Alabama State Senate District 4
Alabama State Senate District 4 is represented by Garlan Gudger (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Alabama state senators represented an average of 143,716 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 137,228 residents.
About the office
Alabama's senators serve without term limits for four-year terms. Alabama's state senators assume office the day following their election.[1]
Qualifications
Members of the Alabama State Senate must be at least 25 years of age 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 State Senate District 4
until November 8, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Alabama State Senate District 4
starting November 9, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
- See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Alabama State Senate District 4
Incumbent Garlan Gudger won election in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Garlan Gudger (R) | 99.2 | 38,265 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 307 | ||
| Total votes: 38,572 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jacob Marlowe (L)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Garlan Gudger advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4.
2018
- See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Alabama State Senate District 4
Garlan Gudger won election in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Garlan Gudger (R) | 99.1 | 39,817 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 343 | ||
| Total votes: 40,160 (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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4
Garlan Gudger defeated incumbent Paul Bussman in the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Garlan Gudger | 58.6 | 14,454 |
 | Paul Bussman | 41.4 | 10,195 | |
| Total votes: 24,649 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2014
- See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Alabama State Senate 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. Angelo Mancuso was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Paul Bussman defeated Bruce Whitlock in the Republican primary. Bussman defeated Mancuso in the general election.[13][14][15][16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Paul Bussman Incumbent |
73.5% | 24,750 | |
| Democratic | Angelo Mancuso | 26.4% | 8,875 | |
| NA | Write-In | 0.1% | 29 | |
| Total Votes | 33,654 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Paul Bussman Incumbent |
61.4% | 12,069 |
| Bruce Whitlock | 38.6% | 7,597 |
| Total Votes | 19,666 | |
2010
- See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Alabama State Senate 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. Paul Bussman defeated incumbent Zebulon Little (D) in the November 2 general election.[17] Bussman defeated opponents Tom Beason and Patricia McGriff in the June 1 Republican primary. He defeated McGriff again in a July 13 primary runoff election.[18]
| Alabama State Senate, District 4, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Paul Bussman |
57.8% | 25,621 | |
| Democratic | Zebulon Little Incumbent | 42.2% | 18,733 | |
| Total Votes | 44,354 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Alabama State Senate District 4 raised a total of $5,405,427. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $317,966 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Alabama State Senate District 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $647,061 | 1 | $647,061 |
| 2018 | $820,666 | 2 | $410,333 |
| 2014 | $639,322 | 3 | $213,107 |
| 2010 | $1,641,067 | 4 | $410,267 |
| 2008 | $112,899 | 1 | $112,899 |
| 2006 | $919,022 | 2 | $459,511 |
| 2002 | $625,390 | 4 | $156,348 |
| Total | $5,405,427 | 17 | $317,966 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Justia, "Alabama Constitution, Article IV, Section 46," accessed November 22, 2016
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Minimum Qualifications for Public Office," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Alabama Democrats, "Qualified candidates for public office list," accessed February 25, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Republican Party, "State Senate," accessed February 25, 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
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "State of Alabama 2010 Certified General Election Results," November 22, 2010
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Republican Primary results," November 21, 2013
