On Tuesday, Alabama Democrats voted against a transgender person’s bid for a House of Representatives seat.
Birmingham police sergeant Travis Hendrix, age 40, won the runoff election for Alabama’s House District 55 over transgender candidate Sylvia Swayne, age 26.
According to the Birmingham Times, Hendrix received 2,367 votes, or 65.12 percent of the vote, after 30 of the 31 precincts had reported. Swayne received 1,268 votes or 34.88 percent of the total.
“The key was working hard. I didn’t think it would be this [large a margin of victory] but one thing I did know was as long as I continued to work hard everything else would [work out]. We knocked on a lot of doors,” Hendrix said.
Travis Hendrix, a 40-year old Birmingham police officer, is heading to the Alabama State House after winning a runoff election in Jefferson County on Tuesday.
Hendrix, a Democrat, prevailed against Democrat Sylvia Swayne to represent House District 55. https://t.co/f1gRvYPEFS
— AL.com (@aldotcom) October 25, 2023
Since no Republican has entered the campaign for the vacant seat created after former state Representative Fred Plump resigned after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges, Hendrix has a strong chance of being elected in the upcoming January election.
Swayne was the first transsexual candidate in the state and, hence, the subject of extensive media attention.
“I don’t want to consider myself the trans candidate,” Swayne had told Al.com during the campaign. “But I do recognize the historical element of my campaign and my candidacy. It certainly informs my perspective. It’s not something I’m afraid to talk about. It’s who I am.”
“I think young people are excited that someone their age who shares their values is running for state office in Alabama,” he said, according to Newsweek.
The majority of Swanye’s campaign funding came from outside of Alabama, according to Al.com.
Sylvia Swayne, 26, is running for Alabama state house (HD-55). She is the first openly transgender person ever to run for the state legislature in AL. She has a special election coming up in just a few days. https://t.co/S7Vuhr4h4k pic.twitter.com/43KWSBMaK6
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) October 20, 2023
With $124,325 coming from Leaders We Deserve, a Washington organization co-founded by anti-gun campaigner David Hogg, Swayne’s campaign raised a total of $209,352.
However, Hendrix was the recipient of charitable contributions totaling $81,837.29.
The Alabama Reflector reports that Swayne’s transgender identity became public knowledge when a campaign flier was distributed in the district.
It was stated on the poster that Swayne “was born to be a white male and lives as a white woman/transgender.” The Hendrix campaign denied distributing the flyer.
According to 1819 News, Swayne, a first-time candidate, advanced to the runoff against Hendrix after defeating six local Democratic leaders.
According to a report by Al.com, Swayne predicted that transgender people would soon be able to run for office in Alabama.
“I might be the first transgender woman to run in the state of Alabama, but I’ll be damned if I’m the last,” he said. “People want to see change. People want to see something different.”
I’m relieved to see that the people of Alabama have the common sense to not elect someone who suffers from a mental disease.
Those who don’t know their biological sex or are transgender seeking attention have a legitimate medical condition named Gender Dysphoria.
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