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Alabama Republican Party claims that it has made significant gains with minority voters

In recent Alabama elections observers could predict how Alabamians vote simply by eyeballing them with better than 80% accuracy. 82 to 84% of White voters voted for the Republican candidate and 90 to 94% of Black voters voted for the Democratic candidate. That trend may be changing according to the Alabama Republican Party's post-election analysis. ALGOP reports that they have made significant gains with Black voters – particularly in rural areas. The Alabama GOP picked up three seats in districts with African-American populations exceeding 50% of the electorate.

Overall the ALGOP picked up 40 elected offices across the state of Alabama as Alabama, already among the reddest of red states only got redder.

The Alabama Republican Party acknowledged that historically, African American support for Republican candidates in Alabama has ranged between 6% and 9% since the mid-1990s.

They note however, that recent election cycles have shown a steady upward trend. They note that in 2020 and 2022, ALGOP polling shows that African American support for Republicans had increased to between 10% and 14%, depending on the candidate.

ALGOP's polling showed that 2024 was their best performance in decades with 18% of African American voters in Alabama supporting Donald J. Trump for President.

The ALGOP reports even stronger improvement with Hispanic voters. In previous elections showed Hispanic support for Republicans hovering between 25% and 35%. ALGOP polling shows that in the 2024 General Election just over 50% of Hispanic voters in Alabama chose Donald J. Trump. This is the first time that a Republican presidential candidate in Alabama has won the majority of the Hispanic vote.

ALGOP credits radicalism by Democrats for this dramatic shift. Boys pretending to be girls playing against girls in athletic events and liberals in the schools and libraries using their positions to proselytize the radical transgender agendas to school children has caused a rift between Democrats and families of all races.

Meanwhile the Alabama Republican Party has worked diligently to build relationships with minority communities, particularly in areas where Republican values resonate deeply. This effort has translated into historic wins for the GOP in down-ballot races, with key victories in heavily minority districts in Autauga, Barbour, Butler, Conecuh, Escambia, Fayette, Hale, Henry, Monroe, and Washington counties.

Republicans report notable successes included flipping majority minority seats for: Hale County Probate Judge (59% African American population), Butler County Board of Education, District 2 (56% African American population), and Escambia County Board of Education, Place 2 (54% African American population).

Alabama GOP Chairman John Wahl attributed several factors to the historic success of the Republican Party this election year.

"I believe there were three key factors in our victories this cycle," said John Wahl. "First, we ran a very strong voter registration drive in our key districts across the state of Alabama. We also saw a lot of independents swing towards the Republican Party this cycle, after a very aggressive direct mail and advertising campaign. And the final factor that played a huge role in these victories was our outreach to minorities voters across the state. They made the difference in many of these swing districts."

The ALGOP reports that it has identified key issues like economic growth, religious freedom, family values, and protecting children from radical agendas as central to its growing support among African American and Hispanic voters. Wahl said that as these communities increasingly distance themselves from the agenda of the national Democrat Party, the Alabama Republican Party remains committed to standing with them on the values that matter most.

"These victories are more than just political wins," Wahl added. "They represent a shift in the political landscape of Alabama and the power of shared values. A lot of times minorities feel neglected by the political system. I want them to know that they are welcome with the Republican Party, and that they have a home here. We are the party that believes in defending our rights and freedoms, and standing up for family values and religious liberty. We have so much in common with both the Hispanic and the Black community, and I am proud to see us coming together."

Where the ALGOP failed to improve its performance with minorities was in the major population centers. Despite spending over a million dollars on probate judge races in Jefferson County both of their candidates - Joel Blankenship and John Amari – were defeated even though the GOP outspent their Democratic opponents. Vice President Kamala Harris won 54.6% of the vote in Jefferson County versus Trump's 44.2%. Republican dreams of winning county wide elections for sheriff and district attorney in 2026 seem far-fetched at best after the GOP's poor showing in Jefferson County this year.

Black voters in Jefferson County and throughout the Seventh District (along with many White voters) came out strong to re-elect Terri Sewell 63.7% of the vote versus Republican Robin Litaker's 36.3%. This is almost exactly what Sewell won by in 2022 – when she had 63.6% of the vote to Republican Bea Nichols' 34.8% (Libertarian Gavin Goodman got 1.7% of the vote in 2022).

The Republicans suffered a similar defeat in the radically redrawn Second Congressional District with Democratic candidate Shomari Figures received 54.6% of the vote; while Republican Caroleene Dobson got just 45.4%. Unlike the CD7 race, CD2 was a race where the Alabama Republican Party committed significant resources - only to achieve similarly disappointing results.

Republicans hope to build on their success with minority voters moving forward; while Democrats hope that their poor performance in 2024 had more to do with the unlikability of their Presidential nominee than it does with fundamental changes among the electorate.

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com

 

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