Strong turnout ‘on the mountain’ propels Baker to victory in Commission District One runoff

After the May 19th Republican Primary, Curtis Baker told the FFP how much he appreciated the support from his ‘home’ boxes, including Churntown, Union, Phil Campbell and Spruce Pine, which surged Baker into first place and a runoff for Franklin County Commission District One.

Four weeks later, Baker won the June 16th Republican Primary Runoff, defeating incumbent Grayson Murray 1,378 votes to 1,149 votes, thanks to a strong turnout from those same boxes on a day where Franklin County voters turned out in woeful numbers.

Only 2,678 (13%) of Franklin County voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary runoff, 2,586 of those in the Republican Primary Runoff and 92 in the Democratic Primary Runoff.

Franklin County saw a larger turnout than the statewide percentage of 10.65%, but with a local race on the runoff ballot, local turnout should have been significantly larger.

Murray won 15 of the county’s 25 precincts, but Baker’s showing in Churntown (191-40), Union (135-34), Phil Campbell (138-53), Spruce Pine (119-49), along with Red Bay, which he carried 143-67, propelled Baker to victory.

With no Democratic nominee for District One County Commission, Baker will be sworn into office in November to the seat vacated with the unexpected passing of Michael Murray last year. Murray was elected to a four-year term in 2024.

After his father’s death, Grayson was appointed to the position by Gov. Kay Ivey last summer. Alabama law dictates that an interim commissioner shall be appointed until the next general election, so the seat was placed on the May 19th primary ballot.

Five candidates sought the Republican nomination for District One in the May 19th primary. Baker and Murray, who finished second, advanced to Tuesday’s runoff.

Murray posted impressive margins of victory in several precincts, but all came with low voter turnout. Murray carried Tharptown 61-30, Saints Crossroads 48-11, Mountain Star 59-22, the Franklin County Courthouse Annex 83-32 and Russellville High School 130-80 for his biggest margins of victory.

With 231 votes, Churntown, where Baker votes, saw the biggest turnout among Franklin County’s 25 precincts.

“I want to thank voters at these boxes for coming out and supporting me again,” Baker said. “There wasn’t a big voter drop off between the primary and today’s runoff in the boxes on top of the mountain and that was huge.

“It was the same way in Red Bay. They came in clutch again and without them, we couldn’t have got it done,” he added.

Murray called Baker soon after the results were available to congratulate him. Murray sent the following statement to the FFP:

“I just want to thank everyone who supported me through this election. I love this county, but I have a special place in my heart for those who supported me,” Murray said. “Curtis ran a clean campaign and I’m confident he will do an incredible job because he wouldn’t have ran if he didn’t love this county.

“I will continue to serve this county until November, and I pray that Franklin County will eventually accept its youth,” Murray added.

Baker said his win would never have happened without the support of his family.

“First, I want to thank God for the desire and ability to serve my county, my family for its unwavering support and all the Franklin County voters who made this possible,” Baker said.

Baker, who firmly stated his plans to run for the full four-year term in 2028, is ready to hit the ground running.

“Running now, when only two years are left on the term, was a long-term decision. I plan to get in there, start building relationships, and address some important issues because you’re not going to fix everything immediately,” Baker said.

Baker looks forward to working with his fellow commissioners and Probate Judge Barry Moore, Chairman of the Franklin County Commission. He’s ready to strengthen existing relationships with them and has no concerns about how he’ll fit in on the commission.

“I didn’t talk much with them during this election cycle as one of their colleagues was on the ballot, but I ran with each one of them in 2024,”Baker said. “I got along well with them, so I don’t believe there’s any gap that needs to be bridged in my relationships with them once I take office.”