Former State Sen. Roger Bedford dies at 67

Former Alabama State Sen. Roger Bedford of Russellville has died. He was 67 years old.

Bedford was a powerful and well-known Democrat when that party ran the Alabama Legislature until Republicans took control after the 2010 elections.

He was first elected in 1982 to represent his northwest Alabama district. He served eight terms. Bedford lost a race for attorney general in 1990 and had been the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 1996 before losing to Republican Jeff Sessions. Bedford lost his Senate seat in the 2014 elections.

AL.com reports that Bedford died at DCH Medical Center in Tuscaloosa where he had been receiving treatment for cancer.