GOP voters will choose between incumbent Sen. Randy Price, R-Opelika, and former Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, for the Republican nomination for Senate District 13, seat in east Alabama. (Photos by Stew Milne for the Alabama Reflector and courtesy of Dial; graphic by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
Republican voters in a rural east Alabama Senate district will decide next week whether to nominate their current state senator or the previous one.
The Senate GOP contest in District 13 features incumbent Sen. Randy Price, R-Opelika, and former Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, who hopes to return to office after leaving in 2018.
Senate District 13 covers Clay, Cleburne, Chambers, Randolph and the eastern half of Lee counties. It includes cities as far north as Heflin and as far south as Smiths Station, but is otherwise very rural. The last time the race was contested was in 2018, when Price got 71.1% of votes, according to election results.
The candidates
Dial, 88, said in a phone interview last week that he retired in 2018 because he felt the district was doing fine and it was time for new leadership.
Dial served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1974 to 1982, then in the Alabama Senate from 2010 to 2018. After he retired from the Legislature, he ran for the Commissioner of Agriculture in 2018 and lost to Rick Pate in a Republican primary runoff.
“I began to get concerned about that and the opportunities we are seeing over the increase in our utility bills, the total increase in grocery prices and health care costs, and we’re losing health care facilities throughout rural Alabama,” Dial said. “So I looked at that, and after putting as much time as I did building the 13th District of where it was, I just couldn’t sit back and totally let it regress to a place where we begin to deteriorate to the point that we can’t put it back.”
But after eight years of living in the rural district, and not legislating for it, Dial said he could not let it regress anymore.
“It looks like rural Alabama is being ignored and forgotten here, as we see the state move forward in some areas, but the rural part of the state seems to be very forgotten,” Dial said. “
He said that he wants to advocate for more funds from the Rebuild Alabama Grants to go to the district. The grant program is operated by the Alabama Department of Transportation, and local authorities are responsible for applying for funds.
“You can’t sit there in the Alabama Senate and represent five counties and look across the aisle and there’s [seven] senators representing Jefferson County and not be, not provide leadership, and be an aggressive leader that knows the rules and is able to work to defend what’s in rural Alabama. It’s important that you have known proven leadership,” Dial said.
During his tenure in the Senate, Dial chaired the Healthcare Committee. He has continued to consult with other legislatures on healthcare-related legislation, and would like to address the rising costs of healthcare if elected.
Price, 68, said in an interview Tuesday he is seeking a third term because he is not done working for the district yet.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth in trying to make sure that rural parts of the state of Alabama were not left out,” Price said. “We’re just not done. There’s a lot more work to do.”
In a third term, Price said he would focus on rural healthcare. He said he has been in constant communication with hospital administration within the district, and wishes there was more money to do more.
“It is critical that we make sure that rural health is being stood up and doing what we need to do,” Price said. “We’re going to make sure that we’re involved in that, as we continue to work through rural health, we work through mental illness, and making sure that that we as a state are addressing that issue and making sure the people that are in the field, whether it’s counselors working in our schools or what it may be.”
He also wants to prioritize infrastructure and education.
“So we’ve got to make sure that our infrastructure is in place, it’s hard to recruit somebody to an area if the infrastructure is not there,” Price said. “We will continue to work on trying to get state dollars and federal grants that are available to make sure that our municipalities and county governments are aware of that, and then work with them on trying to capture them and put them into place.”
Although the district covers five counties, Price said the size does not make his job difficult.
“You’ve got to be willing to take the time for the needs, regardless of where the concern may be,” Price said. “I don’t know any zip codes inside district 13. It’s district 13.”
International Motorsports Hall of Fame
In November, Ivey removed all members of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame board, including Dial, and appointed a whole new board. Dial sponsored the constitutional amendment that created the museum in Talladega County in 1983 during his time in the lower chamber.
He said that while he is disappointed in the way that the governor dismissed the board, he understands why.
“I’m very proud of that facility, and what it’s done over the years, and the fact that I put a lot of time in it, and the governor’s staff decided that they wanted to change directions, and so be it. But that has nothing to do with me,” Dial said.
In October, the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts found 35 problems with the board, including misspending by the board’s then accounts manager. Dial said Tuesday the only thing he had from the museum was a T-shirt and a hat.
“I’m not guilty of any wrongdoings. I spent 30 years building that facility and never took a dime out of it. The only thing I ever got, I told the Attorney General, I got a t-shirt and a hat, and I’ll give those back if you want them, but that’s going to be resolved in the courts, and that has nothing to do with me,” Dial said.
The general election
The winner will face Democratic nominee Jamie Forsyth of Ranburne in the general election on Nov. 3. Forsyth said in a phone interview last week that he is running because he has a desire to help people.
“I’ve been a resident my whole life, and I’ve just fed up with what the Republican Party has done in Washington, Trump bullying everybody around and just doing his own thing and just pushing his way through the political system, being a bully,” Forsyth said. “I had enough of it. The only way to make a change, is to do it myself, is to take that leap of faith.”
Forsyth, 55, has owned and operated a flooring company in Ranburne for 36 years, and said he does not know how things work on Goat Hill, but he has some ideas. He wants to see the local economy grow, improve rural healthcare access and address the rising cost of utility bills.
“We need better healthcare. People should be able to see the doctors that they want to see. If you and I want to see this doctor 10 miles down the road, we should be able to see this doctor 10 miles down the road,” he said.
Even though voters in November will have to choose between a veteran politician and a new face, Forsyth said he hopes voters give him a chance.
“Everybody deserves a chance. I feel like if I’m really passionate about helping people, and I’m passionate about political appearance and doing things for the public. I feel like I should have that opportunity,” he said.
Campaign fundraising
As of Friday, Dial has raised $47,725, including $25,000 of his own money, and spent almost $37,000, according to campaign finance records.
According to records, Forsyth has raised $1,795 and spent $1,791, as of Friday.
Price started with almost $64,000, has raised almost $663,000 and has spent about $433,000, according to records.
How to vote
District 13 voters can choose between Dial and Price for the Republican nomination on May 19. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling locations can be found here. The winner will face Democratic nominee Forsyth in the general election on Nov. 3.
Meet the candidates
Gerald Dial
Age: 88
Residence: Lineville
Party: Republican
Profession: Retired, consultant for healthcare legislation in southern legislatures
Education: B.S., political science, University of West Alabama, 1963
Offices held/offices sought: Alabama House of Representatives 1974-1982; Alabama Senate 1982-2006 and 2010-2018; Republican candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture in 2018
Jamie Forsyth
Age: 55
Residence: Ranburne
Party: Democratic
Profession: Business owner, Forsyth Floor Covering
Education: B.A., Ministry, Samford University, 2021
Offices held/offices sought: First-time candidate
Randy Price
Age: 68
Residence: Opelika
Party: Republican
Profession: home builder, cattle farmer
Education:Beauregard High School, 1976
Offices held/offices sought: Alabama Senate, 2018-present
From Alabama Reflector Post Url: Visit
Author: Anna Barrett