Jeana Ross, Alan Miller competing in GOP runoff for House District 27

Former Alabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education Jeana Ross (left) and Arab City Councilman Alan Miller will face off in an April 30 GOP runoff for House District 27 in Marshall County. (Courtesy of Jeana Ross and Alan Miller)

Republican voters in House District 27 will go to the polls Tuesday to select a nominee.

Arab City Councilman Alan Miller will face Jeana Ross, former secretary of Early Childhood Education, for the GOP nomination in the district, which includes most of Marshall County. They advanced to the runoff after a primary earlier this month.

The seat is solidly Republican. Former Rep. and current Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, got 84% of the vote in the 2018 election and 89% of the vote in 2022. With no Democratic candidate, the candidate with the most votes Tuesday will become the representative for House District 27.

The seat became vacant after Kitchens won an election in January to represent Senate District 9, which had previously been represented by former Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield, R-Arab. Scofield left the Senate in November to join the Business Council of Alabama after about 13 years in the Alabama Legislature.

In separate interviews, both Ross and Miller said they would bring a conservative vision to the Alabama House, though they each had slightly different approaches. 

Miller said he wants to improve local quality of life by bringing money for infrastructure projects, such as water and sewage upgrades and community beautification projects.

As a councilman in Arab, he said he was the swing vote for making costly upgrades to the Arab City Park about two years ago. Miller, who describes himself as a fiscal conservative, said it was a tough decision because of the overall cost. But he said he has no regrets now. 

“We just had our grand reopening of that and it is so nice, and we’ve had such crowds over there. It’s kind of remarkable,” Miller said. 

He said the council recently voted to allocate some more funding for a new, smaller park. 

“When you have a nice town — of course, our schools are great too — then you attract people that want to live here and grow, and grow in the right way,” he said.

Ross said many voters expressed concern about the direction of the country. She said that while it may feel like a national issue, constituents tell her they are concerned about their values and way of life overall.

She said there are ways to make that change on a state level and pass “creative conservative policies to actually impact change” on a local level, and that she has the experience to make that happen.

“There are ways that we can make changes, even when they are coming from the national level,” Ross said. “It’s just having the determination to get it done, and I’ve got a proven record of doing that.”

Both candidates said they personally opposed gambling. They hold similar views on the impacts of gambling in the district. 

Miller said that he would likely vote against the comprehensive gambling package in a constitutional amendment as a voter because of his belief that gambling operations can bring in corruption and crime. He said he hears similar concerns from constituents.

“That’s what people are telling me, is that they don’t want that. Nor do I. That’s what I’ve got to represent,” Miller said.

He did say he would not be opposed to a lottery-only statewide referendum, if that’s what the district wanted.

“I’m just one person in the constituency, so even if I don’t want it, but 10 to one people do, then that’s what I’ve got to represent,” Miller said. 

Ross said that she’s not a fan of gambling and hesitated to take a stance on either gambling packages stalled in the Legislature. She said that because of potential negative impact it can have on people, especially disadvantaged groups, she would have to do more research on the current bills.

“I’ve not read the bills, but I’m personally not a fan of gambling,” she said.

Meet the Candidates

Alan Miller

House District 27 candidate Alan Miller. (Courtesy of Alan Miller)

Age: 62

Residence: Arab

Occupation: Retired, banking management

Education: B.A., Psychology, Auburn University, 1985; M.B.A., Finance, Florida State University, 1992.

Party: Republican

Previous political experience: Arab City Council, 2014-2016; 2020 – present

Fundraising: Miller has raised $28,878, including $10,000 he loaned the campaign, and spent $18,041. He had $10,837 on hand as of April 19.

Jeana Ross

House District 27 candidate Jeana Ross. (Courtesy of Jeana Ross)

Age: 69

Residence: Guntersville

Occupation: Education consultant, former secretary of Early Childhood Education

Education: B.S., Early Childhood Education, University of Alabama in Birmingham, 1975; M.A., Educational Leadership, University of Alabama, 2000.

Party: Republican

Previous political experience: First time candidate

Fundraising: Ross has raised $172,668, including $11,234 she loaned the campaign and $109,000 in PAC donations. She spent $159,044 and had $12,584 on hand as of April 23.

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