MOBILE, Ala. — State Rep. Sam Jones, a former Mobile mayor and county commissioner, won reelection Tuesday in House District 99, extending a political career that stretches back four decades.
Jones, a Democrat, had 75% of the vote and Republican Charlie Watts had 25%, according to unofficial results from the Mobile County Probate Office, with 99% of returns in.
The district covers part of Mobile County, including parts of the city of Mobile, Crichton, north Mobile and Semmes. The win gives Jones a third term in the House. He was first elected to the seat in 2018.
A long career in Mobile politics
Jones served on the Mobile County Commission from 1985 to 2005. That year, he made history when he was elected the first Black mayor of Mobile, a post he held for two four-year terms. Sandy Stimpson defeated him in 2013 and again in 2017.
His appointment to the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System board of commissioners in 2014 became a point of racial polarization in the city.
Jones defeated Jyl Hughes and Levi Wright Jr. in this year’s Democratic primary, winning his place on the ballot with 1,134 votes.
He said his priorities for a new term include lowering the cost of living and making health care more affordable, and he has said his experience as mayor and as a county commissioner uniquely qualifies him for the Legislature.
Jones also criticized the tolls planned for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project during the fall campaign. “Someone is suggesting we borrow tax dollars and pay interest on our own tax dollars to get the bridge built. I have a problem with that,” he said. He still called a new crossing necessary, citing backups at the George Wallace Tunnel. “It has a purpose, it is needed,” he said.
At a Democratic rally in downtown Mobile two days before the election, he predicted stronger turnout. “I’m extremely optimistic,” he said.
Watts’ campaign
Watts, a retired Baptist pastor from Semmes who previously served on the Semmes City Council, was unopposed in the Republican primary. In an October Facebook post, he outlined goals including eliminating the state’s grocery tax and promoting school choice.
