(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Following on the heels of several blue states, the citizens of one Alabama district nearly elected Sylvia Swayne to be its first openly transgender representative in the state legislature, according to 1819 News.
However, Swayne was defeated resoundingly in a Tuesday night runoff election, with slightly more than 65% of the vote going toward the candidate’s Democratic primary rival, Birmingham police Sgt. Travis Hendrix, according to Ballotopedia.
Swayne and Travis Hendrix competed in the runoff for the seat in Alabama House District 55 left vacant by former state Rep. Fred Plump Jr., D-Fairfield, who recently pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice of public works funds.
The district includes south Birmingham and much of the surrounding area in western Jefferson County, a solid-blue region that assures Hendrix will run uncontested in the general election.
Swayne beat six local Democratic leaders in the race, and received highfalutin coverage from national media outlets such as Teen Vogue and Newsweek for taking on the transgender lifestyle.
Reports also indicated that Swayne received tens of thousands of dollars from LGBT organizations to fund the relatively small-time campaign.
Hendrix, however, received high-ranking local endorsements from several state-level representatives and the city’s mayor.
Hendrix’s opponents claimed he was “too conservative” for the local voting base, which is 72% black, even though Hendrix himself is black.
He recently took criticism for handing out fliers comparing his qualifications with Swayne’s. The flier highlighted Hendrix’s Birmingham roots, educational background and dedication to bringing jobs to the city.
Hendrix’s qualifications were contrasted with Swayne’s, which explained the suspicious roots of the campaign’s funding and Swayne’s relatively recent relocation from the state’s capital of Montgomery.
The handout concluded with the message “Sylvia was born to be a white man [and] lives as a white woman/transgender.”
