1970 Alabama Senate election

The 1970 Alabama Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 1970, to elect 35 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama Senate. Every single seat was won by a white male Democrat. In the previous general election, one Republican, Leland Childs, was elected, but had unsuccessfully sought re-election as a Democrat.

The Democratic primaries were held on May 5 with runoffs on June 2, which candidates had until February 28 to qualify for. Neither the Republican Party nor the NDPA held primaries for state office, instead opting to nominate by party convention. The Republican convention took place in Birmingham on July 17.

This was the last state senate election in Alabama before a 1973 federal court order mandated a new legislative map with single-member districts. At this point, the state had used a mixed system of single-member and multi-member districts to allocate seats in the legislature, all based on pre-existing county lines.

Summary

Party Candidates SeatsNum.Vote%BeforeWon +/– Democratic 35 1,246,646 82.51% 34 35 1 NDPA 13 188,808 12.50% 0 0 Conservative 9 51,668 3.42% 0 0 Independent Party 2 13,359 0.88% 0 0 Republican 2 7,469 0.49% 1 0 1 Whig 1 2,877 0.19% 0 0 Write-in — 7 0.0005% — 0 Total 62 1,510,827 100% 35 35

By district †: Incumbent did not run for reelection. ‡: Lost re-nomination. DistrictIncumbent PartyElected Senator Party 1st Stewart O'Bannon Dem Stewart O'Bannon Dem 2nd Bob Harris Dem Bob Harris Dem 3rd Jack Giles Dem Gene McLain Dem 4th Dan Stone‡ Dem Kenneth Hammond Dem 5th Emmet Oden † Dem Joe Fine Dem 6th Fred Folsom † Dem Bob Wilson Dem 7th Aubrey Carr Dem Aubrey Carr Dem 8th Ollie Nabors † Dem Richard Malone Dem 9th Woodrow Albea‡ Dem Fred Ray Lybrand Dem 10th Jimmy Branyon Dem Jimmy Branyon Dem 11th E. W. Skidmore † Dem Richard Shelby Dem 12th Pat Vacca Dem Pat Vacca Dem 12th Leland Childs Rep Tom King Dem 12th John Hawkins Dem John Hawkins Dem 12th Richard Dominick Dem Richard Dominick Dem 12th George L. Bailes Dem George L. Bailes Dem 12th Eddie H. Gilmore Dem Eddie H. Gilmore Dem 12th Hugh Morrow † Dem Doug Cook Dem 13th G. Kyser Leonard † Dem Robert Weaver Dem 14th Walter C. Givhan Dem Walter C. Givhan Dem 15th W. G. McCarley † Dem Obee J. Littleton Dem 16th Tom Radney Dem Robert H. Wilder Dem 17th Bo Torbert † Dem Don Horne Dem 18th Pat Lindsey Dem Pat Lindsey Dem 19th Roland Cooper Dem Roland Cooper Dem 20th Alton Turner † Dem Crum Foshee Dem 21st Junie Pierce Dem Junie Pierce Dem 21st O. J. Goodwyn Dem Tom Jones Dem 22nd W. Ray Lolley‡ Dem L. L. Dozier Dem 23rd James S. Clark Dem James S. Clark Dem 24th L. W. Noonan Dem L. W. Noonan Dem 24th Pierre Pelham Dem Pierre Pelham Dem 24th William McDermott Dem Robert W. Edington Dem 25th J. Ernest Jackon † Dem Dick Owen Jr. Dem 26th Jim Adams † Dem Larry Register Dem

Incumbents Won re-election The following incumbent senators sought and won re-election:

District 1: Stewart O'Bannon District 2: Bob Harris District 7: Aubrey Carr District 10: Jimmy Branyon District 12, place 1: Pat Vacca District 12, place 3: John Hawkins District 12, place 4: Richard Dominick District 12, place 5: George L. Bailes District 12, place 6: Eddie H. Gilmore District 14: Walter C. Givhan District 18: Pat Lindsey District 19: Roland Cooper District 21, place 1: Junie Pierce District 23: James S. Clark District 24, place 1: L. W. Noonan District 24, place 2: Pierre Pelham

Eliminated in primary The following incumbent senators were defeated at their respective Democratic primary:

District 4: Dan Stone lost re-nomination to Kenneth Hammond. District 9: Woodrow lost re-nomination to Albea Fred Lybrand. District 12, place 2: Leland Childs (R–Jefferson) ran for re-election as a Democrat, but lost the nomination to Tom King. District 22: W. Ray Lolley lost re-nomination to L. L. Dozier.

Did not seek re-election The following incumbent senators did not seek re-election:

District 3: Jack Giles (D–Madison) ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. District 5: Emmet Oden (D–Franklin) retired. District 6: Fred Folsom (D–Cullman) retired. District 8: Ollie Nabors (D–Etowah) retired. District 11: E. W. Skidmore (D–Tuscaloosa) retired. District 12, place 7: Hugh Morrow (D–Jefferson) ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. District 13: G. Kyser Leonard (D–Talladega) was elected probate judge of Talladega County. District 15: W. G. McCarley (D–Autauga) ran unsuccessfully for Place No. 2 on the Alabama Public Service Commission. District 16: Tom Radney (D–Tallapoosa) ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. District 17: Bo Torbert (D–Lee) retired. District 20: Alton Turner (D–Crenshaw) retired. District 21, place 2: President pro tempore O. J. Goodwyn (D–Montgomery) ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. District 24, place 3: William McDermott (D–Mobile) retired. District 25: J. Ernest Jackon (D–Escambia) ran unsuccessfully for an Alabama House of Representatives seat in Escambia County. District 26: Jim Adams (D–Houston) retired.

General election results

District Democratic National Democratic Others Total Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Votes 2nd Bob Harris (inc.) 18,235 95.10% Tom King 940 4.90% — — — 19,175 +17,295 +90.20% 7th Aubrey Carr (inc.) 19,184 94.98% Lynn Ridgeway 1,014 5.02% — — — 20,198 +18,170 +89.96% 9th Fred Ray Lybrand 14,599 77.13% — — — Robert Simmons Jr. (Rep.) 4,329 22.87% 18,928 +10,270 +54.26% 10th Jimmy Branyon (inc.) 17,989 76.62 Rev. H. Western 5,490 23.38% — — — 23,479 +12,499 +53.23% 12th 1 Pat Vacca (inc.) 93,826 74.39% John Billingsley 25,917 20.55% William Mori (Con.) 6,380 5.06% 126,123 +67,909 +53.84% 12th 2 Tom King 91,650 72.30% T. L. Crowell 24,001 18.93% Lionel Ledbetter (Con.) 11,104 8.76% 126,755 +67,649 +53.37% 12th 3 John Hawkins (inc.) 98,577 79.56% Herbert Johnson 22,448 18.12 Virginia Davis (Whi.) 2,877 2.32% 123,902 +76,129 +61.44% 12th 4 Richard Dominick (inc.) 90,759 72.56% William. M. Pruitt 23,062 18.44% William L. Gann (Con.) 11,255 9.00% 125,076 +67,697 +54.12% 12th 5 George L. Bailes (inc.) 87,568 68.52% Georgia Price 23,816 18.64% 2 others 16,412 12.85% 127,796 +63,752 +49.89% 12th 6 Eddie H. Gilmore (inc.) 96,054 77.00% Charles F. Williams 23,160 18.57% Homer Sanders (Con.) 5,534 4.44% 124,748 +72,894 +58.43% 12th 7 Doug Cook 95,265 76.25% Emory. L. Whittaker 24,424 19.55% Wesley Jacobs (Con.) 5,242 4.20% 124,931 +70,841 +56.70% 14th Walter C. Givhan (inc.) 16,247 81.30% L. L. Anderson 3,736 18.70% Carl Morgan (write-in) 1 0.01% 19,983 +12,511 +62.61% 16th Robert H. Wilder 6,290 84.17% — — — Bill Lacy (Con.) 1,183 15.83% 7,473 +5,107 +68.34% 18th Pat Lindsay (inc.) 14,533 58.13% O. B. Wilson 7,328 29.31% E. T. Rolison Jr. (Rep.) 3,140 12.56% 25,001 +7,205 +28.82% 19th Roland Cooper (inc.) 17,120 83.14% Damon Kiel 3,472 16.86% — — — 20,592 +13,648 +66.28% 21st 2 Tom Jones 27,766 95.35% — — — Virgil Chrane (Con.) 1,355 4.65% 29,121 +26,411 +90.69% 23rd James S. Clark (inc.) 12,751 93.21% — — — Zeke Calhoun (AIP) 929 6.79% 13,680 +11,822 +86.42% 24th 3 Robert W. Edington 48,186 90.39% — — — W. C. Boykin (Con.) 5,123 9.61% 53,309 +43,063 +80.78% Source: 1975 Alabama Official and Statistical Register (p. 215–217)

Elected without opposition The following candidates were the only candidates to file for their district's general election:

District 1: Stewart O'Bannon (inc.) received 19,448 votes. District 3: Gene McLain received 28,832 votes. District 4: Kenneth Hammond received 16,839 votes. 1 write-in vote was recorded. District 5: Joe Fine received 17,738 votes. District 6: Bob Wilson received 24,163 votes. 2 write-in votes were recorded. District 8: Richard Malone received 15,879 votes. District 11: Richard Shelby received 18,511 votes. District 13: Robert Weaver received 18,059 votes. District 15: Obie J. Littleton received 18,356 votes. District 17: Don Horne received 15,133 votes. District 20: Crum Foshee received 16,363 votes. District 21, place 1: Junie Pierce (inc.) received 26,834 votes. District 22: L. L. Dozier received 18,509 votes. 2 write-in votes were recorded. District 24, place 1: L. W. Noonan received 40,020 votes. District 24, place 2: Pierre Pelham (inc.) received 41,277 votes. District 25: Dick Owen received 16,215 votes. 1 write-in vote was recorded. District 26: Larry Register received 19,497 votes.

Democratic primary results Five Black Americans ran in the state senate primaries. Henry Parker, Larry F. Haygood and Austin Sumbry were eliminated in the first round in May, while L. H. Pitts and L. L. Anderson advanced to the June runoff. Neither won the Democratic nomination.

Runoff results by district Three incumbent senators won re-nomination in the runoff, while three lost re-nomination. Robert H. Wilder initially faced a runoff in District 16 against L. L. Still, but Still declined to participate in the runoff, allowing Wilder to advance to the general election.

Candidates in boldface advanced to the general election. An asterisk (*) denotes a runoff winner who was the runner-up in the first round.

District Winner Loser Total Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Votes 1st Stewart O'Bannon (inc.) 16,639 50.27% Murry Beasley 16,459 49.73% 33,098 +180 +0.54% 4th Kenneth Hammond 16,999 58.23% Dan Stone (inc.) 12,193 41.77% 29,192 +4,806 +16.46% 6th Robert Wilson 21,088 54.13% Hubert Taylor 17,871 45.87% 38,959 +3,217 +8.26% 8th Richard Malone* 14,922 50.55% Gary Burns 14,599 49.45% 29,521 +323 +1.09% 9th Fred Lybrand 13,878 50.49% Woodrow Albea (inc.) 13,607 49.51% 27,485 +271 +0.99% 12th 1 Pat Vacca (inc.) 98,051 56.91% Lucius Pitts 74,234 43.09% 172,285 +23,817 +13.82% 12th 2 Tom King 94,455 57.01% Leland Childs (inc.) 71,240 42.99% 165,695 +23,215 +14.01% 13th Robert Weaver 13,440 62.97% Mallory Hammonds 7,903 37.03% 21,343 +5,537 +25.94% 14th Walter C. Givhan (inc.) 14,560 65.56% L. L. Anderson 7,650 34.44% 22,210 +6,910 +31.11% 21st 2 W. Tom Jones* 23,423 53.13% James W. Cameron 20,662 46.87% 44,085 +2,761 +6.26% 22nd L. L. Dozier* 15,607 51.63% Neil Metcalf 14,619 48.37% 30,226 +988 +3.27% 26th Larry Register* 15,489 55.62% William Matthews 12,358 44.38% 27,847 +3,131 +11.24% Source: The Huntsville Times

First round results by district Candidates in boldface advanced to either the general election or a runoff, first-place winners with an asterisk (*) did not face a runoff.