Ron Bolton beats Kimberly Madison to take GOP nod for state House District 61
A retired Northport police captain will be the next representative to fill the District 61 seat in the Alabama House of Representatives.
In unofficial results, Ron Bolton bested media broadcaster Kimberly A. Madison for the Republican nomination to the seat by almost 900 votes. With almost 100% of the precincts reporting, Bolton had 3,910 votes to 3,014 for Madison.
“I’d like to thank my family, my friends and everyone who worked hard supporting us to help us win this race,” said Bolton, 61. “I also want to thank everyone who turned out today and voted for us and trusted me to represent them in Montgomery.
“I’m very humbled at the level of support we received throughout our communities. I look forward to November’s general election and in the meantime I will be working with Rep. (Rodney) Sullivan on the priorities we’ve set for our district.”
Alabama primary results: See live vote totals as they're reported election night
House District 61 includes most of Northport, the town of Coker, portions of northwest Tuscaloosa County, and all of Pickens County.
In Pickens County, the race was almost even with voters there choosing Madison over Bolton by 22 votes – 1,518 to 1,496, according to unofficial results.
But it was the Tuscaloosa County voters that sealed the win for Bolton by giving him 66.1% of the vote – 2,585 to 1,325 – in unofficial tallies.
"This is just the beginning," said Madison when reached by The Tuscaloosa News for comment.
Tuscaloosa County offices on the ballot: No Democrats qualify for Tuscaloosa County sheriff, school board elections
No Democrat qualified for the race, which means that, barring a successful write-in campaign, Bolton will take over the seat being vacated by Republican Rodney Sullivan, who chose not to seek re-election.
This marks the first bid for public office by Bolton, who described himself as a lifelong conservative to The Tuscaloosa News when he first announced his intentions to run in summer 2021.
“I’m running for the Alabama Legislature because I understand the importance of strong representation in Montgomery,” Bolton said at the time.
He said his campaign would focus on four issues he believes are key to the district.
They are:
• Expand rural broadband access to the district
• Assist financially struggling rural healthcare initiatives
• Secure a fair share of road and bridge funds from the state for the cities and counties of the district
• Work with state and local economic development leaders to bring good-paying jobs to Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties.
Bolton retired in 2011 after serving 25 years with the Northport Police Department, during which he worked as both administrative and patrol division commander.
A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Bolton also served as a longtime instructor at the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, served the Northport Police Department as its tactical team commander, and spent many years serving on the board of directors for Turning Point Services.
Currently, Bolton is an active member of the Tuscaloosa County Republican Executive Committee, the Alabama Republican State Executive Committee, and Five Points Baptist Church in Northport.
Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ron Bolton wins GOP nod in Alabama House District 61 primary
