Runoffs for mayor were held in Mobile and Tuscaloosa today. In both cities the retiring mayors have been institutions (Al Dupont as mayor of Tuscaloosa since 1981 and Mike Dow as mayor of Mobile since 1989).
Though the races are officially nonpartisan both winners are active Democrats.
Sam Jones will become Mobile's first black mayor. He has been elected four times as a Democrat to the Mobile County Commission. Mobile, Alabama's second largest city, is still a majority white city (roughly 55/45), but Jones was able to put together a biracial coaltion and easily defeated an opponent who sough to inject race into the campaign.
Walt Maddox won in Tuscaloosa. Maddox served one term on the nonpartisan city council, but has been active in the state Democratic executive committee and was supported by the AFL-CIO, teachers unions, and minority groups.
Alabama is still a red state on the federal level and even state Democrats are having to fight uphill now. But tonight's elections give Democrats more political infrastructure and also should encourage Dems across the state that the GOP does not have a lock on state or local races.
I have profiled both of these races on my blog extensively.
Here is a brief primer on both these races... http://alelections.blogspot.com/2005/09/election-day-roundup-and-predictions.html
The archives of my blog have several relevant articles to both of these races...http://alelections.blogspot.com/