On Tuesday, Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands won a special election for the House of Representatives in Alabama. in vitro fertilization and abortion rights is the center of the campaign.
Lands, a licensed professional counselor, was defeated Madison City Councilman Teddy Powell, a Republican who once worked as a budget analyst for the Department of Defense. The state’s 10th District in the Huntsville area was previously held by a GOP lawmaker.
“Alabama women have spoken – thank you District 10!” Lands said Tuesday night In an article on X.
Lands had 63% of the vote to Powell’s 37% with all precincts reporting.
During the campaign, Lands focused on IVF and abortion access, telling voters that supports the repeal In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. The state’s almost total ban on abortions came into effect after the Wade overturn.
His campaign website lists endorsements from groups such as Planned Parenthood, the Alabama AFL-CIO and the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Lands’ victory comes weeks after Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the GOP-backed bill into law To protect IVF after extensive reverberation a judgment In February, the state threatened the procedure by the Supreme Court. Tuesday’s contest was seen as an early test for Democrats campaigning on IVF after the high court ruling.
The special election is scheduled for 2022 after Republican David Cole defeated Lands by 7 percentage points. He pleaded guilty to voter fraud He resigned from his post last year.
Republicans hold a 75-27 lead over Democrats in the Alabama State House.
Since the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision, abortion has been on the ballot multiple times and consistently attacked anti-abortion activists. This is expected to remain a major issue in November but it is unclear whether it will be as strong as in the midterm elections.