BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. — Republican Terry L. Waters won Alabama Senate District 22 on Tuesday, defeating Democrat Ashley Sharpe and keeping in Republican hands a seat he reached by upsetting an incumbent in the primary.
Waters had 67% of the vote to Sharpe’s 33%, according to Mobile County Probate Office numbers, with 99% of returns in. The district crosses four counties, and it was not clear from that report whether those figures reflected voters outside Mobile County. Results remain unofficial until certified.
The district covers portions of Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile and Washington counties. Waters will represent it in Montgomery beginning in 2027.
A primary upset
Waters, an Army veteran and farmer from Robertsdale, narrowly defeated Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, in the Republican primary. Albritton had held the seat since 2014 and chaired the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee, in addition to other committee assignments.
Waters has said he entered politics to make government more transparent for residents of the district’s four counties. He said he would support legislation to improve mental health care for veterans and help legal immigrants find work. He also separated himself from Albritton’s support for gambling, saying he would not back legislation to expand certain forms of gambling in Alabama.
Sharpe’s campaign
Sharpe, a Loxley resident, has worked as a caregiver and as a corrections officer. She was among Democratic candidates who criticized Republican handling of proposed solar farms, among other issues.
Her campaign’s Facebook profile said she would support improving public school sex education, expanding Medicaid and creating a lottery.
“For far too long, the Republican Party of Alabama has taken District 22 for granted,” she wrote in an August post. “I’m tired of this district being sold to corporations who are interested in making a quick buck off the overdevelopment of this area. It’s time for a state senator that cares about people over corporations.”
At a candidate forum in Fairhope in the fall, Sharpe said she heard most from voters about affordability, health care and school funding. South AL News reported that Waters did not attend that forum.
