Alabama held its general election on November 6, 2018, deciding 140 legislative seats and 9 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans dashed Democratic hopes of gains, widening both legislative majorities and keeping every statewide office: the House GOP grew from 72 to 77 seats, and the Senate majority rose to 27 of 35.
- Gov. Kay Ivey (R), who had taken office in 2017 when her predecessor resigned, won a full term by about 19 points over Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox (D), who campaigned on a lottery for college scholarships and on expanding Medicaid.
- The Republican House gains all came in seats long held by Democrats, including:
- In the Senate, Donnie Chesteen (R) won Senate District 29, replacing an independent senator. Craig Ford (I), a former House minority leader, lost his independent bid for Senate District 10 to Andrew Jones (R) by about 21 points. The closest legislative race was in northwest Alabama's Senate District 6, where Sen. Larry Stutts (R) held off Johnny Mack Morrow (D), a sitting state representative, by fewer than 900 votes.
- Down the ballot, every Republican statewide margin was about 18 points or more. Will Ainsworth (R) won the open lieutenant governor's seat, and the attorney general, appointed in 2017, won a full term. The incumbent secretary of state, auditor, and both Public Service Commission members were re-elected, and the treasurer and agriculture commissioner races drew no Democrat.
- Voters approved all 4 constitutional amendments, including Amendment 1, allowing display of the Ten Commandments on state property, and Amendment 2, declaring that the state constitution recognizes the sanctity of unborn life and does not protect a right to abortion. Amendment 3 changed the membership of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, and Amendment 4 lets a legislative seat stay vacant when little of its term remains.
- Across the 140 legislative races, all 6 seats that changed hands went Republican, and 71 seats drew a single candidate.
Legislature
- House (105 seats): 32 D, 72 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 28 D, 77 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (35 seats): 8 D, 26 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 8 D, 27 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Amendment 1 | Display of Ten Commandments on state property | Passed (71.65% yes) |
| Amendment 2 | States that the Alabama Constitution recognizes and supports the sanctity of unborn life and does not protect abortion | Passed (59.01% yes) |
| Amendment 3 | University of Alabama Board of Trustees Membership | Passed (60.3% yes) |
| Amendment 4 | Changes legislatively vacancy procedure to allow seats to remain vacant if the remaining term is no more than a certain length | Passed (66.13% yes) |