Jeana Ross wins Alabama House District 27 seat

House District 27 representative-elect Jeana Ross. (Courtesy of Jeana Ross)

Former Aabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education Jeana Ross won a special election Tuesday to represent Alabama House District 27, which includes most of Marshall County.

As of 8:43 p.m. Tuesday, Ross had 1,611 votes (53.31%) in unofficial returns. Arab City Councilman Alan Miller had 1,411 votes (46.69%).

A message seeking comment was left with Ross Tuesday night.

Miller congratulated Ross in an interview Tuesday night.

“She’s a delightful and distinguished lady, and I’m sure I’ll be happy to have her as our district representative. I know that she’ll do a great job,” he said, adding that he looks forward to working with  her, “especially as I continue to serve on the Arab City Council helping our community and the others in the district.”

He said they’re proud of the campaign they ran and he feels his message resonated with people in the district.

“We got a lot of ground root support, and we feel it made a really strong showing. Almost half of the voters in the district were for our campaign and that’s uplifting and encouraging,” he said. 

Ross and Miller campaigned on bringing conservative visions to the Legislature.

Miller prioritized local infrastructure enhancements and sees improved amenities as key to community growth.

Ross addressed national concerns at the state level, such as inflation. Both said they oppose gambling but diverge on approaches: Miller leans towards rejecting comprehensive packages due to concerns about corruption, while Ross hesitated to take a position, citing potential negative impacts and the need for further research. 

Ross will succeed former Rep. and current Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab. 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 

Since no Democratic candidate qualified, a general election won’t be held, and Ross will become the House District 27 representative. The seat is solidly Republican, with Kitchen getting 84% of the vote in the 2018 election and 89% of the vote in 2022.

With the legislative session in its final days, Ross will have the opportunity to vote on some significant legislation, such as legislation funding state government and education in the state.

According to the Secretary of State, Ross raised $182,495, spent $61,694 and had $5,367 in non-monetary contributions and $11,234 in other receipts through April 29. Miller raised $19,679, spent $ 18,441 and had $11,250 in other receipts through April 26.

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