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Alabama House of Representatives District 80

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Alabama House of Representatives District 80
Incumbent
Assumed office: January 29, 2016

Alabama House of Representatives District 80 is represented by Chris Blackshear (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

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

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, 2025[3]
SalaryPer diem
$62,212/yearNo per diem is paid to legislators whose permanent residence is less than six hours away. The daily rate is $12.75 for 6–12 hour trips and $34 for non-overnight trips over 12 hours. Overnight per diem is $85 for one night or $100 per day for two or more nights.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

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]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Alabama Code § 17-15-1


District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Alabama after the 2020 census

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] On November 17, 2025, the court imposed a remedial map and ordered the state to use it in the 2026 and 2030 elections.[9]

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.[10] Senators approved the Senate map on Nov. 1 with a 25-7 vote.[11] Representatives approved the Senate map on Nov. 3 with a 76-26 vote.[10] For the House proposal, representatives voted 68-35 in favor on Nov. 1 and senators followed on Nov. 3 with a 22-7 vote.[12] 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.[13]

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."[13]

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.[13]

Alabama House of Representatives District 80
until November 8, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Alabama House of Representatives District 80
starting November 9, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2026

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80

Manfred Malone (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 on May 19, 2026.


Candidate Connection = 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.

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Republican primary

Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80

Incumbent Chris Blackshear (R) is running in the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 on May 19, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Chris Blackshear
Chris Blackshear

Candidate Connection = 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.

2022

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 80

Incumbent Chris Blackshear won election in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Blackshear
Chris Blackshear (R)
 
97.6
 
8,113
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.4
 
202

Total votes: 8,315
Candidate Connection = 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 Chris Blackshear advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80.

2018

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Alabama House of Representatives District 80

Incumbent Chris Blackshear defeated Christopher Davis in the general election for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Blackshear
Chris Blackshear (R)
 
71.3
 
8,506
Christopher Davis (D)
 
28.6
 
3,407
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
14

Total votes: 11,927
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80

Judy LaRue advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 on June 5, 2018.


Candidate Connection = 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 80

Incumbent Chris Blackshear advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Chris Blackshear
Chris Blackshear

Candidate Connection = 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

See also: Alabama state legislative special elections, 2016

A special election for the position of Alabama House of Representatives District 80 was scheduled for April 12. Since no Democrats filed for the special election, John Merrill (R), the Alabama Secretary of State, declared Blackshear the winner on January 29, 2016.[14] A primary election took place on January 19. The filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was November 17, 2015. The filing deadline for third-party candidates was January 19.[15]

The seat was vacant following Lesley Vance's (R) death on November 3, 2015.[16]

Chris Blackshear defeated James McGill and Tommy Pugh in the Republican primary.[17] Kenicia Battle (D) was removed from the ballot before the primary.[18] Blackshear was declared the winner of the special election by the state's secretary of state.[19][20]

Alabama House of Representatives, District 80 Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngChris Blackshear 69.4% 621
James McGill 25.8% 231
Tommy Pugh 4.8% 43
Total Votes 895

2014

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 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. Tillman Pugh was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Lesley Vance defeated Alex Balkcum and Mervin Dudley in the Republican primary. Vance defeated Pugh in the general election.[21][22][23][24]

Alabama House of Representatives District 80, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLesley Vance Incumbent 67.6% 4,702
     Democratic Tillman Pugh 32.2% 2,241
     NA Write-In 0.2% 17
Total Votes 6,960


Alabama House of Representatives, District 80 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngLesley Vance Incumbent 64.4% 1,316
Alex Balkcum 18.5% 378
Mervin Dudley 17.2% 351
Total Votes 2,045

2010

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 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 Lesley Vance defeated Mervin Dudley (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in the June 1 primary elections.[25][26][27]

Alabama House of Representatives District , General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngLesley Vance Incumbent 54.6% 5,579
     Republican Mervin Dudley 45.4% 4,646
Total Votes 10,225

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Alabama House of Representatives District 80 raised a total of $1,030,099. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $68,673 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Alabama House of Representatives District 80
Year Amount Candidates Average
2022 $108,246 1 $108,246
2018 $116,563 3 $38,854
2014 $295,994 4 $73,999
2012 $-1,930 1 $-1,930
2010 $268,490 2 $134,245
2008 $1,100 1 $1,100
2006 $196,386 2 $98,193
2002 $45,250 1 $45,250
Total $1,030,099 15 $68,673


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Justia, "Alabama Constitution, Article IV, Section 46," accessed November 22, 2016
  2. 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
  3. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
  4. Ballotpedia, "Alabama Amendment 4, Legislative Vacancies Amendment (2018)," accessed March 28, 2025
  5. 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. 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
  7. Alabama Legislature, "Constitution of Alabama 2022," accessed February 26, 2025
  8. Alabama Reflector, "Federal judge: Alabama Senate map violates Voting Rights Act," August 22, 2025
  9. Alabama Reflector, "Federal judge approves new Alabama Senate map redrawing Montgomery districts," November 18, 2025
  10. 10.0 10.1 Montgomery Advertiser, "Gov. Kay Ivey signs off on Alabama congressional, legislative, SBOE maps for 2022," Nov. 4, 2021
  11. Alabama Political Reporter, "Alabama Senate passes Senate, State School Board districts," Nov. 1, 2021
  12. Alabama Political Report, "House district lines comfortably pass House over objections from both sides ," Nov. 1, 2021
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 All About Redistricting, "Alabama," accessed April 16, 2015
  14. WTVM.com, "AL Sec of State declares Blackshear as House Seat 80 rep," accessed January 29, 2016
  15. Office of the Governor of Alabama, "Governor Bentley Calls Special Election for House District 80," accessed December 23, 2015
  16. Associated Press, "Alabama State Rep. Lesley Vance dead at 76," November 3, 2015
  17. wrbl.com, "Candidates set for Lesley Vance’s House seat," accessed December 23, 2015
  18. Ledger-Enquirer, "Blackshear to represent GOP in House race," accessed January 20, 2016
  19. WTVM.com, "Chris Blackshear wins special election for AL House Seat 80," accessed January 20, 2016
  20. Alabama Votes, "Alabama Republican Party," accessed February 22, 2016
  21. Alabama Democrats, "Qualified candidates for public office list," accessed February 27, 2014
  22. Alabama Republican Party, "State Senate," accessed February 27, 2014
  23. Alabama Secretary of State, "Official Democratic Primary Results," accessed June 20, 2014
  24. Alabama Secretary of State, "Official Republican Primary Results," accessed June 20, 2014
  25. Alabama Secretary of State, "State of Alabama 2010 Certified General Election Results," November 2, 2010
  26. Alabama Secretary of State, "Democratic Primary results," November 21, 2013
  27. Alabama Secretary of State, "Republican Primary results," November 21, 2013


Current members of the Alabama House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Nathaniel Ledbetter
Majority Leader:Scott Stadthagen
Minority Leader:Anthony Daniels
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
Mike Shaw (R)
District 48
Jim Carns (R)
District 49
District 50
Jim Hill (R)
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
Bill Lamb (R)
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
Ed Oliver (R)
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
Rick Rehm (R)
District 86
Paul Lee (R)
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
Sam Jones (D)
District 100
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
District 105
Republican Party (76)
Democratic Party (29)