The votes had barely been counted Tuesday night before Democratic candidate James Linderholm issued a sharp response to what had become one of Alabama’s most contentious Republican legislative primaries, signaling he plans to frame the general election around policy issues rather than political infighting.
Linderholm, a Huntsville small business owner and Democratic candidate for Alabama House District 20, released a statement shortly after State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville) defeated former U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in the Republican primary.
According to the Alabama Secretary of State Office, Lomax received 61% of the vote to Brooks’ 39%.
The Republican contest drew statewide attention after Brooks launched a late comeback bid for the Huntsville-area seat he first won in 1982. Over the course of the campaign, Lomax and Brooks repeatedly traded attacks over taxes, conservative credentials, leadership style and their respective political records.
The race also exposed divisions within Alabama Republican politics, with Lomax securing endorsements from powerful Republican figures including Tommy Battle and Nathaniel Ledbetter.
Following Lomax’s victory, Linderholm attempted to contrast his own campaign tone with the Republican primary battle.
“After watching the Republican candidates trade personal attacks, James Linderholm is ready for a campaign focused instead on the issues facing House District 20 and North Alabama,” the campaign said in a statement.
“The voters of District 20 are highly educated, and many have lived in this District for a long time,” Linderholm said. “They are tired of the noise, the nasty flyers, and the attack ads.”
Linderholm said voters are more concerned with issues such as schools, healthcare, utilities and infrastructure rather than partisan political fights.
“These are the issues District 20 voters care most about,” Linderholm said. “Not mudslinging about who is more MAGA, or who flip-flopped first.”
A longtime business owner, Linderholm said his experience building and managing teams has shaped his approach to public policy and problem solving.
“When you run a business, when you have teams depending on you, failure is not an option,” he said. “You keep working until you get the results you need.”
Linderholm also criticized several Republican-backed policy decisions, including the Legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid and funding priorities tied to road construction projects elsewhere in the state.
Meanwhile, Lomax spent much of the Republican campaign highlighting his legislative record during his first term in office, including support for education funding increases, teacher pay raises, school choice legislation and more than $1.5 billion in tax cuts passed by the Legislature.
“The crown jewel of the last four years is that we’ve been able to cut $1.5 billion in taxes,” Lomax said during the campaign.
Lomax, who currently serves as House Majority Whip, was first elected to the seat in 2022.
House District 20 covers portions of southeast Huntsville and is widely considered one of the safest Republican districts in North Alabama, though Linderholm’s early messaging indicates Democrats plan to aggressively contest the seat heading into November.
