Montgomery Wins Alabama House Seat, Makes Legislative History

Allison Montgomery won Alabama House District 25 for the Democrats, defeating Republican incumbent Phillip Rigsby and becoming the first openly transgender person elected to the Alabama Legislature. Montgomery received 53.2% of the vote to Rigsby’s 46.7%, according to reported results, a margin described as seven percentage points in another account. The result flipped a Madison County seat previously held by Rigsby. Republicans retain a supermajority in the Alabama House, with 74 seats, while Democrats have 31, according to one report. Montgomery’s victory therefore brings a new Democratic member to the chamber without changing Republican control. Montgomery said she ran on policy issues and wants to represent constituents regardless of how they voted or what they think about her gender. In an interview after the election, she said school funding, health care reform, opposition to AI data centers, workers’ rights, state surveillance and corruption were among the issues in her campaign platform. She said she planned to speak with residents through the legislative session to learn what mattered to them. Montgomery also described finding common ground with Republicans as a way...