Is Birmingham, Alabama a Liberal City?

Birmingham, Alabama is a beautiful city with lots to do. If you are thinking of moving to Birmingham, Alabama, you might want to make sure that you know what the political climate is like in Birmingham, Alabama. I have done research on the political history of Birmingham, Alabama, and have written about it below.

Birmingham, Alabama is a moderately liberal city. Birmingham is located in Alabama which is a heavy Conservative state, but there are enough liberal people that in the 2020 presidential election 55.8% of the populace voted Democrat, 42.6% voted Republican, and the remaining 1.6% voted Independent.

The political climate in Birmingham, Alabama is intense since there is such an even populace of Democrats and Republicans. There is a lot to know about the political atmosphere of Birmingham, Alabama. Read on to learn more about this city’s political history.

Voting Patterns

Birmingham, Alabama is a slightly liberal city. Birmingham, Alabama had 55.8% of the populace vote Democrat in the 2020 presidential election. 42.6% of the populace during the last presidential election voted Republican. The last 1.6% of the population voted Independent. These numbers give us a good idea of how the populace feels politically.

In the past four presidential elections, it has been a Democrat that won in Birmingham. However, the two before them were won by a Republican candidate. This shows that the Democrat trend is still rather new and there really is not much of a divide between how many Republicans and Democrats are there.

There are two congressional districts that cover Birmingham, Alabama, and they are the sixth and seventh congressional districts. That means there are two different representatives of Birmingham, Alabama.

The first representative is Gary Palmer, who is a Republican. Gary Palmer is over the sixth congressional district of Alabama. He has lived in Alabama all of his life. He has a wife and three children. He lived the majority of his childhood on a farm. He is a radical Republican. He vocally supported the overturn of Roe vs Wade. He also admits that he believes it should be illegal for transgender people to use public bathrooms. He says that this would be a danger to society and would bring in more sexual predators.

In the seventh congressional district, we have Terri Sewell. Terri Sewell is a Democrat, which shows how there is a pretty good split between the Republicans and Democrats in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. She unlike Gary Palmer has vocally come out and supported Roe vs Wade and said it was a travesty that it was overturned. She argued now state legislators are going to criminalize a necessary operation and she finds that unconstitutional. This shows the very large differences between the two representatives of Birmingham, Alabama.

City Council

Birmingham, Alabama has a good mix of both Republican and Democrat followers. Its current mayor is Randall L. Woodfin, who is a member of the Democrat party. He has done some great things while he has been in office. His number one goal is to improve the city. He wants to fix the worst part of towns and help people to get out of poverty.

Randall L. Woodfin has also put a large emphasis on supporting the educational system. He has helped set up scholarships for the students at Birmingham high to go to college. Randall L. Woodfin has also pardoned 15,000 misdemeanors for marijuana possession, giving 15,000 people another chance at life.

The city council is split up into 9 districts. In the first district is Clinton P. Woods, who is the Chair of the Governmental Affairs and Public Information Committee and a member of the Education, Planning, Zoning, and Transportation Committees. He is also a Democrat.

In the second district is Hunter William who is the Chair of the Economic Development Committee and a member of the Public Safety and Utilities & Technology Committees. He has not declared a political party and therefore remains independent.

In the third district is Valerie A. Abbot who is the Chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee and a member of the Administration, Budget and Finance, Governmental Affairs and Public Information, Public Improvements, and Beautification Committees. She is also an independent runner, so she is not aligned with any political parties.

In the fourth district is J.T. Moore, who is the Chair of the Education Committee and a member of the Economic Development & Tourism and Public Improvements and Beautification Committees. He is also not aligned with any political parties and remains independent.

In the fifth district is Darrell O’Quinn who is the Chair of the Transportation Committee and a member of the Economic Development & Tourism, Education, and Utilities & Technology Committees. He is another non-partisan district member that brings a diverse view into office.

In the sixth district is Crystal N. Smitherman, who is the Chair of the Budget and Finance and Public Improvements and Beautification Committees and a member of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts, and Public Safety Committees. She also has not joined a political party, so she is non-declared and is often considered independent.

In the seventh district is Wardine T. Alexander, who is the Chair of the Administration, Census 2020 Redistricting, and Utilities and Technology Committees and is a member of the Budget and Finance Committee. She is a non-partisan district member.

In the eighth district is Carol E. Clarke who is the Chair of the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Committee, and a member of the Administration and Governmental Affairs and Public Information Committees. She is another non-partisan.

In the final ninety districts is LaTonya A. Tate, who is the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and a member of the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts, Planning and Zoning, and Transportation Committees. She is a member of the Democrat party and has been a big supporter of their ideas for years.

Birmingham and Roe Vs Wade

When Roe vs Wade was overturned, politics in Alabama became tricky. In 2019, an anti-abortion bill was prohibited because Roe vs Wade protected the right to get abortions. With Roe vs Wade being overturned, that law was put into action again.

This law prohibits anyone from getting an abortion except unless the mother’s health being in danger. This law does not even excuse getting an abortion for the reasons of incest or rape. Overall, this tragic turn of events threatens the lives of women in Alabama.

The people in Birmingham, Alabama, though, did not take this new law sitting down. Instead, they grabbed their picket signs and headed to the state capital. The day after Roe vs Wade was overthrown, the citizens of Birmingham were protesting this decision.

Obviously, there are people who support the overturn of Roe vs Wade, but this display of events shows that there are enough people in Birmingham, Alabama to throw a good Pro-Choice protest to protect women’s rights.

LGBTQ+ Issues

If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Birmingham, Alabama is a good place to live. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation gave Birmingham, Alabama a score of 100% in regards to equality and resources for LGBTQ+ citizens.

Birmingham, Alabama has one of the biggest pride parades in the United States. It brings in thousands of LGBTQ+ members to the city to protest and celebrate the rights of their existence and happiness.

Birmingham, Alabama also has a film festival every year that shows documentaries and videos that dictate the life of LGBTQ+ people. This film festival brings a lot of representation of the community into the media.

In 1982 a softball team in Birmingham, Alabama created a softball team that celebrated LGBTQ+ people. The team only had LGBTQ+ players and they played for visibility.

Birmingham, Alabama also has an annual AIDs fundraiser. They have an art show where local artists can sell their works and a portion of the profits goes to the fight against AIDs. These artworks dictate the LGBTQ+ experience and show the world that the LGBTQ+ community is around and strong.

Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama has a hard history with the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan is a hate group that targets African Americans. They have been known for participating in acts of violence and overall they terrorize minorities. Birmingham, Alabama has had a very strong club of Ku Klux Klans.

In 1963, the Ku Klux Klan planted 19 sticks of dynamite at the 16th Street Baptist Church. This was a church that had a lot of African American members. The explosion killed 4 young girls and injured 22 other people. Martin Luther King Jr. responded to this attack and called it one of the most vicious attacks that ever happened. This attack was a shocking event that showed the hate that was in the country at that time.

While Birmingham, Alabama has changed and become more radical, it is still not a perfect place for African Americans. There is still an active group of the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama that still protests and makes trouble for African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama.