1970 Alabama House of Representatives election

The 1970 Alabama House of Representatives election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 1970, to elect 106 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on May 5 with runoff elections on June 2. The first two Black state legislators since the Reconstruction era were elected this year, both from District 31 in Barbour, Bullock, and Macon counties: Thomas Reed in place 1 on the National Democratic Party of Alabama ticket, and Fred Gray in place 2 as a Democrat. Reed would later run under the Democratic banner in the 1974 general election.

Incumbent speaker Rankin Fite lost the confidence of incoming Governor George Wallace, and was replaced as speaker by a unanimous vote at the beginning of the 1971 session. State representative G. Sage Lyons of Mobile County's sixth place was hand-picked by Wallace to succeed Fite and was elected to the post without opposition. Only two Republicans were elected at the general election: Bert Nettles of Mobile County was re-elected, and Doug Hale was elected to Madison County's fifth slot. The two agreed to make the more senior representative, Nettles, the minority leader, with Hale becoming minority whip.

This was the last state house 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.

The election took place concurrently with elections for U.S. House, governor, state senate, and numerous other state and local offices. Summary

Party Candidates SeatsNum.Vote%LastWon +/– Democratic 106 2,895,406 68.57% 106 103 3 Republican 38 787,599 18.65% 0 2 2 NDPA 43 493,081 11.68% 0 1 1 Independent Party 5 41,732 0.99% 0 0 Conservative 3 4,133 0.10% 0 0 Independents 1 482 0.01% 0 0 Write-in — 26 0.001% — 0 Total 196 4,222,459 100% 106 106

General election results

District Democratic Republican National Democratic Others Total Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Candidate Votes % Votes 3rd p. 1 Hartell B. Lutz 30,604 92.08% — — — Richard Perkins 2,634 7.92% — — — 33,238 +27,970 +84.16% 3rd p. 3 Bill G. King 29,329 91.30% — — — Judge Harris 2,795 8.70% — — — 32,124 +26,534 +82.60% 3rd p. 4 Glenn H. Hearn 27,266 83.13% — — — Myrna Copeland 2,934 8.95% John Zynowski (Con.) 2,600 7.93% 32,800 +24,332 +74.18% 3rd p. 5 Billy Laxson 16,093 42.22% Douglas V. Hale 19,678 51.63% James Hicks 1,721 4.52% Russell Perry (Con.) 623 1.63% 38,115 −3,585 −9.41% 5th p. 2 Glen A. Reynolds 12,799 75.69% Frank B. Merkle 4,110 24.31% — — — — — — 16,909 +8,689 +51.39% 6th p. 1 David B. Cauthen 12,078 95.34% — — — Floyd Lee Jones 590 4.66% — — — 12,668 +11,488 +90.67% 6th p. 2 Ralph E. Slate 11,806 91.36% — — — Garry Nungester 1,117 8.64% — — — 12,923 +10,689 +82.71% 7th p. 3 Tom Drake 18,596 75.21% Carl J. Woodard 6,131 24.79% — — — — — — 24,727 +12,465 +50.41% 10th Ralph Reid 4,949 64.78% Bruce Phillips 2,639 34.54% Millard Graves 52 0.68% — — — 7,640 +2,310 +30.24% 12th Deacon Grey 8,568 94.67% — — — — — — H. A. Greer (Ind.) 482 5.33% 9,050 +8,086 +89.35% 13th p. 1 Alvis Naramore 13,208 89.36% Larry Akins 1,573 10.64% — — — — — — 14,781 +11,635 +78.72% 14th p. 1 J. Paul Meeks Jr. 80,317 59.20% James B. Knight Jr. 32,261 23.78% Lincoln Hendrick 23,100 17.03% — — — 135,678 +48,056 +35.42% 14th p. 2 J. T. Waggoner 83,096 72.14% Dooley Compton 32,094 27.86% — — — — — — 115,190 +51,002 +44.28% 14th p. 3 Robert L. Ellis 75,592 55.84% Malcolm Bethea 36,371 26.87% Calvin Smith 23,399 17.29% — — — 135,362 +39,221 +28.97% 14th p. 4 Ben L. Erdreich 72,617 54.08% C. Nelson Burkett 28,569 21.28% James Foy Jr. 22,386 16.67% Herbert Kilgore (AIP) 10,709 7.98% 134,281 +44,048 +32.80% 14th p. 5 Dick Dill 68,913 51.25% Bentley Owens 42,210 31.39% James Armstrong 23,339 17.36% — — — 134,462 +26,703 +19.86% 14th p. 6 Robert D. Timmons 74,272 55.32% Meade Whitaker 36,001 26.82% Demetrius Newton 23,979 17.86% — — — 134,252 +38,271 +28.51% 14th p. 7 Bob Adwell 76,791 57.22% James L. Cox 33,179 24.72% Thomas Wrenn 24,238 18.06% — — — 134,208 +43,612 +32.48% 14th p. 8 Raymond Weeks 77,975 58.33% Nick Sfakianos 32,504 24.31% James A. Easley 23,207 17.36% — — — 133,686 +45,471 +34.01% 14th p. 9 Chriss H. Doss 75,771 57.09% James A. Price 33,812 25.48% Samuel Jackson 23,133 17.43% — — — 132,716 +41,959 +31.62% 14th p. 10 Robert C. Gafford 78,804 59.21% Howard A. Ture 30,851 23.18% Davis Jordan 23,438 17.61% — — — 133,093 +47,953 +36.03% 14th p. 11 Wade Wallace 77,418 58.37% O. W. Irwin Jr. 32,981 24.87% C. H. Johnson 22,230 16.76% — — — 132,629 +44,437 +33.50% 14th p. 12 Drake Boutwell 74,163 55.08% Jim Holliman 29,096 21.61% Merulrine Watkins 22,891 17.00% Don Adams (AIP) 8,484 6.30% 134,634 +45,067 +33.47% 14th p. 13 Francis Falkenburg 69,821 52.48% Raymond C. Barry 28,644 21.53% Jonathon McPherson 23,792 17.88% Tommy Watkins (AIP) 10,784 8.11% 133,041 +41,177 +30.95% 14th p. 14 Horace W. Parker 64,406 47.88% Lynn Strickland Jr. 38,971 28.97% Ralph M. Galt 23,220 17.26% Verbon E. Crane (AIP) 7,932 5.90% 134,529 +25,435 +18.91% 14th p. 15 Quinton R. Bowers 82,213 73.89% Robert A. Thomason III 29,048 26.11% — — — — — — 111,261 +53,165 +47.78% 14th p. 16 Richard L. McBride 81,997 61.61% Davis Hunt Thompson 28,042 21.07% Jolene Lasater 23,043 17.31% — — — 133,082 +53,955 +40.54% 14th p. 17 J. Earl Jones 77,887 58.77% Richard W. Ellis 31,437 23.72% Hasty Kim Yow 23,215 17.52% — — — 132,539 +46,450 +35.05% 14th p. 18 Bennett L. Cherner 93,553 79.87% — — — Dave Conley 23,573 20.13% — — — 117,126 +69,980 +59.75% 14th p. 20 Hugh Boles 78,396 59.30% Doug Shockley 30,646 23.18% Leavy Oliver 23,170 17.52% — — — 132,212 +47,750 +36.12% 15th Doc Coshatt 4,824 65.69% Barnett Lawley 2,199 29.94% O. W. Green 321 4.37% — — — 7,344 +2,625 +35.74% 16th p. 1 Ray Burgess 14,564 76.54% Elvin McCary 4,464 23.46% — — — — — — 19,028 +10,100 +53.08% 16th p. 2 Hugh D. Merill 14,793 78.77% Pay Wayne Shaddix 3,986 21.23% — — — — — — 18,779 +10,807 +57.54% 17th William H. Lang 6,377 64.25% — — — Woodson D. Lewis 3,549 35.75% — — — 9,926 +2,828 +28.50% 18th p. 2 Edward D. Robertson 18,325 85.17% — — — Gene Newson 3,190 14.83% — — — 21,515 +15,135 +70.34% 18th p. 3 Tim Parker 18,753 86.72% — — — Joe N. Ross 2,873 13.28% — — — 21,626 +15,880 +73.44% 18th p. 4 Bert Bank 18,691 86.01% — — — Ruth Cummings 3,041 13.99% — — — 21,732 +15,650 +72.02% 19th Tom Stubbs 6,286 77.25% Lewis B. Walker 1,851 22.75% — — — — — — 8,137 +4,435 +54.50% 20th p. 2 Philip H. Smith 11,274 79.23% Roy McCaig 2,953 20.75% — — — Write-in 2 0.01% 14,229 +8,321 +58.48% 27th p. 1 Ira D. Pruitt 12,108 57.96% — — — Robert Scott 8,784 42.04% — — — 20,892 +3,324 +15.92% 27th p. 2 Rick Manley 12,142 57.58% — — — F. N. Nixon 8,942 42.41% Write-in 3 0.01% 21,087 +3,200 +15.17% 28th p. 1 Cot Cottingham 6,807 61.15% Jean Sullivan 3,546 31.85% Anna Taylor 779 7.00% — — — 11,132 +3,261 +29.30% 28th p. 2 W. Milam Turner Jr. 9,466 68.88% — — — Joe R. Johnson 4,277 31.12% — — — 13,743 +5,189 +37.76% 29th William D. Edwards 4,999 48.75% Joan Pate 2,505 24.43% Robert Strickland 2,751 26.83% — — — 10,255 +2,248 +21.92% 31st p. 1 James L. Paulk 8,624 47.75% — — — Thomas Reed 9,436 52.25% — — — 18,060 +812 +4.50% 31st p. 2 Fred Gray 9,938 53.18% Russell L. Irby 8,748 46.82% — — — — — — 18,686 +1,190 +6.36% 32nd p. 1 Bowen Brassell 11,149 87.21% — — — Carlton Mabry 1,635 12.79% — — — 12,784 +9,514 +74.42% 32nd p. 3 Charles H. Adams 10,907 86.54% — — — Lillie M. Cannon 1,696 13.46% — — — 12,603 +9,211 +73.08% 33rd p. 2 Joe McCorquodale 13,488 92.14% — — — Curtis Goode 1,151 7.86% — — — 14,639 +12,337 +84.28% 34th p. 1 Maston Mims 10,199 76.99% — — — H. B. Williams 3,049 23.01% — — — 13,248 +7,150 +53.98% 35th p. 1 Sam W. Taylor 21,692 54.58% Wayne Collett 10,209 25.69% Charles Spears 7,840 19.73% — — — 39,741 +11,483 +28.89% 35th p. 2 James D. Harris Jr. 20,423 50.85% Buddy Brendle 11,338 28.23% Larry Williams 7,492 18.65% Charles Muncaster (Con.) 910 2.27% 40,163 +9,085 +22.62% 35th p. 3 Walker Hobbie Jr. 20,563 51.15% Mark Anderson 12,112 30.13% Simuel Sippial 7,529 18.73% — — — 40,204 +8,451 +21.02% 35th p. 4 Fred R. Jones 20,913 51.25% Fred Hooper 12,341 30.24% E. D. Nixon 7,550 18.50% — — — 40,804 +8,572 +21.01% 37th p. 7 Dan Alexander 28,615 45.43% Bert Nettles 34,378 54.57% — — — — — — 62,993 −5,763 −9.14% 37th p. 8 Maurice A. Downing 30,908 51.91% Reggie Copeland 28,634 48.09% — — — — — — 59,542 +2,274 +3.82% 37th p. 9 Monty Collins 32,198 53.95% Victor Gaston 27,487 46.05% — — — — — — 59,685 +4,711 +7.90% 39th Philip T. May 5,416 58.62% — — — — — — W. Malcolm Edwards (AIP) 3,823 41.38% 9,239 +1,593 +17.24%

Democratic primary results Eight Black Americans sought nominations from the Democratic Party in the 1970 state house elections. Only one, Fred Gray, won their Democratic primary.

District 14 (Jefferson) Place 7: J. Mason Davis lost the first round of the Democratic primary to incumbent representative Bob Adwell. Place 17: Wilson Fallin Jr. was defeated by J. Earl Jones in the Democratic runoff. Place 20: Photographer Chris McNair was defeated by Hugh Boles in the Democratic runoff.

District 27 (Marengo–Perry–Sumter): Alabama Democratic Conference chairman Joe L. Reed was defeated by incumbent representative Ira Pruitt in the Democratic runoff.

District 28 (Dallas) Place 1: Businessman Edwin Moss was defeated by incumbent representative Paul Cottingham in the Democratic runoff. Place 2: Radio personality Marius J. Anderson was defeated by incumbent representative Milam Turner in the Democratic runoff.

District 31 (Barbour–Bullock–Macon) Place 1: Civil rights leader Thomas Reed lost the first round of the Democratic primary to incumbent representative James L. Paulk, and subsequently won the general election as a candidate of the NDPA. Place 2: Attorney Fred Gray, candidate for the legislature in 1966, defeated incumbent representative Bill Nevile in the first round of the Democratic primary and won the subsequent general election. Runoff results by district

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