Rick Pate Beats State Sen. Gerald Dial in GOP Runoff for Agriculture Commissioner
Lowndesboro Mayor and farmer Rick Pate has defeated longtime state Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville) for the Republican nomination for commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.
The 63-year-old Pate led the 80-year-old Dial and three other candidates in the primary in June, but he didn’t get enough votes to win the nomination outright.
He widened his lead in Tuesday’s balloting.
No Democrats are running, so Pate is virtually assured of winning in November.
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