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Democrats picked up one seat on the Jefferson County legislative delegation during Tuesday’s voting.
Democrat Nell Brown of McCalla beat Republican incumbent Leigh Hulsey for House District 15, which includes the southwestern portion of Jefferson County as well as a portion of Shelby County.
Brown won with 51% of the vote, getting 11,042 votes to Hulsey’s 10,516, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Brown has a law degree from Miles College and is active with Jefferson County Democrats.
Hulsey, who took office in 2022, also served on the Helena City Council for 13 years. She is the owner of CrossFit Alabaster and Henley Developments, and she is also president of the Alabaster Business Alliance.
Most of the legislators representing Jefferson County were uncontested on Tuesday’s ballot. Here are results for the contested races.
Senate District 16
For the Senate District 16 race, incumbent Republican J.T. “Jabo” Waggoner won against first-time challenger and Democrat Spencer Stone. Waggoner received 53.67% of the vote to Stone’s 46.22%.
District 16 covers parts of Jefferson and Shelby counties.
Waggoner, who has the longest record of service in the state Legislature, is in his eighth term representing Senate District 16, a seat he first won in 1990. He also served as Senate minority leader from 2002 to 2010 and then Senate majority leader from 2010 to 2014. Waggoner was also elected to the Alabama House in 1966, 1974, 1978 and 1982.
Stone, an educator from Pelham, is a former director of the Alabaster City Schools’ Champions Virtual Academy and founded StoneParks, a school-focused parking management platform.
House District 16
In the race for House District 16, incumbent Republican Bryan Brinyark won reelection Tuesday with 82.82% of the vote, beating out 22-year-old Democratic challenger Christian Martin of Northport, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Brinyark, a Tuscaloosa native, is a partner in Brinyark & Frederick, P.C., in Northport and has served as municipal judge for Centreville since 2005. The district includes portions of Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties along with Fayette County.
Though Tuesday’s race was the first time seeking office for Martin, he serves as committeeman on the Tuscaloosa County Democratic Executive Committee. Martin was a senior at the University of Alabama when he launched his campaign.
House District 45
Republican incumbent Susan DuBose won reelection to her House District 45 seat with 63.41% of the vote, beating challenger Toni Kornegay Vaughn, a Democrat from Highland Lakes, who had 36.53%.
DuBose, a Republican from Hoover, has served in the office since 2022. She retired from Compass Bank, where she worked as a residential, commercial and construction loan officer and business development officer.
This was the first run for public office for Vaughn. However, the retired insurance executive has served in multiple leadership roles with the Shelby County Democratic Party and the Alabama Democratic Party.
The district includes portions of Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties,
House District 47
Incumbent Republican Mike Shaw of Hoover beat Democrat Jim Toomey for the House District 47 seat, which includes a southern portion of Jefferson County, on a vote of 51.15% to 48.82%,
Shaw assumed the office in 2022 after previously having served on the Hoover City Council. He has worked in technology and cybersecurity, including as chief technology officer of Mutual Savings Credit Union.
Tuesday’s race was Toomey’s first run for public office. He retired after a 40-year career in computer science and information management, including as vice president and chief information officer at Loyal American Life Insurance Company in Mobile.
House District 55
Travis Hendrix of Birmingham won the House District 55 seat with 99.14% of the votes cast. Hendrix’ only challenger was write-in candidate Keith O. Williams. Hendrix took office in October 2023 after a special election for the seat that represents the central portion of Jefferson County. He is a sergeant for the Birmingham Police Department who has served as a school resource officer and on a public housing task force.