Phillip Ensler to seek Democratic nomination for Alabama House District 74
Phillip Ensler, an attorney and the director of the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama, will seek the Democratic nomination for a state House seat in east Montgomery.
Ensler is the first Democrat to enter the race for the seat, currently held by Republican Rep. Charlotte Meadows.
“My primary goal as your representative is to bring advocacy, accountability, and action to the State House as we fight to make District 74 and the State of Alabama a more prosperous, safer, and inclusive community for all residents,” Ensler said in a campaign statement.
More: Alabama redistricting: Take a look at maps for new congressional, legislative districts
Meadows, who is seeking re-election, was elected to the seat in 2019. She is the chair of LEAD Academy, a charter school in Montgomery.
Meadows Wednesday said Ensler would be a "worthy opponent" and that she welcomed competition.
"I'm on the Health committee and the Education Policy committee, and we need to improve education in the state of Alabama, and I expect my opponent will be in the same vein, because I know him," she said.
Ensler said in a phone interview Wednesday that his previous work as a teacher and as a policy advisor to Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed gave him experience with the legislative process and relationships that he felt could serve the district. He said his priorities would be economic mobility, public safety and mental health, and improving public education.
"I know most candidates will say that," he said. "There’s the legislative side of it, but there’s also the more soft power, the informal part where you can help connect businesses that want to partner with local schools that can bring in different resources."
New district maps approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature last year moved the district from north Montgomery to east Montgomery. The change made the district more friendly to Democrats, and could give the party their first flip of a legislative seat since 2010.
Ensler recently worked with Claudette Colvin, arrested in 1955 for challenging Montgomery's bus segregation law, to expunge her record.
Candidates have until Jan. 28 to qualify for individual races.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com. Updated at 11:57 a.m. with comment from Charlotte Meadows.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Phillip Ensler to seek Democratic nomination for Alabama House District 74
