Bessemer attorney Ontario Tillman captured a solid victory in the Alabama House District 56 runoff election Tuesday over Oxmoor Valley resident and Birmingham Water Works Board member Tereshia Huffman.
Tillman received 1,903 votes (71%), compared to 766 votes, (29%) for Huffman, according to unofficial vote totals from the Alabama secretary of state’s office. He now will face Libertarian Carson Lester in the Nov. 8 general election. No Republican qualified to run for the seat.
Tillman on Tuesday won 12 of the 14 polling places in the district, which includes Ross Bridge and part of the Lake Cyrus community in Hoover, as well as most of Bessemer, Brighton, Lipscomb and the Oxmoor Valley and Shannon communities.
Huffman picked up victories in the Ross Bridge and Oxmoor Valley polling places, according to numbers provided by the Tillman campaign, but her numbers weren’t strong enough to overcome Tillman’s dominance in the rest of the district.
Tillman celebrated his victory with supporters Tuesday night at E’s Legacy Smart Venue in downtown Bessemer and thanked them for their votes, prayers and words of encouragement.
“It’s not about me. I’m running as a public servant … to bring change to District 56,” Tillman said. “This is the people’s victory. … I think it came down to the people of 56 believing in me and me believing in the people and wanting to represent the people — the people I’ve known my entire life growing up and being a part of this community.”
Tillman said he thinks voters were looking for someone who is familiar with the district, who understands the community and who will be active and accessible.
While campaigning, voters told him they want him to address things like infrastructure, flooding, crime and jobs, he said. But the first thing he wants to do if he wins the general election is learn the process of how everything works in the Legislature and become more familiar with other members of the Legislature.
“It’s sort of like being a rookie in the NFL. You have to learn the game, especially at that level,” Tillman said. “I want to make sure I’m familiar with the process so I can be the best and most effective representative I can possibly be.”
During his campaign, Tillman said he would work to bring more high-paying jobs to House District 56 so people can earn a living wage. He also will work to provide more adequate and affordable housing, push for the expansion of mental health services, work to improve the transit system, roads and other infrastructure, increase pay for teachers and retired teachers, and focus on science, technology, engineering and math education, he said.
Jeremy Ervin, his campaign manager, said when Tillman first announced he was running for the Legislature, a lot of people counted him out.
“They didn’t even consider him a viable candidate to even run in the race because he was new to politics,” Ervin said. “But one thing I knew was the support he had right here.”
Tillman was the lead vote-getter in the May 24 Democratic primary, with 2,090 votes (42%), compared to 1,198 votes (24%) for Huffman. The other two candidates who didn’t make the runoff were Bessemer Councilman Jesse Matthews with 1,010 votes (20%) and former Bessemer Councilman Cleo King with 712 votes (14%).
Tillman’s victory in the Democratic primary was “a God thing,” Ervin said. “When it’s your time, it’s your time. God doesn’t call the people who are qualified. He qualifies the people who are called.”
Tillman said his opponents ran good campaigns and thanked them for making themselves available for service.
Huffman congratulated Tillman on his victory and said he ran a great campaign. She also thanked the people who supported her campaign and the issues for which she stands.
“I gave this campaign my all,” she said. “I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, but I’m not giving up on the district.”
She still wants to stand in the gap for people on issues like mental health, equitable education and inclusive economic development, she said.
Alabama House District 56 currently is represented by Louise Alexander, but she gave up the seat to run for Alabama House District 19 and ended up losing that bid on May 24 to Merika Coleman.
