1996 United States Senate election in Alabama

none March 2026 September 2023 1996 United States Senate election in Alabama Alabama presidential no 1990 United States Senate election in Alabama 1990 2002 United States Senate election in Alabama 2002 November 5, 1996 125x136px Jeff Sessions as a U.S. Senator in 1997.png Jeff Sessions Republican Party (United States) 786,436 52.45% File:Roger Bedford in Hackleburg 2011.jpg Roger Bedford Democratic Party (United States) 681,651 45.46% 250px County results 250px Congressional district results 1 250px Sessions: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Bedford: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% U.S. Senator Howell Heflin Democratic Party (United States) Jeff Sessions Republican Party (United States) The 1996 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Howell Heflin decided to retire. Republican Jeff Sessions won the open seat, becoming the first of his party to win this seat since Reconstruction in 1868 and only the second Republican ever to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama. The swearing-in or the inauguration of Jeff Sessions marked the first time since 1871 that Republicans simultaneously held both Senate seats. This was the first time ever that a Republican won a full term to this Senate seat. Background In the 1968 presidential election, Alabama supported native son and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace over both Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Wallace was the official Democratic candidate in Alabama, while Humphrey was listed as the "National Democratic".http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=1&year=1968&f=0&off=0&elect=0 1968 Presidential General Election Results - Alabama Uselectionatlas.org November 5, 1968 August 7, 2009 In 1976, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter from Georgia carried the state, the region, and the nation, but Democratic control of the region slipped after that. Since 1980, conservative Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the Federal level, especially in Presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates have been elected to many state-level offices and, until 2010, comprised a longstanding majority in the Alabama Legislature. Three-term incumbent Howell Heflin decided not to seek re-election. A 75-year-old moderate-to-conservative Democrat, Heflin was re-elected in 1990 with over 60% of the vote. Until 2017, Richard Shelby’s 1992 victory was the last time Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama; Shelby later became a Republican in 1994. Democratic primary Candidates Roger Bedford, state senator Marilyn Q. Bromberg Glen Browder, U.S. representative from Jacksonville since 1989 Natalie Davis, professor of political science at Birmingham-Southern CollegeNatalie Davis http://www.bsc.edu/academics/faculty/davis-natalie.cfm Birmingham-Southern College November 27, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111116224223/http://www.bsc.edu/academics/faculty/davis-natalie.cfm November 16, 2011 dead Results thumb|Democratic primary first round results by county #7996E2 Bedford #BDD3FF 30–40% #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #5fd35f Browder #87de87 40–50% #5fd35f 50–60% #37c837 60–70% #2ca02c 70–80% #FFB380 Davis #FFCCAA 40–50% #FF9955 60–70% |center June 4 Democratic primary results Roger Bedford Democratic Party (United States) 141,360 44.77% Glen Browder Democratic Party (United States) 91,203 28.89% Natalie Davis Democratic Party (United States) 71,588 22.67% Marilyn Q. Bromberg Democratic Party (United States) 11,573 3.67% 315,724 100.00% thumb|Democratic primary runoff results by county #7996E2 Bedford #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #5fd35f Browder #5fd35f 50–60% #37c837 60–70% #2ca02c 70–80% #217821 80–90% |center June 25 Democratic runoff results Roger Bedford Democratic Party (United States) 141,747 61.59% Glen Browder Democratic Party (United States) 88,415 38.41% 230,162 100.00% Republican primary Candidates Jimmy Blake, Birmingham city councilman Walter D. Clark, podiatrist and Vietnam veteran Albert Lipscomb, state senator Sid McDonald, former state senator Frank McRight, attorney and Democratic nominee for AL-01 in 1984 Jeff Sessions, Alabama attorney general Charles Woods, businessman and perennial candidate Results thumb|Republican primary first round results by county #E27F7F Sessions #FFE0EA 20–30% #FFC8CD 30–40% #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #5fd35f McDonald #c0f0c0 20–30% #aae5aa 30–40% #87de87 40–50% #5fd35f 50–60% |center June 4 Republican primary results Jeff Sessions Republican Party (United States) 82,373 37.81% Sid McDonald Republican Party (United States) 47,320 21.72% Charles Woods Republican Party (United States) 24,409 11.20% Frank McRight Republican Party (United States) 21,964 10.08% Walter D. Clark Republican Party (United States) 18,745 8.60% Jimmy Blake Republican Party (United States) 15,385 7.06% Albert Lipscomb Republican Party (United States) 7,672 3.52% 217,868 100.00% thumb|Republican primary runoff results by county #E27F7F Sessions #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90% #5fd35f McDonald #5fd35f 50–60% #37c837 60–70% #2ca02c 70–80% |center June 25 Republican runoff results Jeff Sessions Republican Party (United States) 81,681 59.26% Sid McDonald Republican Party (United States) 56,156 40.74% 137,837 100.00% General election Candidates Roger Bedford (D), state senator Charles Hebner (NL), activist Jeff Sessions (R), attorney general of Alabama Mark Thornton (L), economist Results General election results Republican Party (United States) Jeff Sessions 786,436 52.45% Democratic Party (United States) Roger Bedford 681,651 45.46% Libertarian Party (United States) Mark Thornton 21,550 1.44% Natural Law Party (United States) Charles Hebner 9,123 0.61% 633 0.04% 1,499,393 100.00% Republican Party (United States) Alabama Democratic Party See also 1996 United States Senate elections References 1996 Category:1996 Alabama elections Alabama Category:Jeff Sessions