Voters go to the polls on Tuesday for two special elections. Vacancies in Senate District 14 and House District 73 will both be filled today. In both, Republican incumbents vacated their posts to take other positions.
In Senate District 14, Democrat Virginia Applebaum is running against Republican April Weaver for the seat formerly held by Cam Ward, now director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. SD14 includes parts of Shelby, Chilton and Bibb Counties.
Weaver served 10 years in the Alabama House of Representatives, including five years as the chair of the House Health Committee. She served as the chairman of the Shelby County House Delegation from October of 2016 through May of 2020. Most recently, she served as the Region IV Regional Director for the United States Department of Health and Human Services for President Donald Trump. Weaver is a registered nurse who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, Weaver has worked for over 23 years as a hospital leader in various management roles in urban, suburban and rural hospitals.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in the Trump Administration,” Weaver said. “I am deeply proud of the incredible things we were able to accomplish to make our country stronger, safer and more secure and was humbled that President Trump chose me to help during this health crisis. However, as this chapter of my life closes, another opens, and I am ready to serve the people of Alabama again.”
“I have always been a fiscal conservative and I have been proud to stand up for the pocketbooks of the families I have represented,” Weaver said. “Senate District 14 needs a proven conservative with courage to stand up for them. My entire career in public service has demonstrated that I am that type of conservative.”
Weaver lives in the Briarfield community of Shelby County with her husband and their children.
Virginia Applebaum lives in Calera and practices law in Birmingham and the surrounding area, according to her webpage.
According to her Act Blue, “Ms. Applebaum has appeared in B-Metro Magazine’s Top Women Lawyers list. Birmingham Magazine named her ‘Top Attorney’ in civil rights litigation and recognized her as a ‘Rising Star.’ She has also been recognized by her peers as an Alabama Super Lawyer.”
SD14 was vacated by Sen. Cam Ward after he was appointed to serve as the director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. Senate District 14 encompasses portions of Bibb, Chilton and Shelby Counties.
In House District 73 Democrat Sheridan Black is running against Republican Kenneth Paschal.
Paschal lives in Pelham and is retired from the military. He is the director of the Alabama Family Rights Association and has been highly active in lobbying the legislature for family law reforms and conservative causes.
Paschal said: “My campaign is not taking anything for granted. We are going to run hard through the finish line in July.”
Paschal’s platform includes respecting the U.S. Constitution, economic development, limited government and protecting children. He also strongly supports private property rights and low taxes.
Paschal is a 21-year Army veteran and has lived in Shelby County for the past 14 years. He is a member of the Shelby County GOP Executive Committee. If elected Paschal would be the first Black Republican to win an election to the House of Representatives since the 1870s.
Sheridan Black lives in Helena in Shelby County.
“I’m running for the Alabama House to work for you and move our state forward with better quality of education, access to good healthcare, and job opportunities and training here in Shelby County,” Black said.
“I’m running for the Alabama House to work for you and move our state forward in the quality of education, access to good healthcare, and job opportunities and training here in Shelby County,” Black said. “What I appreciate about District 73 is that we have a good quality of life with the potential to make it even greater. My background as a healthcare professional and small businesswoman offer practical skills that equip me for the job of representing you. From quality schools and hospitals to thriving restaurants and unique shops, we have so much to offer new families moving into our area. But our rapid growth brings challenges as well as economic benefits.”
Black serves on the Shelby County Democratic Party Executive Committee, leads the Helena Democrats, and belongs to the Alabama Democratic Women.
House District 73 includes portions of Alabaster, Calera, Chelsea, Helena, Montevallo, Pelham and Brantleyville. HD73 became vacant with Matt Fridy was elected as a member of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.
The polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and will close at 7 p.m.
To participate in the special election, voters must already be registered to vote in the district and must vote at the polling place that they are assigned. To vote in any Alabama election, voters must present a valid photo ID at the polls.
