The Frequency

On April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais that Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district — drawn under court order to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act — violated the Equal Protection Clause. The ruling significantly curtailed race as a permissible factor in drawing district lines, striking at the core of Section 2 as strengthened by the 1982 amendments — the provision advocates have used for decades to challenge maps that dilute Black voting power.

Alabama moved within days. Gov. Kay Ivey called a special legislative session on May 1; the legislature gaveled in on May 4. The goal: replace the court-ordered map Alabama has used since 2023 — the one that gave the state two majority-Black congressional districts for the first time in its history. Republican leadership wants to revert to maps the legislature drew in 2023, maps a three-judge federal panel had previously ruled discriminated against Black voters. Under Callais, that earlier ruling may no longer hold.

The stakes are tangible. Shomari Figures, elected in 2024 to represent Alabama’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District, could see his seat effectively dismantled before his first term ends — returning Alabama to a single Black member of Congress, Rep. Terri Sewell in the 7th, after briefly sending two. Voting rights advocates rallied in Montgomery and Birmingham on May 5. Courts have not yet lifted the injunction blocking the old maps, and the legislature is working in anticipation of that clearance.

The 3rd Congressional District, which includes Chambers County, is not directly redrawn under the current proposal. But the outcome of this session will define what voting rights look like in Alabama for the next decade.

Voters in Alabama House District 38 — covering portions of Chambers and Lee counties — head to the polls on May 19. Two Democrats are on the ballot: Hazel Floyd of Valley and Christopher F. “Apostle” Davis of Lanett. The winner faces Republican incumbent Kristin Nelson in November.

Floyd heads into the final stretch with meaningful institutional backing. She attended the Alabama Democratic Conference annual convention in late April, and the ADC — one of Alabama’s most established Black Democratic organizations — has since endorsed her, a significant signal with two weeks remaining. Her campaign still runs on the same three pillars it has since the February special election: public schools, rural communities, and small businesses. She lost that race to Nelson by a margin that reflects the district’s composition more than her campaign. She is running again regardless.

Davis presents a different picture. He has no public campaign website, no documented media appearances, and has not filed campaign finance disclosures with the state. That last point carries real weight. Alabama law requires candidates to report contributions and expenditures on a set schedule. Failure to file can result in civil fines, and a complaint from any registered voter or opposing campaign can trigger a formal review. More practically, a candidate who has not disclosed his finances gives voters no way to evaluate who is funding his campaign or how that money is being used. Fourteen days out, that remains an open question with no public answer.

May 19 is the decision that shapes November. If you are a Democratic voter in Chambers County, this primary is yours to determine.

When Tommy Tuberville announced he was leaving the Senate to run for governor, he opened the first competitive U.S. Senate race in Alabama in nearly a decade. Six Republicans are on the May 19 primary ballot, and the dynamics of that field will almost certainly extend the race to a June 16 runoff — no candidate is expected to clear the 50% threshold needed to avoid one.

The frontrunners are Attorney General Steve Marshall, 1st District Congressman Barry Moore, and businessman Jared Hudson. President Trump endorsed Moore in January 2026, a significant structural advantage in a Republican primary where the president’s backing moves numbers. Marshall entered the race with strong name recognition from his years as the state’s top prosecutor and has built a broad donor network. Hudson is self-funding and positioning himself as an outsider.

On the Democratic side, four candidates are running: Dakarai Larriett, Kyle Sweetser, Everett Wess, and Mark Wheeler II. Cook Political Report rates the seat as solidly Republican, meaning the Democratic primary is largely about building presence, making an argument, and laying groundwork for future cycles.

For Chambers County voters, this is the largest statewide race on the May 19 ballot. The seat Tuberville vacated matters, and the Republican primary will determine who fills it.

Tommy Tuberville announced last May that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate and would instead run for governor of Alabama. He filed paperwork in January 2026. Three Republicans are on the ballot for governor on May 19: Tuberville, Ken McFeeters, and Will Santivasci.

The race took an unexpected turn when McFeeters filed a formal residency challenge against Tuberville after the filing deadline, alleging that Tuberville’s primary residence is a multimillion-dollar home in Walton County, Florida — not Alabama. Alabama law requires gubernatorial candidates to have been residents of the state for at least seven years. Tuberville has dismissed the challenge, saying residency is “not an issue,” and as of press time the challenge has not succeeded in removing him from the ballot.

Tuberville has framed his campaign around economic development and job creation. Education, infrastructure, and fraud reduction round out his stated priorities. His coaching legacy and Senate tenure give him a meaningful polling advantage over his Republican opponents.

The Democratic primary for governor is also on the May 19 ballot. The field includes former U.S. Senator Doug Jones alongside Will Boyd, 2022 gubernatorial nominee Yolanda Flowers, pastor Ja’Mel Brown, and former state representative Nathan Mathis. Cook Political Report rates the governorship as solidly Republican, but the Democratic primary determines who makes the November argument.

The governor’s race is one of the highest-profile contests on the May 19 ballot, and whoever wins the Republican primary — likely headed to a June 16 runoff — will be the heavy favorite in November.

Valley Haven School has served people with intellectual disabilities in the Valley area since its founding in the 1970s. What began as a community-funded program has grown into a cornerstone institution for Chambers County — one that has outlasted administrations, recessions, and the difficulty of sustaining long-term care for a population that rarely makes headlines.

The 50th annual Hike/Bike/Run fundraiser wrapped up this past weekend with a full slate of events: an auction on April 24, the inaugural Cooper H/B/R Relay Walk-a-Thon at Valley Community Center on May 1, and the signature car show and motorcycle ride on May 2. The ride departed from Langley GMC in Lanett; the car show ran at 6345 Fairfax Bypass with children’s activities alongside. The auction alone raised $11,000.

The Chambers County Commission honored Valley Haven at a recent meeting, recognizing the organization’s five decades of service alongside updates on Clean-Up Valley Day and other community business. It was a brief agenda item in a full meeting — the kind that often goes unnoticed outside the room.

It shouldn’t go unnoticed. Valley Haven has been doing this work for fifty years. The 50th Hike/Bike/Run is not a milestone to scroll past.