Alabama’s candidates for Congress in the March 31 runoff are scaling back some of their campaign activities because of the the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kiani Gardner announced today she is suspending all in-person campaigning in her race for the Democratic nomination in Alabama’s 1st Congressional District because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a mother, cell biologist, and professor, I am heavily weighing the risks of COVID-19 to my family and my larger community,” Gardner said in a press release. “I have decided to prioritize the health and well-being of our fellow Alabamians. I am calling on all candidates for office to show sincere leadership at this time and put the health and safety of our fellow Alabamians over political ambitions and to follow the example of our campaign to suspend all in person campaign-related activities for the foreseeable future.”
Gardner is a community college biology professor who holds a doctorate in cell biology from Duke University, according to the news release. Gardner faces James Averhart in the March 31 runoff for the Democratic nomination.
In the Republican runoff, Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl faces former state Sen. Bill Hightower in the runoff.
Related: Runoffs set for GOP, Democrats in U.S. House District 1
The winners will square off in the general election in November to represent the 1st District, which covers southwest Alabama.
Carl announced today was suspending all paid advertising because of the pandemic and the uncertainty of the March 31 election.
Alabama Republican Senate candidates Jeff Sessions and Tommy Tuberville, who are in a runoff, had not responded to questions from AL.com about any changes to their campaigns related to the coronavirus prior to the publication of this story.
Secretary of State John Merrill has requested an opinion from Attorney General Steve Marshall on the governor’s legal authority to postpone the election under the state’s emergency response laws.
Louisiana and Georgia have postponed their primaries.
In Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers southeast Alabama and extends to the Montgomery area, Barry Moore canceled a meet and greet event scheduled for Tuesday at Horn Beverage Company in Troy at 5 p.m. Moore has scheduled a Facebook Live event to replace the meet and greet, his campaign said.
Other venues have been in touch with the Moore campaign to cancel or reschedule events, and the campaign is working to accommodate these requests, according to an email from the campaign. Notifications for schedule changes will be posted on the campaign’s Facebook page.
“I love to meet people face to face," Moore said in a statement released by the campaign. "The best part of this campaign has been traveling across District 2, meeting and talking to everyday people about what’s important to them and why I think I’m the best choice to represent them in Congress next session. It’s what we’ve been doing, and it’s worked well because people like to know who they’re voting for.
“Now, we have to do something different. On Sunday the CDC recommended canceling or postponing events or gatherings of more than 50 people. Today the White House asked people not to gather in groups of more than 10 for the next 15 days, so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to follow these guidelines, so most of our face to face events will be canceled for now."
Moore, a former state representative and businessman from Enterprise, faces Dothan businessman Jeff Coleman in the runoff.
This story will be updated.