Alabama House of Representatives District 79
Alabama House of Representatives District 79 is represented by Joe Lovvorn (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Alabama state representatives represented an average of 47,905 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 45,743 residents.
About the office
Elected officials are not subjected to term limits and Alabama House members are one of only five lower house officials in the United States that are elected every four years. Alabama's state representatives assume office the day following their election.[1][2]
Qualifications
Members of the Alabama State House must be 21 years old at the time of their election, registered voters, U.S. citizens for at least one day, residents of the State of Alabama for at least three years, and residents of their district at least one year prior to the general election.[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $59,674.08/year | No per diem is paid to legislators whose permanent residence is less than six hours away. Legislators who are 6-12 hrs from their permanent residence receive $12.75/day. Legislators who are over 12 hours away and have no overnight stay receive $34/day. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Alabama State Legislature, a special election must generally be conducted in order to fill the vacant seat. In the event that a vacancy occurs on or after October 1 in the year of a regular election, the seat will remain vacant until filled at the regular election. Otherwise, the governor must call for a special election if the vacancy happens before the next scheduled general election and the Legislature is in session.[4][5][6] The governor has all discretion in setting the date of the election along with the nominating deadlines.[6][7]
See sources: Alabama Code § 17-15-1
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On August 22, 2025, the district court struck down the state senate map as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.[8]
Alabama enacted state legislative maps for the state Senate and House of Representatives on Nov. 4, 2021, after Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed the proposals into law.[9] Senators approved the Senate map on Nov. 1 with a 25-7 vote.[10] Representatives approved the Senate map on Nov. 3 with a 76-26 vote.[9] For the House proposal, representatives voted 68-35 in favor on Nov. 1 and senators followed on Nov. 3 with a 22-7 vote.[11] These maps took effect for Alabama's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Alabama work? The Alabama State Legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a single redistricting plan. State legislative district lines must be approved in the first legislative session following the United States Census. There is no statutory deadline for congressional redistricting. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.[12]
The Alabama Constitution requires that state legislative district lines be contiguous. In addition, the state constitution mandates that state Senate districts "follow county lines except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements."[12]
In 2000, according to All About Redistricting, the legislative committee charged with redistricting "adopted guidelines ... asking that [congressional] districts be contiguous, reasonably compact, follow county lines where possible, and maintain communities of interest to the extent feasible." In addition, the committee agreed to "attempt to avoid contests between incumbents." Similar guidelines apply to state legislative redistricting. At its discretion, the state legislature may change these guidelines, which are non-binding.[12]
Alabama House of Representatives District 79
until November 8, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Alabama House of Representatives District 79
starting November 9, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
General election
General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 79
Incumbent Joe Lovvorn defeated Amanda Frison in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 79 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe Lovvorn (R) | 81.2 | 7,690 |
 | Amanda Frison (L)  | 17.9 | 1,692 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 84 | ||
| Total votes: 9,466 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Joe Lovvorn advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 79.
2018
General election
General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 79
Incumbent Joe Lovvorn defeated Mary Wynne Kling in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 79 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Lovvorn (R) | 58.0 | 9,717 |
 | Mary Wynne Kling (D) | 41.9 | 7,015 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 8 | ||
| Total votes: 16,740 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 79
Mary Wynne Kling advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 79 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Wynne Kling |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 79
Incumbent Joe Lovvorn advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 79 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Lovvorn |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
A special election for the position of Alabama House of Representatives District 79 was scheduled for November 29. The special election was canceled by the secretary of state after only one candidate was on the ballot following the primary election. A primary election took place on September 13. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 14. All third-party candidates had until September 13 to file.[13]
The seat was vacant following Mike Hubbard's (R) conviction on June 10, 2016, of 12 felony ethics violations.[14]
Joe Lovvorn defeated Jay Conner, Brett Smith, and Sandy Toomer in the Republican primary.[15][16] Lovvorn was declared the winner of the special election after Libertarian candidate Gage Fenwick failed to submit the required number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot. Secretary of State John Merrill canceled the special general election since Lovvorn was the only one still left on the ballot.[17]
2014
Elections for the Alabama House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on July 15, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014. Shirley Scott-Harris was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Mike Hubbard defeated Fred Toomer in the Republican primary. Hubbard then defeated Scott-Harris in the general election.[18][19][20][21][22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Mike Hubbard Incumbent |
58.5% | 5,136 | |
| Democratic | Shirley Scott-Harris | 40.3% | 3,535 | |
| NA | Write-In | 1.2% | 101 | |
| Total Votes | 8,772 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Mike Hubbard Incumbent |
60.2% | 2,947 |
| Fred Toomer | 39.8% | 1,948 |
| Total Votes | 4,895 | |
2010
Elections for the office of Alabama House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on June 1, 2010, and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 2, 2010. Incumbent Mike Hubbard won the general election with no opposition after running unopposed in the June 1 primary.[23][24][25]
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Alabama House of Representatives District 79 raised a total of $4,422,110. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $276,382 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Alabama House of Representatives District 79 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $212,678 | 2 | $106,339 |
| 2018 | $244,754 | 2 | $122,377 |
| 2014 | $1,795,881 | 3 | $598,627 |
| 2012 | $7,500 | 1 | $7,500 |
| 2010 | $540,478 | 1 | $540,478 |
| 2008 | $110,900 | 1 | $110,900 |
| 2006 | $1,336,447 | 4 | $334,112 |
| 2002 | $173,472 | 2 | $86,736 |
| Total | $4,422,110 | 16 | $276,382 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Justia, "Alabama Constitution, Article IV, Section 46," accessed November 22, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alabama State Legislature, "The Alabama House of Representatives," accessed December 12, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "house" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Alabama Amendment 4, Legislative Vacancies Amendment (2018)," accessed March 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia US Law, "2023 Code of Alabama Title 17 - Elections. Chapter 15 - Special Elections. Section 17-15-1 - When and for What Offices Held." accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Justia US Law, "2023 Code of Alabama Title 17 - Elections. Chapter 15 - Special Elections. Section 17-15-3 - Special Elections Ordered by Governor." accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Alabama Legislature, "Constitution of Alabama 2022," accessed February 26, 2025
- ↑ Alabama Reflector, "Federal judge: Alabama Senate map violates Voting Rights Act," August 22, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Montgomery Advertiser, "Gov. Kay Ivey signs off on Alabama congressional, legislative, SBOE maps for 2022," Nov. 4, 2021
- ↑ Alabama Political Reporter, "Alabama Senate passes Senate, State School Board districts," Nov. 1, 2021
- ↑ Alabama Political Report, "House district lines comfortably pass House over objections from both sides ," Nov. 1, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 All About Redistricting, "Alabama," accessed April 16, 2015
- ↑ whnt.com, "Governor Bentley calls for special election to replace Rep. Mike Hubbard," accessed June 28, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Michael Hubbard, Alabama House Speaker, Is Convicted on 12 Felony Ethics Charges," June 10, 2016
- ↑ oanow.com, "Four Republican candidates qualify for special District 79 election," accessed July 22, 2016
- ↑ Alabama Public Radio, "Lovvorn Wins Primary for Hubbard's House Seat," accessed September 14, 2016
- ↑ oanow.com, "UPDATED: Joe Lovvorn certified as House District 79 representative," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ Alabama Democrats, "Qualified candidates for public office list," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Republican Party, "State Senate," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Official Democratic Primary Results," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Official Republican Primary Results," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ AL.com, "Alabama 2014 general election: Results for statewide and congressional races," November 4, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "State of Alabama 2010 Certified General Election Results," November 2, 2010
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Democratic Primary results," November 21, 2013
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Republican Primary results," November 21, 2013
