Alabama primary: A look at some of the most notable legislative results on Tuesday

The spotlight Tuesday was on the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races in Alabama. But several legislative primaries featured news. Below is a rundown of the most notable results, including runoffs and incumbent defeats.

Senate

Republicans

District 12: Attorney Wendy Ghee Draper and realtor Keith Kelley are headed to a runoff for the Republican nomination in Calhoun County, held by outgoing Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, a former Senate president pro tem. Weaver Mayor Wayne Willis, who nearly upset Marsh in 2018, came in third with 25.3%.

The candidates spent at least $277,418 on the race. Draper spent $183,089.

Previously: U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt primary election night event

More: Phillip Ensler wins Democratic nomination for House District 74

Senate District 27: Sen. Tom Whatley spent $1.2 million in his primary campaign against Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey, who spent $94,674. In unofficial returns as of Wednesday afternoon, Hovey held a 4-vote edge over Whatley, out of 16,000 ballots cast. Provisional ballots will likely be decisive in this race.

Senate District 31: Coffee County Commissioner Josh Carnley Wednesday appeared to have won the Republican nomination for this Wiregrass seat, held by outgoing Sen. Jimmy Holley, R-Elba. Carnley took just over 50% of the vote, ahead of Mike Jones of Andalusia, who left a powerful position as Alabama House Rules Committee chair to run for the seat. Jones got 40%. Norman Horton, a former towing company owner, got 9%.

The candidates spent $1.1 million on the contest. Jones spent $679,339.

Democrats

District 23: Former Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, will go to a runoff with Robert L. Stewart, a tax advocate for the nonprofit group Public Citizen. Sanders got 47% of the vote; Stewart got 30%. Sanders, an attorney, represented the district from 1982 to 2018. His daughter, attorney Malika Sanders-Fortier, succeeded him, but left the seat to run for governor. Former Selma Mayor Darrio Melton finished in third place with 23%.

The candidates spent $156,076 on the race. Sanders spent $62,496.

House

Republicans

House District 2: Two of the three GOP candidates vying to succeed Lynn Greer of Rogersville will go to a runoff, but the margins were tight. In unofficial returns Wednesday, former Limestone County Commissioner Ben Harrison held a 187-vote lead over current Limestone County Commissioner Jason Spencer Black, who held a 5-vote lead over photography studio owner Kimberly Butler.

The candidates spent $236,521 on the race. Spencer spent $84,228.

House District 4: Freshman Rep. Parker Duncan Moore of Decatur appeared headed to a runoff Wednesday with insurance agent Patrick Johnson, also of Decatur. Moore got 44% of the vote in unofficial returns; Johnson got 37%. Real estate business owner Sheila Banister was in third place with 20%.

The candidates spent $147,445 on the race. Johnson spent $81,000.

House District 7: Freshman Rep. Proncey Robertson, R-Mount Hope, appeared to have been defeated on Tuesday by Ernie Yarbrough, an engineer by training. Yarbrough had 54% of the vote in unofficial returns; Robertson had 46%.

The candidates spent $185,169 on the race. Robertson spent almost $126,000.

House District 14: Rep. Tim Wadsworth, R-Arley, took 47% of the vote in his primary on Tuesday and was headed to a runoff with Tom Fredricks, a small business owner. Fredricks got 36% of the vote. Oakman Mayor Cory Franks finished in third place, with 16%.

The candidates spent $191,000 on the race. Wadsworth spent just over $100,000.

House District 23: Two-term Rep. Tommy Hanes of Bryant lost to Mike Kirkland, a sales manager for Vulcan Materials. Kirkland got 52% of the vote. Hanes got 48%.

The candidates spent $188,621 on the race. Kirkland spent $124,573.

House District 28: Rep. Gil Isbell of Gadsden lost a bid for a second term to Mack Butler of Rainbow City, who served in the House from 2012 to 2018. Butler left the lower chamber to mount a state Senate campaign, which he lost to Sen. Andrew Jones of Centre.

The candidates spent $284,215 on the race. Isbell spent $200,630.

House District 45: Rep. Dickie Drake of Leeds, first elected to the House in 2011, lost to retired banker Susan Dubose of Greystone, who took 67% of the vote to Drake’s 33%.

The candidates spent $206,057 on the race. Drake spent $121,234.

House District 88: Freshman Rep. Will Dismukes of Prattville, facing legal troubles and other controversies, lost to Prattville City Council President Jerry Starnes. Starnes got 62% of the vote; Dismukes got 38%.

The candidates for the seat spent $72,716 on the race. Starnes spent $35,441. Josh Prendergrass spent $20,502 on the race but was drawn out of the district during reapportionment. Dismukes spent $16,773.

House District 94: Rep. Joe Faust of Fairhope, a 20-year veteran of the House, lost to Jennifer Fidler, a landscape and design company owner. Fidler took 63% of the vote to Faust’s 37%.

The candidates spent $158,519 on the race, in almost equal amounts. Faust spent $79,927 to Fidler’s $78,547.

Related: Autauga County Sheriff Joe Sedinger re-elected for third term

Read this: Katie Britt, Mo Brooks headed to runoff for Republican Senate nomination

Democrats

House District 55: Four-term incumbent Rod Scott of Fairfield is headed to a runoff after taking 25% of the vote in a five-candidate primary. He will face Fred Plump, a retired firefighter, in the runoff.

The candidates spent $86,307 on the race. Scott spent $48,628.

House District 72: Rep. Ralph Howard of Greensboro, a 17-year veteran of the House, lost to Curtis Travis. Travis took 53% of the vote; Howard took 47%.

The candidates spent $79,597 on the race. Travis spent $42,705; Howard spent $36,892.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama primary 2022: Notable legislative results