Yolanda Flowers Becomes The First Black Woman To Win The Democratic Nomination For Governor In Alabama’s Primary Election

Yolanda Flowers has claimed victory in Alabama’s Democratic runoff election for governor against Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier of Selma.

via: BET

According to AL.com, Flowers won with over 55% of the vote, beating State Senator Malika Sanders-Fortier, another Black woman candidate. The Democrat who has worked in academia for 20 years and has never held political office. Her platform called for a “reconstruction” of the state, which included increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, raising the age for gun purchases in Alabama from 18 years old to 21, and improving access to healthcare in the state.

The Birmingham native said on Tuesday (June 22), “I thank God for everything he’s done for us tonight, but the race isn’t over. We still must continue on to encourage our citizens how important it is to vote for the betterment of our state.”

In November, Flowers will go against Republican incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, who, in 2019, apologized for donning blackface during a 1967 college skit at a Baptists Student Union party, but also said she had no recollection of the incident. Despite calls to resign, she refused.

The state has not had a Democratic governor since 2003.