Senator Donnie Chesteen, R-SD 29, has officially announced that he is seeking re-election to the Alabama State Senate. Chesteen, who is well-known as an educator and coach in addition to serving in the State Senate, will be unopposed in the Republican primary but is facing Democrat opposition on the November general election ballot.
“Serving this district in the Alabama State Senate has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Chesteen said. “I am proud of the work we have done to improve District 29 and the state as a whole but I believe we have much more to do in order to reach our full potential.”
During Chesteen’s time in the State Senate and previously in the State House, he has earned the reputation of being an elected official who accomplishes a great deal for the district. Among those programs, G-tech is a program of which Chesteen is particularly proud. The program provides vocational and jobs skills training programs for students who do not plan on pursuing a four-year degree path.
“G-Tech is critically important because more than half of the students who graduate from high school in Geneva County never attend college. That is what makes this program so important to our entire community,” Chesteen said. “Now all three of our county’s high schools and Geneva City Schools can offer these students a real opportunity to learn a useful skill or trade that leads to a marketable degree.”
His work on ensuring that all students have the resources they need to pursue their chosen career paths is ongoing. He is currently working on a new workforce innovation center at Wallace Community College which will bring resources to students across the district.
Ensuring that every Alabamian has access to affordable high-speed internet access has also been a priority for Chesteen. In the last 4 years alone, there are 3,377 households in his district with access to broadband internet services that did not have that access 4 years ago.
He is the architect of Alabama’s broadband accessibility act and continues to work through the Alabama digital expansion authority to bring high-speed internet access to unserved homes in the district and across Alabama.
“Broadband access is critically important and I will not stop until every home in my district has access to high-speed internet,” he explained. “Broadband should be in every home just like electricity should be in every home and I am committed to making that a reality. It is as much of an essential service to homes and businesses as power.”
In terms of infrastructure improvements, Chesteen’s focus on road and bridge improvement has led to the first major highway project in Geneva County in more than a half-century.
“We are so excited that construction will begin in the Fall of this year to 4-lane Highway 52 from Hartford to Malvern,” Chesteen noted. “The infrastructure and economic impact of this infrastructure project will lead to incredible things for the entire area.”
The Highway 52 infrastructure project is in addition to more than 100 miles of county road resurfacing across his district and has resulted in an investment of more than $30 million in road and bridge improvements including improvements to Hwy 84 and East Main Street in Houston County.
Chesteen’s bid for re-election has already garnered a great deal of support with endorsements coming in from the Alabama Farmers Federation and the Alabama Forestry Association.
“Sen. Chesteen has done an outstanding job in the Senate,” said Chris Carroll, Dale County Farmers Federation president. “He is plugged into the agricultural community and will continue to represent our needs in Montgomery.”
Chesteen says that infrastructure, education and broadband will remain top priorities in his next term. He and his wife, Stephanie, attend the First Baptist Church of Geneva where he serves as a deacon. They have 2 adult children, Christopher (Casey) and Roxanna and 3 grandchildren: Jaxon, Grayce and Madison.
Chesteen will face off against his democrat opponent on the general election ballot on November 8, 2022. Senate District 29 includes Dale, Geneva and Houston counties.
