The 1978 Alabama Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 8, 1978, to elect 35 representatives to serve four-year terms in the Alabama Senate. The result was an electoral wipeout, as all 35 candidates elected were members of the Democratic Party. While 35 districts were up for election, only 9 saw Republican opposition.[2] Both of the state's Black senators, U. W. Clemon and J. Richmond Pearson, won re-election, with the newly-elected Michael Figures joining their ranks.[3]
Incumbent president pro tempore Joe Fine did not run for another term, instead opting for an attorney general campaign, which was unsuccessful.[4] Finis St. John was unanimously elected president on January 9, 1979.[5]
Democrats contested every seat in the state senate. Of the 35 incumbent Democratic senators, only 16 sought election (46 percent). Of the 16 who sought re-election:
5 were re-nominated unopposed;
5 won their primaries;
6 lost their primaries.
Runoff results by district
Candidates in boldface advanced to the general election. An asterisk (*) denotes a runoff winner who was the runner-up in the first round.
The following candidates were the only candidates to file for their district's Democratic primary
District 4: Finis St. John (inc.)
District 9: Hinton Mitchem
District 12: Pat Vacca (inc.)
District 13: J. Richmond Pearson (inc.)
District 18: Lester Hill Proctor (inc.)
District 22: Dutch Higginbotham (inc.)
District 34: Sonny Callahan
Republican primary results
Republicans contested nine state senate seats. Due to a general lack of Republican candidates across the state, only one of these districts, District 11, required a primary.
The following candidates were the only candidates to file for their district's Republican primary:
District 10: Jimmy Dill
District 12: Evan Veal
District 18: Tom Longshore
District 24: Richard A. Britt
District 26: Bob E. Allen
District 27: Herbert Morton
District 33: James B. Norsworthy
District 35: Danny Perry
1975–1978 special elections
District 19
A special election in District 19 was triggered by the resignation of incumbent Democratic senator Bobby Weaver after he plead guilty to embezzlement charges in January 1976.[11] State representative John Teague won the special election to succeed him.
1976 Alabama Senate District 19 special Democratic primary May 4, 1976[12]
A special election in District 29 was triggered by the death of incumbent Democratic senator Walter C. Givhan on February 18, 1976. Republican national committeewoman Jean Sullivan and businessman Earl Goodwin both sought the seat. An apparent miscount in Dallas County put Sullivan ahead, but Goodwin took the lead after the mistake was discovered. Earl Goodwin spent over $20,000 on his successful state senate bid, spending about $15,000 on advertising.[15] In 1976, Alabama lacked any sort of provision providing for an automatic recount in a general or general special election. Sullivan considered contesting the results of the race into late September. On September 28, the deadline to file a recount, Sullivan stated that she would not contest the results, saying she "regrets that the recount cannot be done because so many people want to know the truth about the election."[16][17]
1976 Alabama Senate District 29 special election August 31, 1976[18]
A special election in District 25 was triggered after incumbent Democratic senator Crum Foshee was forced to vacate his seat due to a mail fraud conviction. Radio station owner Wallace Miller easily won the special election. Over a year after Foshee's initial conviction, the Fifth Circuit Court reversed Foshee's conviction, ruling that he and his brother were entitled to a new trial. Under state law, lawmakers are disqualified from holding office if they are sentenced to prison, however they "shall be returned to office" if a conviction is overturned.[19][20] On March 21, 2025, the Senate voted to reinstate Foshee 29 to 0. Wallace Miller abstained from the vote, and there was no animosity reported between the two, with Lieutenant governorJere Beasley stating "it was like a mother choosing between two children."[21] In the 1978 primaries, Foshee declined to run again, with Wallace Miller once again being elected state senator.
1976 Alabama Senate District 25 special election November 2, 1976[22]
A special election in District 1 was triggered after incumbent Democratic senator Ronnie Flippo resigned in November 1976. He was elected U.S. Representative in November 1976, but resigned from his state senate post early to allow for an earlier special election to take place.[23] Former Florence city councilor Oscar Peden, who described himself as an "Independent Democrat", won in an upset over Democratic attorney Jimmy Hunt, who was backed by the state Democratic executive committee and governor George Wallace.[24] Oscar Peden attempted to run for re-election as a Democrat in 1978, but was eliminated in the Democratic primary.
1977 Alabama Senate District 1 special election February 1, 1977
A special election in Senate District 22 was triggered after incumbent Democratic senator C. C. Torbert Jr.'s election to the Alabama Supreme Court in 1976. Democratic member of the Alabama House of RepresentativesG. J. Higginbotham defeated independent Frank Roberts for the seat.[25]
1977 Alabama Senate District 22 special election February 22, 1977
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