Republicans sweep elections in Baldwin

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Strong voter turnout and an even stronger straight party voter number bolstered Republican wins across Baldwin County in Tuesday’s election, with every GOP candidate winning their races by wide margins.

For the State Senate 32 race for Trip Pittman’s vacated seat, Baldwin County Commissioner Chris Elliott defeated Democratic challenger Jason Fisher of Orange Beach 45,687 votes to 15,165 votes.

Elliott thanked the voters of Baldwin County for their support and their votes, adding he was ready to go and fight for them in Montgomery.

“We have work to do,” Elliott said. “I’m ready to be able to continue to work for Baldwin County. I absolutely feel like the experience gained as a county commissioner has well positioned me to get to work in Montgomery, understand the issues that are important to people here and give me the skill set necessary to accomplish what needs to get done at the state level to make sure we get our fair share here.”

As a result of his win, Elliott had to resign his seat on the Baldwin County Commission due to taking office as the new state senator for District 32 on Wednesday.

Elliott’s seat on the Baldwin County Commission will now be held by Daphne councilman Joe Davis, who defeated Democratic challenger Amber Smith 57,221 votes to 18,856 votes.

In Commission District 3, GOP nominee Billie Jo Underwood bested Democrat Heather Brown 58,841 votes to 17,339 votes.

Jeb Ball in District 1 and sitting commissioner Skip Gruber in District 4 faced no opposition. The new commission will be sworn in on Nov. 13 in Bay Minette.

In the state house races, Republican candidates fared similarly well.

In House District 94, which was expected to be a close race, veteran GOP incumbent Joe Faust bested Democratic newcomer Danielle Mashburn-Myrick 15,291 votes to 6,243 votes.

In House District 96, former Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney Matt Simpson brought home another win for the GOP, besting Democratic and Libertarian opposition to win the seat.

In Baldwin County, Simpson got 67.5 percent of the vote, Democrat Maurice Horsey got 26.5 percent and Libertarian Matt Shelby got 5.9 percent of the vote.

In House District 64, Republican incumbent Harry Shiver bested Democrat Amber Selman-Lynn - 77.1 percent to 22.7 percent.

In House District 66, incumbent Alan Baker won handily over Atmore Democrat Susan Smith, 88.2 percent to 11.8 percent.

In House District 95, longtime GOP incumbent Steve McMillan had no challenger.

In the two Baldwin County Board of Education races, the Republicans once again came out on top.

For the North Baldwin seat, Michael Johnson bested Democrat Heather Karras - 76 percent to 24 percent.

For the Daphne seat, educator and Republican Andrea Lindsey received 65 percent of the vote to Democrat Clyde Jones’ 29 percent and Libertarian Michael Reeves 5 percent.

Congressman Bradley Byrne was also re-elected by a wide margin, winning over Democratic opponent Robert Kennedy Jr. in Baldwin County with 77 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 23 percent.

Byrne thanks voters for their support in a statement Wednesday, where he wrote:

“I am honored by the faith the residents of Southwest Alabama have put in me to continue to serve as their voice in Congress. We had so many great supporters throughout this campaign, and Rebecca and I truly appreciate all the hard work that went into the victory.

"Following the Senate special election in 2017, some thought Democrats had the opportunity to win throughout our state. What we saw on Tuesday night was pretty clear: Alabamians support commonsense, conservative candidates who stand up for the values and priorities of Alabama. We must continue to elect those kind of individuals to represent our great state.

"At the national level, I was pleased to see Republicans make gains in the Senate, but disappointed in the results on the House side. Some truly outstanding public servants lost Tuesday night, and our country will certainly miss their contribution and service. Despite the results, I promise you two things will not change: I will continue to fight each and every day for Alabama, our values, and our priorities, and I will continue to stand up to support President Trump and his conservative, pro-growth agenda."

Of the 77,843 voters in Tuesday’s election, 51.6 percent voted straight ticket Republican, all but ensuring an election victory for the Baldwin County GOP.

“Our them for this campaign season was ‘Vote Republican - Keep Baldwin County great’ and the people have spoken,” Baldwin County GOP Chairman Michael Hoyt said. “They are happy with where they live. They see the successes in Baldwin County and they want to keep winning and going forward, and they’ve done that by overwhelmingly voting for Republicans up and down the ballot. We’re very pleased with the results.”

Baldwin County Probate Judge Tim Russell said 50.6 percent of the county’s registered voters showed up for Tuesday’s elections, one of the larger midterm election turnouts in the county’s history.

“We’re certainly proud that so many people went out to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots,” Russell said. “Baldwin County traditionally has a large turnout for most elections, and we’re glad to be among those leading the state in active, registered voters. It was a great turnout.”