Republican Norman Crow Wins Special Election For House District 63 Seat

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Businessman and Tuscaloosa City Councilor Norman Crow defeated Tuscaloosa County Democratic Party Judith Taylor Tuesday in the special election to fill the open House District 63 seat in the Alabama House of Representatives.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

With all unofficial results in, Crow has 1,107 votes or 64.47%, compared to Taylor's 610 votes.

As of the publication of this story, unofficial vote totals show Taylor won the following precincts: University Mall (87-48), the University of Alabama Student Recreation Center (38-22), Forest Lake Methodist (26-14), County CTHS Annex (62-52), New Zion Missionary Baptist Church (29-21) and the Belk Activity Center.

While there was low turnout across the district for the special election, it must be noted that only one ballot was cast at the Belk Activity Center — a lone vote for Taylor

Crow pulled large swathes of votes where it mattered, however, winning the Church of the Highlands precinct 517-171 and the Phelps Center 433-196.

Eight absentee ballots remain to be certified.

"I'm looking forward to moving our community forward in the [legislative] session that's about to start," Crow told Patch Tuesday night. "I would like to also just congratulate my opponent for the good race that she ran also. And I'm looking forward to going to work in Montgomery in the morning."

Patch previously reported that the District 63 seat was left vacant when Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced over the summer that State Rep. Cynthia Lee Almond, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, had been appointed to serve as president of the Public Service Commission

Crow, 57, served a term on the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education from 2013 to 2017 and went on to be elected to District 3 on the Tuscaloosa City Council in 2021.

A graduate of Tuscaloosa County High School and the University of Alabama, Crow worked as president and owner of D.T. Freight Co. from 2004 to 2017 before serving as the company's president until 2024.

He is currently employed by Hamner Real Estate.

Apart from his professional and political pursuits, Crow previously served as the chairman of both the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority, along with being a member of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.

When asked by Tuscaloosa Patch about his top budget priorities once in Montgomery, Crow pointed to education, workforce development, fighting crime and economic development increases.

He also pointed out that while on the City Council, he saw firsthand the need to improve mental health and substance abuse services, saying the state needs to work on funding more long-term beds.

As far as supporting public education, Crow told Patch he will prioritize increased funding for our schools, while advocating for teacher raises and continued investment in Pre-K and in classrooms.

He also said he would support the Legislature increasing funding of the Renewing Alabama’s Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act, which establishes a process to provide additional funding for public K-12 schools to address the educational needs of specific student populations and improve their outcomes.

The City of Tuscaloosa will now be tasked with setting a date for a special election to finish the remainder of Crow's unexpired term.

"To the residents of District 3, being your councilman has been the honor of a lifetime," Crow told Patch. "I'm very proud of the work I've done on the council and I'm looking forward to helping our district and the City of Tuscaloosa and Northport in this new role."

Crow will be sworn in Wednesday morning in Montgomery.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.