The 1966 Alabama Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 8, 1966, to elect 35 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama Senate. The sole non-Democrat to win a seat was conservative Republican Leland Childs of Jefferson County. Childs was the first Republican state senator elected in decades.
The Democratic primaries were held on May 3 with runoffs on May 31, which candidates had until March 1 to qualify for. The Republican Party did not hold primaries for state office, instead opting to nominate by party convention. The Republican convention took place in Montgomery on July 30.
This was the first Alabama Senate election held after Alabama's $1.50 poll tax was ruled illegal in March 1966 and the prohibition of literacy tests by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This was also the first Senate election held after the reapportionment of 1965, which created multi-member senate districts for the first time.
On January 10, 1967, O. J. Goodwyn of Montgomery County was unanimously elected Senate president pro tempore.
Summary
Party Candidates SeatsNum.Vote%BeforeWon +/– Democratic 35 1,073,280 65.31% 35 34 1 Republican 26 550,480 33.50% 0 1 1 Independents 1 6,885 0.42% 0 0 1 6,365 0.39% 0 0 Conservative 1 6,317 0.38% 0 0 Total 64 1,643,327 100% 35 35
Background
In September 1965, the Senate was reapportioned to have 26 districts, three of which were multi-member districts. District 12, Jefferson County, had seven seats; District 24, Mobile, three; District 21, Montgomery, two. These three counties elected senators at-large, with candidates running for designated places. Four counties received one seat each, and the remaining 19 districts were divided up into multi-county districts containing between two and five counties.
Before this election, the Alabama Senate had 35 single-member districts, based entirely on existing county lines. No county or district could have more than one member, no matter how large. This led to a massive population disparity that largely benefited rural areas of Alabama: The Jefferson County district, containing 634,864 people as of the 1960 United States census, was 20 times more populated than the smallest district, Bibb–Perry, with only 31,715 people.
Deviation The table below will show the most-populated and least-populated senate districts under the 1962 and 1965 apportionment plans. The population of Alabama at the 1960 census was 3,266,740, with an ideal 93,335 people under a 35-district plan. Year District Population % of ideal Diff. 1962 Jefferson 634,864 680.20% 20.01 Bibb–Perry 31,715 33.98% 1965 Madison 117,348 125.73% 1.46 Choctaw–Marengo–Sumter–Washington 80,381 86.12%
Incumbents Won re-election Only five incumbent senators were elected to the 1967–1970 legislature.
Jimmy Clark (Democratic) of Barbour won re-election. Roland Cooper (Democratic) of Wilcox won re-election. Walter C. Givhan (Democratic) of Dallas won re-election. Ray Lolley (Democratic) of Coffee won re-election. Emmett Oden (Democratic) of Franklin won re-election.
Eliminated in primary
L. D. Bentley (Democratic) of Blount lost renomination in the runoff to Aubrey Carr. Clayton Carter (Democratic) of Marshall lost renomination to Aubrey Carr. E. O. Eddins (Democratic) of Marengo lost renomination to William Lindsey. Kenneth Hammond (Democratic) of DeKalb lost renomination in the runoff to Dan Stone. Jimmy McDow (Democratic) of Autauga lost renomination in the runoff to W. G. McCarley. B. G. Robison (Democratic) of Pickens lost renomination to Jimmy Branyon. H. B. Taylor (Democratic) of Butler lost renomination to Alton Turner. A. C. Shelton (Democratic) of Calhoun withdrew during the runoff, giving the nomination to Woodrow Albea.
Did not seek re-election
Charles Adams (Democratic) of Houston did not run for re-election. Mutt Allen (Democratic) of Cullman did not run for re-election. L. W. Brannan (Democratic) of Baldwin ran for state house. Larry Dumas (Democratic) of Jefferson did not run for re-election. Albert Evans (Democratic) of Choctaw did not run for re-election. Bob Gilchrist (Democratic) of Morgan unsuccessfully ran for governor. George Hawkins (Democratic) of Etowah did not run for re-election. Ernest C. Hornsby (Democratic) of Tallapoosa did not run for re-election. Ed Horton (Democratic) of Limestone did not run for re-election. H. P. James (Democratic) of Bibb did not run for re-election. Julian Lowe (Democratic) of Randolph did not run for re-election. Neil Metcalf (Democratic) of Geneva unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor. Bill McCain (Democratic) of Tuscaloosa did not run for re-election. Charles Montgomery (Democratic) of Greene did not run for re-election. Pete Mathews (Democratic) of Clay successfully ran for state house. Bill Nichols (Democratic) of ran successfully for U.S. House from the 4th congressional district. Ed Reynolds (Democratic) of Macon did not run for re-election. Roscoe Roberts (Democratic) of Madison did not run for re-election. Vaughan Hill Robison (Democratic) of Montgomery did not run for re-election. Joe Smith (Democratic) of Russell did not run for re-election. John M. Tyson (Democratic) of Mobile unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor. Bob Wilson (Democratic) of Walker did not run for re-election.
General election results
District Democratic Republican Others Total Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Votes 1st Stewart O'Bannon 17,981 71.58% Kenn Buttram 7,139 28.42% — — — 25,120 +10,842 +43.16% 3rd Jack Giles 21,040 62.12% Wayne Robinson 12,828 37.88% — — — 33,868 +8,212 +24.25% 5th W. Emmet Oden 14,261 55.09% Jimmy Wilson 11,624 44.91% — — — 25,885 +2,637 +10.19% 6th Fred C. Folsom 20,800 67.73% Claude Gholston 9,908 32.27% — — — 30,708 +10,892 +35.47% 7th Aubrey Carr 17,744 65.38% J. D. Lay 9,394 34.62% — — — 27,138 +8,350 +30.77% 8th Ollie Nabors 16,963 71.49% Owen Leach 6,766 28.51% — — — 23,729 +10,197 +42.97% 9th Woodrow Albea 12,506 65.47% George Deyo 6,597 34.53% — — — 19,103 +5,909 +30.93% 10th James Branyon 13,824 81.70% James Herren 3,097 18.30% — — — 16,921 +10,727 +63.39% 11th E. W. Skidmore 12,741 60.94% Maxwell Peters 8,165 39.06% — — — 20,906 +4,576 +21.89% 12th 1 Hugh Morrow 90,582 67.52% Frank Lankford 43,579 32.48% — — — 134,161 +47,003 +35.03% 12th 2 Foster Etheredge 65,333 48.97% Leland Childs 68,072 51.03% — — — 133,405 −2,739 −2.05% 12th 3 John Hawkins 86,021 64.43% Malcolm Bethea 47,497 35.57% — — — 133,518 +38,524 +28.85% 12th 4 Richard Dominick 72,612 55.61% Norman Brown 57,963 44.39% — — — 130,575 +14,649 +11.22% 12th 5 George Bailes 70,952 53.73% Bill Bailey 61,098 46.27% — — — 132,050 +9,854 +7.46% 12th 6 Eddie Gilmore 88,191 66.68% C. P. Malone 44,062 33.32% — — — 132,253 +44,129 +33.37% 12th 7 Pat Vacca 88,033 66.99% James Price 43,388 33.01% — — — 131,421 +44,645 +33.97% 13th G. Kyser Leonard 15,144 72.37% Travis McCaig 5,782 27.63% — — — 20,926 +9,362 +44.74% 15th W. G. McCarley 15,724 65.36% James N. Smith 8,334 34.64% — — — 24,058 +7,390 +30.72% 16th Tom Radney 16,091 73.45% J. B. Ruffin 5,815 26.55% — — — 21,906 +10,276 +46.91% 20th Alton Turner 12,729 52.57% Harold Albritten 4,599 18.99% Fletcher Jones (Ind.) 6,885 28.44% 24,213 +5,844 +24.14% 21st 1 Junie Pierce 21,511 62.73% Robert E. Varner 12,781 37.27% — — — 34,292 +8,730 +25.46% 21st 2 O. J. Goodwyn 20,245 57.59% J. Paul Lowery 14,909 42.41% — — — 35,154 +5,336 +15.18% 24th 2 Pierre Pelham 38,430 61.76% Bert Nettles 23,795 38.24% — — — 62,225 +14,635 +23.52% 24th 3 William McDermott 34,555 55.08% John H. Friend 21,868 34.85% Phil Holmes (Con.) 6,317 10.07% 62,740 +12,687 +20.22% 25th Ernest Jackson 12,377 57.60% Robin Swift 9,111 42.40% — — — 21,488 +3,266 +15.20% 26th J. L. Adams 11,815 57.67% Edward Lisenby 2,309 11.27% William Matthews (TPFA) 6,365 31.07% 20,489 +5,450 +26.60% Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1967 (p. 637–642)
Elected without opposition Every candidate elected with no opponents was a Democrat. District 2: Bob Harris received 17,259 votes. District 4: Dan Stone received 16,953 votes. District 14: Walter C. Givhan received 18,847 votes. District 17: C. C. Torbert Jr. received 14,880 votes. District 18: Bill Lindsey received 9,400 votes. District 19: Roland Cooper received 14,917 votes. District 22: Ray Lolley received 16,998 votes. District 23: Jimmy Clark received 12,384 votes. District 24, place 1: Myland R. Engel received 43,437 votes.
Democratic primary results Of the 13 incumbent state senators who ran for re-election, only five received re-nomination in the Democratic primary.
One Black American ran for a senate seat, Lonnie Brown in District 19.
Runoff results by district Candidates in boldface advanced to the general election. An asterisk (*) denotes a runoff winner who trailed in the first round.
District Winner Loser Total Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Votes 1st Stewart O'Bannon 12,861 58.38% Buddy Hannah 9,169 41.62% 22,030 +3,692 +16.76% 2nd Bob Harris 9,404 57.29% Daren Easter 7,012 42.71% 16,416 +2,392 +14.57% 4th Dan Stone 10,469 61.44% Kenneth Hammond (inc.) 6,571 38.56% 17,040 +3,898 +22.88% 6th Fred Folsom* 11,316 51.91% Bob Gunn 10,483 48.09% 21,799 +833 +3.82% 7th Aubrey Carr 9,724 58.95% L. D. Bentley (inc.) 6,772 41.05% 16,496 +2,952 +17.90% 12th 2 Buck Etheredge 53,089 59.56% John Golden 36,051 40.44% 89,140 +17,038 +19.11% 15th W. G. McCarley 7,221 59.01% Jimmy McDow (inc.) 5,016 40.99% 12,237 +2,205 +18.02% 16th Tom Radney 12,287 52.51% Runt O'Daniel 11,114 47.49% 23,401 +1,173 +5.01% 19th Roland Cooper (inc.) 15,352 78.25% Lonnie L. Brown 4,267 21.75% 19,619 +11,085 +56.50% Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1967 (p. 599–607)
Additionally, runoffs in District 9 and District 22 were planned, but were canceled after candidates withdrew from their races. Both withdrawals were from candidates who placed second in the first round. District 9: Woodrow Albea advanced after A. C. Shelton (inc.) withdrew. District 22: Ray Lolley (inc.) advanced after L. L. Dozier withdrew.
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.