By Brian Lyman | Editor
Wishing the very best for all of you who dealt with power outages or damage from Hurricane Isaias this weekend. You can find all of the coverage of the storm from us and from our colleagues at Florida Phoenix here.
Andrew Sneed, the Democratic nominee for Alabama's 5th Congressional District, introduces Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones at a rally at Mars Music Hall in Huntsville, Alabama on Oct. 11, 2026. (Ben Sessoms for Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Ben Sessoms
In Alabama’s 5th Congressional District in north Alabama, incumbent U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Madison, faces Democratic nominee Andrew Sneed, a businessman. The district is rated R+15, but Sneed was able to hold his own in fundraising against Strong earlier this year. Sneed says he will work on affordability and political reform and accuses Strong of not responding to constituents. Strong cites tele-town halls he held and his work bringing jobs and federal money to the district.
A group of students exit the Alabama House of Representatives after presenting the colors for the Pledge of Allegiance on April 1, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Ralph Chapoco
Alabama voters will consider an amendments that would require school boards to adopt policies on the Pledge of Allegiance and student-led prayer, and another that would require schools to broadcast the National Anthem each week. State law already requires recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, and federal law already allows student-led prayer in schools, and some constitutional experts have expressed concerns about the proposals.
Alabama Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones (left) has been calling for a debate with Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville (right) for months. (Jones photo by Andrea Tinker /Alabama Reflector; Tuberville photo by Dan Anderson for Alabama Reflector; Graphic by Andrea Tinker Alabama Reflector)
COMMENTARY
By Brian Lyman
A fact of the current Alabama election season is that Democratic and Republican campaigns proceed from different sets of premises and have completely different conceptions of the offices they seek. In my column this week, I write that while I have some mixed feelings about political debates generally, there would be real value in getting candidates to argue from the same set of facts.
ICYMI
Alabama continues recovery efforts after Hurricane Isaias | Andrea Tinker, Alabama Reflector
Feds unlikely to change abortion pill policy before next year | Sofia Resnick, Stateline
Measles cases reach 4,080 for the year — the highest in decades | Tim Henderson, Stateline
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