2012 Alabama elections
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| Elections in Alabama |
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Alabama on November 6, 2012. Along with the presidential election, all of Alabama's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives and several state-level and local offices were up for election. Primary elections took place on March 13, 2012.[1]
Federal offices
President of the United States
Republican candidate Mitt Romney won Alabama with 60.55% of the vote and gained nine electoral votes.
United States House of Representatives
All of Alabama's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2012. Six Republicans and one Democrat were re-elected. No districts changed partisan control.
Public Service Commission
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County results Cavanaugh: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Baxley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Alabama Public Service Commission president Lucy Baxley, the only Democrat holding a statewide office at the time, sought re-election and was challenged by Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh in a rematch; she had defeated her back in 2008.[2]
Democratic nominee
- Lucy Baxley, incumbent Alabama Public Service Commission president.[3]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, associate Alabama Public Service Commissioner and 2008 Republican nominee.[2]
- Chip Brown, real estate businessman and military veteran.[4]
- Kathy Peterson, businesswoman.[5]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh | 248,297 | 48.92% | |
| Republican | Chip Brown | 135,568 | 26.71% | |
| Republican | Kathy Peterson | 123,729 | 24.37% | |
| Total votes | 507,594 | 100% | ||
Primary runoff results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh | 52,371 | 60.82% | |
| Republican | Chip Brown | 33,734 | 39.18% | |
| Total votes | 86,105 | 100% | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh | 1,078,108 | 54.17% | ||
| Democratic | Lucy Baxley (incumbent) | 909,323 | 45.69% | ||
| Write-in | 2,890 | 0.15% | |||
| Total votes | 1,990,321 | 100% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
State judiciary
Eleven statewide judicial seats in Alabama were up for election - five from the state supreme court and six from the appellate courts. Only two of them were contested.[7]
State Supreme Court, Chief Justice
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County results Moore: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Vance: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Justice Chuck Malone was appointed by Governor Robert J. Bentley in 2011 to fill the remaining term of Democrat Sue Bell Cobb who resigned.[8] Malone ran for re-election to a full term and was challenged by former chief justice Roy Moore and circuit court judge Charles Graddick in the Republican primary.[9][10] Jefferson County circuit court judge Bob Vance emerged as the Democratic frontrunner after Harry Lyon, the former nominee, was disqualified due to improper comments made by him online.[11][12]
The involvement of Moore drew a lot of attention to the race owing to his controversial previous tenure as chief justice and initially attracted write-in candidates who sought to block his return.[13] Some former Republican justices even endorsed Vance instead of Moore despite him winning the primary.[14]
Roy Moore won the general election in November, returning to the state supreme court after a decade.[15] Vance lost by a margin of 3.65% while on the same ballot Barack Obama lost by 22%, indicating a strong overperformance in deep red Alabama.
Republican Primary
Candidates
- Chuck Malone, incumbent chief justice.[16]
- Roy Moore, former chief justice.[9]
- Charles Graddick, circuit court judge.[10]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roy Moore | 282,743 | 50.38% | |
| Republican | Charles Graddick | 141,570 | 25.22% | |
| Republican | Chuck Malone (incumbent) | 136,927 | 24.40% | |
| Total votes | 561,240 | 100% | ||
Democratic Nominee
Disqualified
- Harry Lyon, lawyer.[12]
Independent Candidates (later withdrew)
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roy Moore | 1,051,627 | 51.77% | ||
| Democratic | Bob Vance | 977,301 | 48.12% | ||
| Write-in | 2,189 | 0.11% | |||
| Total votes | 2,031,117 | 100% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
State Supreme Court, Associate Justice (Place 1)
Incumbent Republican Justice Thomas Woodall decided not to seek re-election.[20]
Republican Primary
Confirmed Candidates
- Debra Jones, circuit court judge.[20]
- Tommy Bryan, judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.[21]
Withdrawn cadidates
- Scott Donaldson, circuit court judge.[22]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tommy Bryan | 309,147 | 65.35% | |
| Republican | Debra Jones | 163,938 | 34.65% | |
| Total votes | 473,085 | 100% | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tommy Bryan | 1,264,751 | 98.08% | ||
| Write-in | 24,788 | 1.92% | |||
| Total votes | 1,289,539 | 100% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Ballot measures
Twelve statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot in Alabama - one in September and eleven in November. All but one were approved by the voters.[24]
| Name | Description | Votes | Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | % | No | % | |||
| Amendment 1 (September) | Transfers $145.8 million from an oil and gas trust fund to the General Fund for Medicaid budget.[25] | 390,421 | 65.35 | 206,995 | 34.65 | Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
| Amendment 1 (November) | Extends payments made to the Forever Wild Land Trust for a 20-year period.[26] | 1,323,819 | 75.16 | 437,560 | 24.84 | |
| Amendment 2 | Allows issuance of general obligation bonds of no more than $750 million.[27] | 1,145,034 | 69.41 | 504,610 | 30.59 | |
| Amendment 3 | Defines the Stockton Landmark District within Baldwin County.[28] | 887,024 | 67.80 | 421,255 | 32.20 | |
| Amendment 4 | Removes references to segregation of schools from the state constitution.[29] | 675,064 | 39.34 | 1,040,987 | 60.66 | |
| Amendment 5 | Transfers assets and liabilities of the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Prichard to the Mobile Area Water Sewer System.[30] | 900,596 | 68.66 | 411,167 | 31.34 | |
| Amendment 6 | Prohibits mandatory participation in any healthcare system.[31] | 969,069 | 58.96 | 674,518 | 41.04 | |
| Amendment 7 | Allows for the use of secret ballots in votes of employee representation and public votes on referendums and public office.[32] | 1,056,299 | 67.11 | 517,595 | 32.89 | |
| Amendment 8 | Provides that the compensation paid to legislators does not increase during term of office.[33] | 1,102,981 | 68.50 | 507,123 | 31.50 | |
| Amendment 9 | Allows the state legislature to implement business privilege tax on corporations.[34] | 880,606 | 57.80 | 642,927 | 42.20 | |
| Amendment 10 | Related to the authority of state legislature and banking in the state.[35] | 778,996 | 54.05 | 662,372 | 45.95 | |
| Amendment 11 | Prohibits any municipality outside of Lawrence County from imposing any municipal ordinance or regulation.[36] | 830,067 | 66.11 | 425,501 | 33.89 | |
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State[23][37] | ||||||
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References
- ^ "Alabama elections, 2012". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Lyman, Brian (October 14, 2012). "Baxley, Cavanaugh meet in PSC presidency rematch". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Dean, Charles J. (September 23, 2012). "Alabama Public Service Commission president race is for last seat held by a Democrat". Al.com. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ^ Brownfield, Andy (March 14, 2012). "PSC president primary race headed for runoff". The Gadsden Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Moseley, Brandon (December 27, 2011). "Kathy Peterson Running for Public Service Commission". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Alabama state executive official elections, 2012". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama judicial elections, 2012". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Johnson, Bob (June 30, 2011). "Sue Bell Cobb resigns as chief justice". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ a b Derby, Kevin (November 23, 2011). "Roy Moore to Run for His Old Job -- Not the White House". Sunshine State News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ a b Talbot, George (July 29, 2011). "Charlie Graddick says he's 'running to win' in Supreme Court chief justice race". AL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Chandler, Kim (August 22, 2012). "Judge Robert Vance will be Democrats' candidate for Alabama chief justice". AL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ a b Velasco, Eric (August 18, 2012). "New candidate sought to replace Alabama chief justice nominee Harry Lyon (slideshow)". AL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c Talbot, George (August 21, 2012). "Mobile lawyers drop write-in bids for Alabama Supreme Court chief justice". AL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Beyerle, Dana (October 30, 2012). "Vance gets Republican, retired justice endorsements". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Chandler, Kim (November 8, 2012). "'10 Commandments judge' Roy Moore wins his old job back". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Velasco, Eric (August 31, 2011). "Alabama's new chief justice says he'll run for full 6-year term in 2012". AL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ a b "Recertification of Results - Republican Party Primary" (PDF). sos.alabama.gov. April 6, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Chandler, Kim (August 21, 2012). "Judge Robert Vance says he wants to offer 'choice' in chief justice race". AL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ "Amended Certification of General Election Results" (PDF). sos.alabama.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ a b McCreless, Patrick (January 10, 2012). "Circuit Judge Debra Jones to seek Alabama Supreme Court seat". The Anniston Star. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Kirby, Brendan (March 6, 2012). "Meet the candidates: Alabama Supreme Court race turns on which kind of experience is best". AL.com. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Adam (September 18, 2011). "Local judge drops out of high court race". The Tuscaloosa News. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ a b "Certified General Election Results - Without Write-in Appendix" (PDF). sos.alabama.gov. November 28, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama 2012 ballot measures". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Medicaid Amendment, Amendment 1 (September 2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust Amendment, Amendment 1 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama General Obligation Bond Amendment, Amendment 2 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Baldwin County Stockton Landmark District Amendment, Amendment 3 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Segregation Reference Ban Amendment, Amendment 4 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Assets and Liabilities Transfer Amendment, Amendment 5 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Healthcare Amendment, Amendment 6 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Secret Ballot Amendment, Amendment 7 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Legislative Compensation Amendment, Amendment 8 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Business Privilege Tax Amendment, Amendment 9 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Banking Amendment, Amendment 10 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Lawrence County Amendment, Amendment 11 (2012)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ "Certification of Results" (PDF). Alabama Secretary of State. October 9, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2025.