"Alabama's Historic Runoff: Transgender Candidate Vies for House District 55"

Alabama's House District 55 could potentially elect its first openly transgender lawmaker in a special election runoff vote between Democratic candidates Travis Hendrix and Sylvia Swayne. With no Republican candidate in the race, the winner of the Democratic primary will represent the district, which includes downtown Birmingham and surrounding suburbs. Swayne, who has received out-of-state contributions from LGBTQ organizations, beat out six local Democratic leaders in the primary, while Hendrix, a Sergeant with the Birmingham police Department, has garnered endorsements but faces criticism for being "too conservative" for the district's majority black voting base.