State Senate Upset: Robert Stewart Beats Hank Sanders in District 23
Robert Stewart has beaten former State Sen. Hank Sanders, who was trying to win back his old seat in the Alabama Legislature.
Stewart, a 32-year-old tax policy lobbyist in Selma, beat Sanders by a margin of 56% to 44% in the Democratic Party runoff. In the May 24 primary, Sanders had finished on top of Stewart 45% to 30% in a race that had two other candidates.
Sanders had held the senate seat from 1983 until he decided to retire in 2018. His daughter Malika Sanders-Fortier then won the seat, but decided to run for governor this year instead of for re-election.
Stewart says he’s going to take a brief rest, then get ready for the November general election where he will face Republican Michael Nimmer.
Senate District 23 includes Dallas, Perry, Wilcox, Lowndes, Butler and Conecuh counties — along with parts of Marengo and Monroe counties.
