and figure out a way on how we can get them to also remove the tax on groceries so that it is zero percent,” he said.

Kelley proposed going further by cutting the state gas tax. “Did you know there is a 30-cent per gallon state gas tax?” he said. “If we repeal 10-cents per gallon on every gallon sold in Alabama just today, how much money would that be?”

The current tax level stems from the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act, which the Legislature passed to pay for road and bridge maintenance. In a later interview Thursday, Kelley said that after researching the issue, he had concluded a 10-cent repeal “is not a good idea.”

Democrats have also proposed eliminating the state grocery tax and made it a centerpiece of a party news conference on affordability Monday. Former Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, said he introduced legislation to repeal the sales tax on food more than 30 years ago, but it did not pass.

Some Democrats also want to raise wages. Stewart in January filed a bill that would have set a $10 minimum wage for businesses with 51 or more employees. “Our state does not have a minimum wage, so I sponsored legislation to create a minimum wage,” he said. Alabama is one of a handful of states without its own minimum wage law, so the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour applies.

Rural health care

Several candidates said access to health care in rural communities is a priority, an issue that has grown more urgent as rural hospitals have closed.

“People are without health insurance,” Foster said. “People are sick and can’t go to the doctor. Hospitals are closing. They don’t have hospitals that are close to them. When you are sick, it is a matter of life and death if you don’t get care expeditiously.”

Foster supports expanding Medicaid, which Alabama has not done. “Medicaid will not only give people access to healthcare, but it is also going to allow us to draw doctors and nurses to the community,” she said. “Not only that, it is also an economic engine because it is going to bring jobs to the state.”

Callahan said he would prefer to send money to communities through block grants. “You bring that money back and you find out the communities that need it,” he said.

Jobs, schools, farms and voting

Other candidates focused on workforce development, especially through Alabama’s community college system.

“That takes state money, but I think it could be done with private partnerships along with tax money,” Callahan said. “The more people make, and the more opportunities people have to create wealth for themselves, then the more they can afford.”

Pendergrass said he wants to invest in two-year colleges so more students can earn a credential while still in high school, possibly by letting school districts partner with local two-year colleges. “What can we do spending priority wise to make sure as many of our students as possible finish high school with at least part of their associates degree done if not the whole thing,” he said.

Jackson said he wants to help farmers. During the 2026 session he filed HB 523, which would have allowed the commissioner of agriculture and industries to create a legislatively funded Agricultural Enhancement Program to help farmers pay for investments in their operations.

He also said he will keep working on voting access. “Voting rights was passed in 1965,” Jackson said. “Now they are trying to make it hard for people to register to vote.” In 2025, Jackson filed HB 59, which would have required each county to offer at least one precinct where people could vote during the week before an election. The bill never cleared the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee. Alabama does not offer early in-person voting.

Meet the candidates

House District 68

• Thomas Jackson (D), 77, Thomasville, retired educator. Education: A.A., Selma University, 1970; B.S. in psychology, Knoxville College, 1972; M.A. in education and counseling, Alabama State University, 1977. In the House since 1994. Raised $216,250 and spent $198,708 as of Thursday morning.
• Fred Kelley (R), 69, Monroeville, marketing director for a natural gas company. Education: A.A. in business administration, Patrick Henry Community College, 1978. Has not held elected office. Raised $83,975 and spent $64,230.

Senate District 23

• Robert Stewart (D), 36, Selma, accountant. Education: B.S. in accounting, Tuskegee University, 2012; master of accounting, Kennesaw State University, 2016. In the Senate since 2022. Raised $234,154 and spent $220,475.
• Thayer Spencer (R): Information was not available.

House District 69

• Kelvin Lawrence (D), 52, Hayneville, business owner. In the House since 2014; mayor of Hayneville, 2012-2014. Raised $307,880 and spent $310,760.
• Joshua Pendergrass (R), 41, Prattville, attorney and business owner. Education: B.S. in political science, Lambuth University, 2007; J.D., Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, 2010; master of theology, New Orleans Theological Seminary, 2013. Has not held elected office. Raised $18,228 and spent $14,384.

House District 32

• Debra D. Foster (D), 72, Anniston, Realtor. Anniston City Council, 1994-2007. Raised $103,816 and spent $96,680.
• Joey Callahan (R), 57, Lincoln, business owner. Lincoln City Council, 2016-2025. Raised $48,775 and spent $44,104.

How to vote

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters must bring a valid photo ID and vote at their assigned precinct, which can be confirmed, along with a sample ballot, through the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.