1910 Alabama Senate election

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1910 Alabama Senate election

On November 8, 1910, Alabama voters elected all 35 members of the state Senate for four-year terms. Democrats won 34 seats, and a single Republican, James B. Sloan, captured the 3rd district seat. Finis E. St. John, the Democratic candidate who lost to Sloan, filed a contest alleging voter irregularities in Winston County, but he withdrew the contest by December 28, 1910. The Democrats thus held 34 seats to 1 for the Republicans.

Leadership and party control
- Before the election, E. P. Thomas (Democrat) was the Senate’s leader, but he did not stand for re-election as leader.
- The Democrats elected Hugh Morrow (Democrat) as President pro tempore when the Legislature convened on January 10, 1911, keeping the chamber under Democratic control.

Votes and results
- Across the state, Democratic candidates received about 80,800 votes (roughly 87.9%), while Republican candidates received about 10,000 votes (roughly 10.8%).
- The 3rd district was the only competitive race that year in which a Republican won (James B. Sloan), while many other seats were won by Democrats either outright or with large margins.
- A number of districts had unopposed Democratic candidates, meaning those seats were decided without a contest.

Notable districts and situations
- District 3: James B. Sloan (Republican) defeated Finis E. St. John (Democrat) by a slim margin (52.72% to 47.28%), giving the Republicans their single new seat.
- Other districts saw Democratic wins by large margins or elections that were uncontested.
- Districts 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 35 had Democratic candidates who ran unopposed or faced minimal opposition.
- Note: Benjamin D. Turner (Democrat) of District 19 was elected but died on January 15, 1911, before he could be sworn in.

Special elections (1907–1910)
- District 5 (Jackson–Marshall) had a June 22, 1909 special election after a resignation; Samuel Phillips (Democrat) won with 59.07% of the votes.
- District 25 (Coffee–Crenshaw–Pike) had a September 28, 1907 special election after a resignation; John Gamble (Democrat) won with 99.50% of the votes (one write-in also recorded).
- These special elections kept Democratic holds on those seats.

Outcome
- The Democratic Party retained control of the Alabama Senate, with 34 seats to 1 for the Republican Party.
- Despite the overall Democratic hold, the chamber saw a net loss of one seat to the Republicans compared with the previous election.

Source
- Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1911.