Dozens of Mobile, Baldwin County Candidates Win Without Opposition
Most candidates on Tuesday's ballot in Mobile and Baldwin counties, including both sheriffs, ran without any opposition.
Election night brought little suspense for most local races in Mobile and Baldwin counties on Tuesday, as the overwhelming majority of candidates on the ballot faced no opponent at all.
Both counties’ top law enforcement posts were among the uncontested seats. Sheriff Sam Cochran secured another term in Mobile County, while Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack did the same in Baldwin County, with neither facing a challenger.
Mobile and Baldwin County Races
In Mobile County, school board seats went to Reginald Crenshaw and Robert Battles Sr. without opposition, while District Judges Jay York and Joe Basenberg also cruised to new terms. Kim Hastie was set to continue as the county’s revenue commissioner. On the legislative side, a lengthy list of Mobile-area lawmakers ran unopposed, including Adline Clarke, James Buskey, Victor Gaston, Chris Pringle, Jack Williams, Margie Wilcox and David Sessions.
Baldwin County saw a similar pattern up and down the ballot. Circuit judges J. Lang Floyd and Carmen Bosch both won new terms without a challenger, as did state representatives Harry Shiver, Alan Baker, Thomas “Action” Jackson, Joe Faust, Steve McMillan and Randy Davis. Every member of the Baldwin County Commission — Frank Burt, Tucker Dorsey, Chris Elliott and Charles “Skip” Gruber — ran unopposed, along with school board members Tony Myrick, Angie Swiger and Cecil Christenberry.
Statewide and Judicial Races
A handful of statewide and appellate races involving south Alabama connections were similarly one-sided. Jeremy Odom and Chris “Chip” Beeker, who had already fought through a contested primary earlier in the year, faced no general election opposition in their bids for seats on the Alabama Public Service Commission. State Treasurer Young Boozer likewise ran without a challenger in either the primary or general election.
Several judicial races on the statewide ballot were also uncontested, with Beth Kellum, Mary Windom, Scott Donaldson and Bill Thompson all winning appellate court seats without opposition. Alabama Supreme Court Justice Greg Shaw rounded out the list of unopposed statewide judicial candidates.
Alabama held its 2014 party primaries on June 3, with runoffs on July 15. In races where only one party fielded a candidate, the primary effectively decided the office.
