House seat flips in North Alabama

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published March 28, 2024 at 11:58 AM EDT

A Democrat who made reproductive rights a centerpiece of her campaign in deeply conservative Alabama has won a special election to the Alabama Legislature.

Unofficial returns show Marilyn Lands defeated Republican Teddy Powell to win the open legislative seat.

Lands’ victory was celebrated by Democrats who have attempted to portray the state GOP as too extreme.

Alabama has a near-total abortion ban.

Powell issued a statement conceding the race and congratulating Lands on her victory.

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Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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