House District 96 is producing an unusual matchup in Alabama politics this year: two Democrats are facing off in a June 5 runoff for the right to challenge a single Republican candidate in November, an anomaly in a state where GOP-only or single-candidate races are far more common. District 96 is the only Baldwin County race on this year’s ballot featuring two Democratic candidates.
Republican Matt Simpson is unopposed in his own primary and will face the winner of the Democratic runoff, either Maurice Horsey or Web Whiting, in the November general election. All three candidates are running for public office for the first time. They are seeking to succeed Randy Davis, who previously held the seat and is not running for re-election.
District 96 is the only Alabama House district that crosses into both Baldwin and Mobile counties. On the Baldwin County side, it includes Bromley, Spanish Fort, Daphne and Montrose; in Mobile County, it covers portions of Creola, Satsuma, Saraland and Chickasaw.
Horsey, who retired from management positions with the YMCA, has lived in Daphne since 2015 and argues that special interests hold too much sway in Montgomery. “Plainly, we haven’t gotten what we need from our leadership in Montgomery,” Horsey said. “Too much time has been spent on special interests and too little or no time on our interests.”
Whiting, a Spanish Fort bartender working toward a degree in secondary education, said health care access and worker protections are his top priorities. “I think my two largest priorities when elected will be to guarantee health justice and the rights of our workers, the single greatest strides we can take to begin creating a gentler, fairer and more compassionate society,” he said. “I want to bring back unions stronger and better than ever to fight economic inequality here in Alabama.”
Simpson, a 13-year veteran prosecutor, said his focus would be on maintaining law and order if elected. “The opportunity to go to Montgomery and serve in a capacity to affect legislation and have input into the creation of laws instead of just enforcement of them would be a dream come true,” Simpson said. “I work every day in the courtroom to be a voice for the people, and I believe strongly in servant leadership.”
All three candidates pointed to growth as the defining issue facing both Baldwin and Mobile counties, though they framed the challenge differently. Horsey said he wants to see residents work together on proactive planning. “I envision a community where residents and visitors alike can enjoy the area’s natural resources and a high quality of life that is sustained through proactive growth management planning,” he said.
Whiting said growth needs to be managed carefully so it doesn’t displace longtime residents. “There’s a real fear and a real possibility that here on the Gulf Coast growth is not going to go proportionately to the people who already live here, and especially to the people who need assistance,” he said. “We need to make sure people are not kicked out of their lifelong communities as Baldwin continues to grow.”
Simpson named infrastructure as one of his top three priorities alongside public safety and mental health. “We must make the investment into our roads and bridges to keep our economy flourishing,” he said.
The June 5 runoff will determine which Democrat advances to face Simpson in November, in a district that has become a bellwether for growth pressures along the Interstate 65 and Baldwin County corridors, an area that has seen some of the fastest residential expansion in South Alabama over the past decade.