Patricia Todd's Alabama Election Win Restored

BIRMINGHAM, AL -- Top Democrats restored Patricia Todd's nomination for the District 54 House seat Saturday, making her the first openly gay person ever to be elected in Alabama.

In a 95-87 vote largely split down racial lines, the Democratic Executive Committee overruled Thursday's subcommittee decision that disqualified Todd and her opponent, Gaynell Hendricks, for failing to file their campaign finance forms with the party's chairman.

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, issued the following statement: "Finally, the voters have prevailed. We are enormously proud of the courage and tenacity Patricia showed throughout this ordeal, and equally proud of her supporters in Alabama and beyond who stood by her unfailingly. The Victory Fund and its network of donors have worked to ensure Patricia had a level playing field and a fair chance to show that a qualified, committed public servant can win the trust of the voters regardless of her sexual orientation. We have no doubt her career in the legislature will reflect the same determination and skill she showed in her campaign."

The Birmingham News editorialized Saturday that the state Democratic Party seemed to have a "death wish," calling the effort to strip Todd of her nomination, "the dumbest thing Alabama Democrats have done since 1986." That year the party nullified the primary win of its gubernatorial nominee and installed another candidate. It subsequently lost the governor's mansion to the Republicans for the first time since Reconstruction.