Crocker unseats Blaylock to claim District Attorney seat

Benjamin Bullard, The Cullman Times, Ala.
·2 min read

May 25—Following a boisterous campaign season that set the tone for Tuesday's most closely-watched local race, attorney Champ Crocker edged out three-term incumbent Wilson Blaylock to become the Republican nominee and de facto winner of the Cullman County district attorney's seat.

Crocker defeated Blaylock in a tight race that showed the two running close all the way to the finish: Crocker ended the evening with 8,396 votes (51.3 percent) to Blaylock's 7,969 votes (48.7 percent), with a statistically insignificant number of provisional ballots yet to be counted.

Fellow Republicans and well-wishers congratulated Crocker as he and his family made a late-evening entry at the Cullman County Courthouse venue where politically-interested watchers congregated to monitor Tuesday's GOP primary returns. Blaylock didn't put in a courthouse appearance as the votes were counted, and efforts to reach him late Tuesday following the outcome were unsuccessful.

Crocker, a visible Cullman County presence at meetings and public events throughout the lengthy campaign season, said toppling a three-term incumbent had proven to be a tough task. In victory, though, he repeated his campaign message that the duty the office owes to local voters is worth the sizable effort.

"It was a lot of work — a lot of traveling, a lot of door knocking and phone calls, and staying in touch with people," said Crocker, once the outcome had been decided. "But I've enjoyed every second of it.

"We're just so thankful. I'm thankful for the support of family; for my wife and my two sons, and for all the people who worked hard to help us get here: friends, volunteers, donors, and all the people who thought we needed a change. We got out and did 135 public [campaign] meetings all over this county. and when you do that, you hear people's concerns, and you learn what's really going on. I'm just so thankful to the people of this county for giving me a chance to serve."

No local Democrat made that party's primary ballot as a district attorney candidate for Tuesday's election, which means Crocker faces no opposition in the general election this November. With a clear path to the DA's seat, Crocker will begin his first six-year term in office when he's sworn in early next year.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.