Everett Wess, a Birmingham Democrat and lawyer, has won the Democratic nomination for Alabama’s Senate seat, narrowly beating Dakarri Larriett with 54.59% of the vote. Wess received 50,229 votes to Larriett’s 41,779 votes, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.

Local Angle

Wess, who has long been involved in Jefferson County politics, did well in major population areas such as Jefferson and Madison counties, as well as the majority of west Alabama. Larriett took a piece of central Alabama with Shelby County as well as Montgomery County and major swaths of the Wiregrass in the southeastern part of the state.

Wess has previously run for office, including a bid for the District 2 seat on the Birmingham City Council, where he lost to incumbent Kim Rafferty. Despite his loss, Larriett expressed disappointment but said he learned valuable lessons from the experience.

General Election

Wess will face U.S. Rep. Barry Moore in the general election on November 3. Moore won his runoff for the Republican nomination, taking 55.80% of the vote against Jared Hudson, a former U.S. Navy SEAL.

Moore urged Republican voters to not get complacent in November, saying, ‘It’s vitally important that we show up and vote.’ Hudson said he may have lost this race, but he’s not giving up the fight, stating, ‘Every time I look at my beautiful family, I’m reminded that tough battles are always worth fighting.’

Original reporting: BirminghamWatch — read the source article.