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Alabama Local Election Season is in Full Gear...And it Matters [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-07-22

Why Local Elections in Alabama Could Change the South

I’m Seth Levi from New Southern Leaders, a Political Action Committee created by the SPLC Action Fund. If you can bear with me for a moment — I’m actually optimistic about the 2025 elections. And not because of the headlines coming out of Washington.

National races may grab all the attention, but they often leave communities stuck in a cycle of progress and rollback — whiplashed by shifting federal power. Meanwhile, local governments are making the decisions that most impact our daily lives: on housing, policing, schools and public services. Yet too often, these crucial elections go uncontested, voter turnout is dismal and the candidates don’t reflect the communities they seek to serve.

That’s why we launched New Southern Leaders — to change the face of political power in the Deep South by recruiting and supporting more Black, Brown, women and working-class candidates for local office. Our focus? The places where local leadership matters most and where progress has been stalled for too long.

Support candidates who can reshape the South — city by city.

< Will you chip in today to help us?>

In Alabama, for example, many majority-Black cities have never had a Black mayor. In 2025, we’re working to change that by backing candidates with deep ties to their communities, leaders who already know the issues because they’ve lived them.

Our approach is hands-on and practical:

We help candidates navigate confusing compliance rules.

We provide access to critical voter data and targeted outreach tools.

We offer training on messaging, organizing and coalition-building.

And most importantly — we clear financial hurdles that often block grassroots candidates from competing.

Most winning municipal campaigns in Alabama run on less than $10k, so even a modest investment can have an outsized impact. We’re not spending big on consultants or flashy ads — our funds go directly to the candidates doing the work on the ground.

< Rush your contribution to help reach more candidates before August 1!>

Right now, we’re facing a critical deadline. With Alabama’s general election on August 26, we need to raise $12,000 by August 1 to launch a rapid-response fund. These dollars will go straight to campaigns facing last-minute budget shortfalls, which allow candidates to stay focused on voter turnout and fight back against being outspent by well-funded opponents.

In a majority-Black city like Mobile, electing a Black mayor is about more than representation — it's about building political power that reflects the lived experiences of the community. New Southern Leaders is working to elect Barbara Drummond, an exceptionally qualified candidate with a proven track record of delivering for Mobile. As a former state representative, she worked across the aisle to secure millions in education and infrastructure funding to champion policies that support families and local businesses. And while she is the only Black candidate in the race, Drummond is committed to equitable policies that leave no community behind, allowing all Mobile residents to thrive.

In the August general election, Drummond is up against three well-funded white conservatives for the final two spots in September’s runoff election. Understanding what is at stake this year, other Black candidates have gone so far as to withdraw their candidacies to avoid splitting the vote and help Barbara Drummond advance. As retired police chief and former mayoral candidate Lawrence Battiste put it, “If you’re not one or two, it doesn’t matter. Number three is the first loser. So, the goal is how do we come together and give one of us an opportunity to be in the top two?”1

So, if you care about democracy, racial justice or simply want to see more local leaders who actually look like and reflect the interests of their communities, now’s the time to get involved.

With communities, we are building something different. Something powerful.

< Give what you can to grow this movement today.>

In Solidarity,

Seth Levi

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/22/2334673/-Alabama-Local-Election-Season-is-in-Full-Gear-And-it-Matters?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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