By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, an overwhelming super majority of Alabamians voted for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Alabama voters are some of the most conservative in the entire country. No Democrat has won anything statewide here since 2008, and in 2016, the Alabama Democratic Party could only find one candidate willing to run statewide: Ron Crumpton. Donald Trump carried the ultra-conservative state with ease after winning a landslide in the GOP Primary; Clinton carried only 13 of the 67 counties. One of those 13 counties, however, was Jefferson County, by far the State’s largest county.
For the third presidential election in a row, Jefferson County voted Democrat. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) carried Jefferson County and straight ticket voting by 52.2 percent (151,854) to just 45 percent (130,614) for Republican nominee Donald Trump. The Democratic turnout and straight Democratic Party voting helped numerous down ballot candidates for Democrats.
Charles Todd Henderson, the Democratic Nominee for Jefferson County District Attorney, unseated Jefferson County DA Brandon Falls. Henderson said in a statement, “I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of our supporters that went to the polls, stood in long lines, and exercised their right to vote yesterday. While District Attorney Falls has already called me to concede the race, I still believe it is important to wait until every ballot is counted. I look forward to seeing the final results come in and then talking about our plans to bring about real criminal justice reform in this county while addressing the rise in violent crime and making our neighborhoods safer.”
Judge Pat Thetford (R) was among the Jefferson County Judges who lost on Tuesday. Thetford said, “Friends, thank you for all your support, likes, prayers, and comments of encouragement throughout my campaign to keep my judicial seat in Jefferson County. I was honored to have received an appointment by our Governor, and to serve the citizens of Jefferson County as a Circuit Judge. I will continue to serve until January 2017. I want to thank the many supporters of my campaign and the 145,900 Jefferson County citizens who honored me with their vote. I lost the race by 1,596 votes, making my race the closest of the 14 judicial races in Jefferson County. It has been a great privilege to serve but I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life!”
Republican judicial candidate Teresa Hester said on social media, “Thank you to all my loyal and faithful supporters! I may have lost the judicial race but I gained so much in the process. I’ve met so many wonderful people and have had the opportunity to work with the best candidates in the world. I started this journey seeking God’s will for my life. Losing the race tells me that God has another plan for me. Congratulations to Judge Debra Bennett Winston on her victory. I pray for God’s blessings on her life as she begins her service to the citizens of Jefferson County.”
Greater Birmingham Young Republicans Chairperson Haley Lucido lashed out at those Democrats who unseated or defeated their Republican challengers. “If you thought Jefferson County was in trouble before yesterday, then hold on y’all, because Jefferson County is actually about to get a lot worse. We lost another incredible group of judges and our amazing District Attorney last night to a bunch of really pathetic jokers… looks like we will definitely be shopping for property in Shelby County now.”
Jefferson County Republicans organized get-out-the-vote, door-to-door campaigning for Republican candidates but it was not enough to overcome the growing demographic issues the Republicans have in Jefferson County.
