A member of the Alabama House of Representatives has introduced a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would limit the power of political parties to reject candidates because they accept donations from certain groups.
HB 6, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus (R-Killen), prohibits political parties from disqualifying candidates for elected office based solely on the donations they receive from certain individuals or organizations.
The legislation stems from a rule passed by the Alabama Republican Party in August 2023 that prohibits Republican candidates for superintendent or school board from accepting campaign contributions from the Alabama Education Association, an organization that represents teachers in the state.
Get the morning’s headlines straight to your inbox
“My constituents should decide whether I should accept money from a particular person because that’s the person I represent,” Pettus said in an interview Monday. “I don’t represent the Republicans of Alabama. I represent my constituents.”
Pettus introduced a similar bill during the 2024 session, but it failed to pass the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee.
John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said he opposed the bill.
“There have been several court cases upholding the party’s authority on voting access,” Wahl said in a statement sent to the Alabama Reflector. “We believe we would be making better use of our time if we came together and worked as a team to elect Republicans who will challenge the Democratic Party’s radical agenda.”
Messages were left with the AEA seeking comment.
It is not uncommon for parties to impose rules that compel their members to behave in a certain way. According to Randy Kelley, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, the party has enacted rules that prohibit its candidates from accepting donations or contributing to the campaigns of Republican candidates.
“There is a clause in our constitution that says that a person who donates or has donated money to the Republican Party and runs for Democratic office can be disqualified,” he said.
Kelley said he was indifferent if a candidate received money from individuals or groups that supported candidates who were either Republican or Democrat.
“I have mixed feelings about this because there are some places that give money to both parties because they are worried that laws will be passed that would serve their interests,” he said.
Pettus said he accepted campaign contributions from the Alabama Education Association. Initially, Pettus said, the group supported his opponent but then turned to him to support his campaign.
According to campaign finance records from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, Pettus has received at least $56,500 in direct contributions and about $5,000 in in-kind donations since 2018 from Alabama Voice of Teachers for Education (A-VOTE), the AEA’s political action committee.
“They said, ‘All we’re asking is that we can come and talk to you if we have a question. We’re never going to tell you how to vote,'” Pettus said. “I said, ‘That’s what I’m doing now.’ They said, ‘Yes, that’s why we want to support you.'”
