Helena Councilwoman Leigh Hulsey won the Republican primary for Alabama House District 15 over Bessemer’s Brad Tompkins on Tuesday.
Official results were not yet available, but Tompkins conceded the race to Hulsey after seeing reports of individual precinct numbers coming to him, and Hulsey confirmed it looked like she had won the battle for the legislative seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Allen Farley.
Alabama House District 15 includes parts of Bessemer, western Hoover, much of Helena and communities such as McCalla and Tannehill.
As of 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, results on the Alabama secretary of state's website showed Tompkins with a slight margin of victory in the Jefferson County part of House District 15. With 98% of precincts counted in Jefferson County, Tompkins had 2,149 votes (50.3%) to 2,123 votes (49.7%) for Hulsey. However, Hulsey had a commanding lead over Tompkins in Shelby County, registering 1,376 votes (72%) to 526 votes (28%) for Tompkins.
“I’m quite excited,” Hulsey said Tuesday night from her home in Helena. “I feel incredibly grateful and humbled. It’s a pretty incredible feeling.”
Hulsey and Tompkins both said unofficial precinct totals showed Hulsey winning handily in Helena and Tompkins winning in Hoover and Bessemer. But Hulsey’s numbers were so strong in Helena that the victories for Tompkins in other areas were not enough to make up the difference, Tompkins said.
“She ran a good race,” Tompkins said of Hulsey. “She can expect my support in November.”
Hulsey will face Democrat Richard Ruoco in the Nov. 8 general election.
Hulsey, who last year lost a bid for Alabama House District 73 before legislative districts were redrawn, said that while she came up a little bit short in that race against fellow Republican Kenneth Paschal, she still felt God was leading her in the direction of the Legislature.
“I just didn’t know what it was going to look like,” she said.
She kept trusting in God, and now she is on her way to the general election as the Republican representative for House District 15, she said. The general election won’t be a “slam dunk,” Hulsey said. It will still be important for Republicans to stay engaged in the process, she said.
She’ll regroup for the fall election, but for now, “I’m extremely grateful they [Republican voters] felt they could cast their vote for me,” Hulsey said. “I just want to do a great job for this district.”
Hulsey, who owns a CrossFit studio in Alabaster, describes herself as a champion of conservative causes who believes in preventing government overreach and protecting the unborn, the right of people to have guns and states’ rights.
“The citizens of District 15 deserve a God-fearing, qualified, conservative, pro-jobs leader fighting for them,” Hulsey said during her campaign. “I really truly believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets and freedom. Those are what makes this country great.”
During her campaign, she said she believes people in her district see roads as important and will work to secure funding for road projects in the district. She also sees education as a priority and wants to make sure schools are well funded, she said.
She sees herself as an advocate for children with special needs and believes quality-of-life issues, such as the development of walking trails, bike trails and blueway trails, is important.
Hulsey also said she would favor repealing the gasoline tax increase that was approved by the Legislature three years ago.
“It’s often hard to unring a bell,” she said. She knows gas taxes are used to pay for road and infrastructure projects that benefit the public, but at the end of the day, the extra taxes are putting families in a really bad spot, especially those on a fixed income, she said.
