An independent candidate appears to have won his election in Alabama’s 10th Senate District pending an automatic recount, defeating the incumbent Republican nominee by fewer than 100 votes and potentially becoming the first independent candidate to win a state senate seat in over a decade.
Unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State show that Jesse Battles earned 20,341 votes, or 49.85 percent of the total, in his bid for the state’s 10th Senate District earlier this month, inching out a win over Republican Andrew Jones with 20,289 votes. Another 176 votes were cast for various write-ins, covering the spread between them. The race was a two-way election with no other candidates appearing on the ballot.
Battles ran as an independent after he was denied access to the Republican primary ballot by Alabama Republican Party leadership due to his past paid campaign work for Craig Ford, a former Democratic state legislator who ran as an independent against Jones in 2018. Battles disputed that his involvement violated party rules but was unsuccessful.
According to his campaign website, he ran on attracting new business opportunities to the area, including through improving infrastructure and lowering taxes, expanding vocational education, and working more closely with local officials. His platform also contained a number of socially conservative positions typical of the modern Republican Party.
Given how few votes separate the two candidates, a recount is expected to take place. Under Alabama law, an automatic recount is required in a general election when the certified margin of defeat is no more than 0.5 percent of the total votes cast for an office. Jones, as the losing candidate, has the ability to waive the recount, but he has already said he intends to let the process play out.
If his victory survives the recount, Battles would become the first independent elected to the Alabama Legislature since 2014, when Harri Anne Smith won reelection to the State Senate from the 29th District. Smith was originally elected as a Republican in 1998, but, like Battles, was barred from the Republican primary ballot by the state party in 2010. She instead ran as an independent, defeating another Republican in the general election, and won reelection as an independent again in 2014.
Another thing notable about this race is that Battles has already been sworn in for the position as of November 10 despite the recount, with his campaign telling state media that it is confident his margin of victory is large enough that he will not be at risk of losing. Alabama’s legislative terms begin immediately following the general election, before results are certified. In the event that Battles loses the recount and the revised result stands, he would not retain the seat.
Editorial note: Thanks to Ballot Access News for making Independent Political Report aware of Battles’ Election Day win.
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