Latest news with #HD11
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cullman, Blount county Republicans to choose nominee for Alabama House district
Left to right: Don Fallin, Alex Braswell and Heath Allbright qualified for the HD 11 special election. The primary between Fallin and Allbright will be on May 13, and the general between that winner and Braswell will be on Aug. 26. (photos courtesy of candidates/graphic by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) Republican voters in Cullman and Blount counties will choose between two GOP candidates in the special primary election Tuesday. Heath Allbright, a 39-year-old business man and former member of the Cullman County Board of Education, has raised about $60,000 for his campaign, according to campaign finance records. His top donor is the Progress Political Action Committee (PAC), the fundraising arm of the Business Council of Alabama, which donated $7,500. Allbright said in an interview last week that he has gotten a lot of positive responses in his campaign. 'I know it takes money to run campaigns, and I was happy to get some support from some associations that I'm a part of,' Allbright said. Allbright said he values conservative christian family values, funding local schools and tax cuts for small businesses. 'A lot of these go a whole lot deeper than just what they sound like on the surface,' Allbright said. Don Fallin, a 60-year-old veteran, declined to comment Wednesday morning on anything related to the election until after the primary on Tuesday, if he wins. According to campaign finance records, Fallin has raised $30,000, most of which come from individual contributors. The Alabama Veterans PAC donated $5,000. The winner of the primary will face Democratic nominee Alex Braswell in a general election on Aug. 26. Allbright accuses Fallin Allbright accused Fallin on Sunday of attacking his character through campaign advertising. A mailer that Allbright said was sent to voters in District 11 that says Allbright was 'hand picked' by Montgomery. According to Allbright's campaign finance records, the Alabama House Majority Party PAC donated $5,000 to his campaign. 'As many of you have seen, my opponent has resorted to negative attacks on myself, my family and my character,' Allbright said in a video posted to his campaign Facebook page. 'I just wanted to let you guys know I am not going to engage in this type of behavior because that is not what a true leader does.' Allbright said the 1776 PAC funded the mailers. The PAC donated $2,150 in-kind for advertising to the Fallin campaign, according to campaign finance records. Fallin declined to comment on anything election related on Wednesday. Braswell said she has not received the mail, nor can she find anybody in the district that has. Allbright did not respond to a request for a copy of the mail on Monday. 'I have called this district from top to bottom and cannot find a single person who has actually received one of these,' she wrote in a text Monday night. The lone Democratic candidate Although the primary election does not matter for Braswell with no challenger, she said she has enjoyed running a 'blue dot campaign' and meeting people throughout the district that support her. 'I'm enjoying getting to meet new people and meeting new supporters every day,' the 35-year-old said in a phone interview last week. Braswell has raised about $4,000 for her campaign, most of which come from individual contributors, according to campaign finance records. As her campaign has evolved, so have her priorities. While disability rights are still important to her, she is shifting her concentration on the topic to making sure the definition of special needs within the CHOOSE Act aligns with federal guidelines. 'The fights of the disabled are still facing disruption in my community with the CHOOSE Act for special needs children to qualify,' the American Sign Language interpreter said. She also is prioritizing helping the 'middle man' in Alabama's tax structure. 'The middle man is not exactly meant to succeed here, and the low class families really bear a lot of the Alabama state tax burden here in the state,' she said. She also wants to increase access to mental health care and substance abuse care. 'Making sure that our mental health centers have the funding they need and aren't turning people away because their insurance isn't accepted there because of their inability to pay,' she said. Local legislation SB 322, sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, received final passage on May 1. The bill allows the City of Cullman to annex a resort in Cullman County, a dry county, in order for the resort to serve alcohol. Allbright and Brasswell oppose the legislation. Allbright said the timing of the legislation was poor. 'What I was against is the timing that all of that happened. The people that were giving me pressure, there's not a representative from our district down there right now to tell them what was going on, other than Senator (Garlan) Gudger, (R-Cullman)' Allbright said. Cullman County currently does not have representation in the House. Former Rep. Randall Shedd, a Republican, resigned in February to work for Gudger, the Senate President Pro Tem, opening the seat up. Rep. Corey Harbison, a Republican, resigned in April after not being present for most of the session. Brasswell said the bill should have been scrapped because there are no Cullman voices in the House. 'I think having economic development out on Smith Lake is a great opportunity for my county to have more jobs,' she said. 'But that bill should have gone through the people.' The legislation passed 74-0 with 25 abstentions. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey to be signed into law. RAISE and CHOOSE Acts Allbright said he wants more local control of education and said the CHOOSE Act is as local as it gets. 'I'm all about more control at a local level, and if that's able to go all the way down to the parents so that they can make the choice for their for their kids, then I'm a fan,' he said He also supports the RAISE Act on the same principle. Brasswell said that education should be accessible to everybody. Although she is skeptical of the CHOOSE Act expansion, she said $7,000 is not enough for private school tuition anyway. 'Education should be equally accessible, period. That's why public schools are here,' she said. 'And I feel like the money that we're putting back in our community in these tax credits through the CHOOSE Act, we should be putting back into our public schools that can accommodate everyone across the board.' For public education, Braswell said the RAISE Act is a step in the right direction, but wants to monitor it to make sure rural schools are benefiting from the program. 'I just want to make sure that the funding is being distributed into our community, to make sure equal access is given to everyone, no matter their families, economic status, what language they speak, what disability they have,' she said. How to vote District 11 voters can choose between Allbright and Fallin for the Republican nomination on Tuesday. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling locations can be found here. Meet the Candidates Age: 39 Residence: Holly Pond Occupation: Farmer/Business owner Education: Associates degree, Agricultural Science, Snead State Community College, 2005 Party: Republican Previous political experience: Cullman County Board of Education 2016-2024 Age: 60 Residence: Cullman Occupation: Redstone Technologies Executive Director of International Programs, U.S. Army Veteran Education: U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 1988; M.S., Troy University; M.S., National Defense University Party: Republican Previous political experience: First-time candidate Age: 35 Residence: Cullman Occupation: American Sign Language interpreter Education: B.S. American Sign Language, Troy University, 2023 Party: Democrat Previous political experience: First-time candidate
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two Republicans, one Democrat running in HD 11 special
Left to right: Don Fallin, Alex Braswell and Heath Allbright qualified for the HD 11 special election. The primary between Fallin and Allbright will be on May 13, and the general between that winner and Braswell will be on Aug. 26. (photos courtesy of candidates/graphic by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) One Democratic candidate and two Republicans have qualified for the House District 11 special election, scheduled for August. Democratic candidate Alex Braswell, an American Sign Language interpreter, will face the winner of the Republican primary in May between Heath Allbright, a lumber business owner and a former member of the Cullman County Board of Education, and Don Fallin, a retired U.S. Army colonel. The seat, taking in eastern Cullman and northern Blount counties, became vacant after Rep. Randall Shedd, R-Fairview, resigned last month to become constituent services director for Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman. The seat is solidly Republican. Shedd never faced general election opposition after winning a special election for the seat in 2013. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Braswell, 35 moved to Cullman in 2012 and worked as a pharmacy technician. She later went to Troy University to get a Bachelor's degree in interpreter training. Since then, she said she has traveled across the state interpreting for the deaf and hard of hearing community using American Sign Language. 'I know that I'm a Democrat, and I know that that could be a disadvantage, but whomever you voted for for president is between yourself and God,' she said in a phone interview last week. 'I just looked around my community, and I saw we needed an advocate. It's what interpreters do.' Braswell said she wants to advocate for the protection of Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits entities that receive federal funding from discriminating based on disability. The law covers a wide range of disabilities, including vision and hearing impairments, autism, diabetes, Down syndrome, dyslexia and ADHD. A group of Republican attorneys general sued the federal government in September over the Biden administration's addition of a gender identity-related disorder to the disabilities protected under Section 504. Disability advocates said the suit could weaken protections for all people with disabilities. 'It would have disastrous side effects on not just our district, but the state as a whole,' she said. 'I wanted to speak up and help advocate for those communities that would suffer under the lack of Section 504.' Her experience as a pharmacy technician also motivates her candidacy. Braswell supports SB 99, sponsored by Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, which would create new state regulations on the prices and and purchases that pharmacy benefit managers can charge pharmacies. 'They provide genuine, one-on-one care. But for the last decade, they have really been suffering under prescription benefit managers,' she said. 'They're not getting proper reimbursement for the cost of drugs, and these pharmacies are taking a huge toll.' Braswell also prioritizes opposition to SB 110, sponsored by Sen. Jack Williams, R-Wilmer, which would allow for the increased weight per axle when traveling with large loads. She said it would impact the Cullman community directly by making the roads less safe. 'If you add extra loads to 18-wheelers, or any company that is allowed to carry a larger load on their trucks, you're going to decrease the safety of our roads. That would be detrimental to the infrastructure of Cullman County,' Braswell said. Allbright, 39, said in an interview Tuesday he is running for office to make a positive impact on his community. 'Being in business my whole life and being on the board of education, I've always wanted to have a positive impact on people,' he said. 'People have approached me about seeking higher office, and we just felt that everything lined up.' He said education, traditional family values and cutting taxes and regulations for Alabama businesses are his top priorities if elected. 'I'm a conservative Christian. I have a family, a wife of 18 years, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old daughter,' he said. 'Supporting traditional family values and defending those values against big big government, investing in local education.' He said his values and leadership ability make him qualified for the job. 'My ability to lead people, … and knowing how things work and being able to get things accomplished,' he said, referring to his time on the Board of Education. In his candidacy announcement on social media, Allbright promised to listen to his constituents' concerns with dignity and determination. 'I'm not your candidate, where I'm going to beat my podium, and say 'I'm going down there and going to fix this,'' he said. 'That's not me. However, I've always enjoyed leading people and having a positive impact on them.' The Business Council of Alabama, a major force in Republican politics, has endorsed Allbright for the seat. Fallin, 60, announced his candidacy via social media, and said in an interview Tuesday he prioritizes transparency and being a voice for the people of District 11. 'My number one priority is to be a voice for the people. I've talked to a lot of folks in the community, so I'm listening to what their concerns are,' he said. According to a statement, Fallin served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and went on eight combat tours. He said he wants to run for office to continue to serve. 'Why I'm running is to continue to serve and be a voice for the people,' he said. 'That's kind of my message, and it seems to resonate well with all the people.' He said he wants people to vote for the best candidate for them. 'If that's not me, then I will fully support whomever they they choose. But I believe, I think I bring a fresh look,' he said. 'I will represent the people, and that's really it to me. It's not overly complicated right now.' After Fallin retired, he partnered with the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, a nonprofit that funds scholarships for children of fallen military. 'I look forward to continuing my commitment to service to my state and district with honesty and integrity, bringing a grounded perspective to the district and serving the people of District 11,' he wrote on Facebook. The qualifying period for the election ended Tuesday at 5 p.m. The special primary election will be on May 13, and the special general election will be on Aug. 26. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
