1970 Alabama Senate election
The 1970 Alabama Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 1970, 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. Every single seat was won by a white male Democrat. In the previous general election, one [Alabama Alabama Republican Party|Republican Party|Republican], Leland Childs, was elected, but had unsuccessfully sought re-election as a Democrat.
The Democratic primaries were held on May 5 with runoffs on June 2, which candidates had until February 28 to qualify for. Neither the Republican Party nor the NDPA held primaries for state office, instead opting to nominate by party convention. The Republican convention took place in Birmingham on July 17.
This was the last state senate election in Alabama before a 1973 federal court order mandated a new legislative map with single-member districts. At this point, the state had used a mixed system of single-member and multi-member districts to allocate seats in the legislature, all based on pre-existing county lines.
Summary
By district
†: Incumbent did not run for reelection.‡: Lost re-nomination.
Incumbents
Won re-election
The following incumbent senators sought and won re-election:- District 1: Stewart O'Bannon
- District 2: Bob Harris
- District 7: Aubrey Carr
- District 10: Jimmy Branyon
- District 12, place 1: Pat Vacca
- District 12, place 3: John Hawkins
- District 12, place 4: Richard Dominick
- District 12, place 5: George L. Bailes
- District 12, place 6: Eddie H. Gilmore
- District 14: Walter C. Givhan
- District 18: Pat Lindsey
- District 19: Roland Cooper
- District 21, place 1: Junie Pierce
- District 23: James S. Clark
- District 24, place 1: L. W. Noonan
- District 24, place 2: Pierre Pelham
Eliminated in primary
The following incumbent senators were defeated at their respective Democratic primary:- District 4: Dan Stone lost re-nomination to Kenneth Hammond.
- District 9: Woodrow lost re-nomination to Albea Fred Lybrand.
- District 12, place 2: Leland Childs ran for re-election as a Democrat, but lost the nomination to Tom King.
- District 22: W. Ray Lolley lost re-nomination to L. L. Dozier.
Did not seek re-election
The following incumbent senators did not seek re-election:- District 3: Jack Giles ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
- District 5: Emmet Oden retired.
- District 6: Fred Folsom retired.
- District 8: Ollie Nabors retired.
- District 11: E. W. Skidmore retired.
- District 12, place 7: Hugh Morrow ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
- District 13: G. Kyser Leonard was elected probate judge of Talladega County.
- District 15: W. G. McCarley ran unsuccessfully for Place No. 2 on the Alabama Public Service Commission.
- District 16: Tom Radney ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
- District 17: Bo Torbert retired.
- District 20: Alton Turner retired.
- District 21, place 2: President pro tempore O. J. Goodwyn ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
- District 24, place 3: William McDermott retired.
- District 25: J. Ernest Jackon ran unsuccessfully for an Alabama House of Representatives seat in Escambia County.
- District 26: Jim Adams retired.
General election results
Elected without opposition
The following candidates were the only candidates to file for their district's general election:- District 1: Stewart O'Bannon received 19,448 votes.
- District 3: Gene McLain received 28,832 votes.
- District 4: Kenneth Hammond received 16,839 votes. 1 write-in vote was recorded.
- District 5: Joe Fine received 17,738 votes.
- District 6: Bob Wilson received 24,163 votes. 2 write-in votes were recorded.
- District 8: Richard Malone received 15,879 votes.
- District 11: Richard Shelby received 18,511 votes.
- District 13: Robert Weaver received 18,059 votes.
- District 15: Obie J. Littleton received 18,356 votes.
- District 17: Don Horne received 15,133 votes.
- District 20: Crum Foshee received 16,363 votes.
- District 21, place 1: Junie Pierce received 26,834 votes.
- District 22: L. L. Dozier received 18,509 votes. 2 write-in votes were recorded.
- District 24, place 1: L. W. Noonan received 40,020 votes.
- District 24, place 2: Pierre Pelham received 41,277 votes.
- District 25: Dick Owen received 16,215 votes. 1 write-in vote was recorded.
- District 26: Larry Register received 19,497 votes.
Democratic primary results
Five Black Americans ran in the state senate primaries. Henry Parker, Larry F. Haygood and Austin Sumbry were eliminated in the first round in May, while L. H. Pitts and L. L. Anderson advanced to the June runoff. Neither won the Democratic nomination.Runoff results by district
Three incumbent senators won re-nomination in the runoff, while three lost re-nomination. Robert H. Wilder initially faced a runoff in District 16 against L. L. Still, but Still declined to participate in the runoff, allowing Wilder to advance to the general election.Candidates in boldface advanced to the general election. An asterisk denotes a runoff winner who was the runner-up in the first round.
First round results by district
Candidates in boldface advanced to either the general election or a runoff, first-place winners with an asterisk did not face a runoff.Nominated without opposition
The following candidates were the only candidates to file for their district's Democratic primary, which automatically gave them the nomination:- District 2: Bob Harris
- District 10: Jimmy Branyon
- District 12, place 3: John Hawkins
- District 12, place 6: Eddie H. Gilmore
- District 18: Pat Lindsey
- District 24, place 1: L. W. Noonan
- District 24, place 2: Pierre Pelham
- District 25: Dick Owen originally faced opposition in the Democratic primary, but his opponents withdrew.
Republican convention
On July 17–18, the Republican state convention nominated three candidates for state senate:- District 9: Robert Simmons Jr.
- District 17: Jerry Cook
- District 18: E. T. Rolison Jr.