David Burkette
David Burkette is a former Democratic member of the Alabama State Senate, representing District 26 from 2018 to 2020. Burkette resigned on September 1, 2020.[1]
Burkette ran for re-election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 26. Burkette won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Burkette also ran in a special election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 26. Burkette won in the special general election on May 15, 2018.
Biography
David Burkette earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and health at Alabama State University. He earned a dual master's degree in physical education and administration. He has worked as an educator.[2]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Burkette was assigned to the following committees:
- Transportation and Energy Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Confirmations Committee
- Senate Education Policy Committee
- Tourism Committee
- Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety Committee
Elections
2018
Regular election
- See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Alabama State Senate District 26
Incumbent David Burkette defeated D.J. Johnson in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 26 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Burkette (D) | 80.2 | 31,973 |
| D.J. Johnson (R) | 19.7 | 7,863 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 45 | ||
| Total votes: 39,881 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Alabama State Senate District 26
Incumbent David Burkette defeated John Knight in the Democratic primary runoff for Alabama State Senate District 26 on July 17, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Burkette | 62.1 | 5,965 |
 | John Knight | 37.9 | 3,634 | |
| Total votes: 9,599 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Alabama State Senate District 26
Incumbent David Burkette and John Knight advanced to a runoff. They defeated Fred F. Bell in the Democratic primary for Alabama State Senate District 26 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Burkette | 47.3 | 6,901 |
| ✔ | | John Knight | 33.3 | 4,853 |
 | Fred F. Bell | 19.4 | 2,833 | |
| Total votes: 14,587 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 26
D.J. Johnson advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 26 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | D.J. Johnson | |
| ||||
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Special election
A special election for the position of Alabama State Senate District 26 was called for May 15, 2018. A special Democratic primary election was called for December 12, 2017. Since no candidate in the Democratic primary received more than 50 percent of the vote on December 12, a special Democratic primary runoff was held on February 27, 2018. The special general election was held May 15, 2018.
The candidate filing deadline for major party candidates was October 10, 2017, and the deadline for minor party candidates and independents was December 12, 2017.[3]
The seat became vacant following Senate Minority Leader Quinton Ross' (D) resignation to become president of Alabama State University.
Democrat David Burkette defeated Republican D.J. Johnson in the special election.[4] Burkette defeated State Rep. John Knight in the Democratic primary runoff after the two emerged from the Democratic primary, defeating Deborah Anthony, Fred F. Bell, and Tony Q. Cobb Jr.[5][6][7]
| Alabama State Senate, District 26, Special Election, 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  David Burkette |
89.3% | 3,876 | |
| Republican | D.J. Johnson | 10.4% | 450 | |
| Total Votes | 4,340 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State | ||||
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Alabama scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 4 to May 18.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 31.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from January 9 to March 29.
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Noteworthy events
Sentenced on charge of campaign finance violation
On September 21, 2020, Burkette was sentenced to one-year probation and a $3,000 fine for depositing $3,625 of campaign funds into his personal bank account.[8][9] The deposit occurred some time between the spring of 2015 and the beginning of 2016.[8]
The Alabama Ethics Commission first found probable cause that Burkette may have violated an ethics law back on October 2, 2019. The commission then referred the case to the Montgomery District Attorney.[10]
On September 14, 2020, Burkette pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor. As part of his plea, he agreed not to hold office for 10 years.[8]
See also
- Alabama State Senate
- Alabama State Senate District 26
- Alabama state legislative special elections, 2018
- Alabama State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Montgomery Advertiser, "Montgomery's David Burkette resigns from Alabama Senate," September 1, 2020
- ↑ The Alabama Legislature, "SENATOR BURKETTE, DAVID," accessed October 4, 2019
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "2017 Election Information," accessed October 4, 2017
- ↑ WSFA.com, "New District 26 state senator chosen in special election," May 15, 2018
- ↑ WSFA, "5 Democrats, 1 Republican qualify for race to replace Quinton Ross," October 10, 2017
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ AlabamaNews.net, "Al State Senate District 26 Runoff," February 27, 2018
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 AL.com, "Former Alabama senator pleads guilty to campaign finance violation," September 15, 2020
- ↑ Montgomery Advertiser, "Former Alabama Sen. David Burkette gets probation, $3K fine in campaign finance case," September 21, 2020
- ↑ Alabama, "Alabama Ethics Commission rules against Montgomery lawmaker," December 2, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Quinton Ross (D) |
Alabama State Senate District 26 2018-2020 |
Succeeded by Kirk Hatcher (D) |
