West Alabama Senate Candidate Nabs Shout-Out From Mark Hamill

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A candidate for the Alabama State Senate received her most high-profile endorsement yet in the form of a Twitter shoutout from a true legend of the silver screen.

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Lisa Ward, a Democrat from Lake View who is running for Alabama Senate District 21, was celebrating her 55th birthday on Christmas Eve when she saw her follower count on Twitter blast off thanks to Mark Hamill — the actor who played Luke Skywalker in the iconic "Star Wars" movie franchise.

This came after Ward lobbied the actor for help in growing her Twitter presence to over 10,000 — a feat that was easily accomplished following the celebrity shout out.

"As a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, I'm wishing you all the best in your forceful quest to turn D21 BLUE!," the actor wrote to Ward on the social media platform.

With the Jan. 28, 2022 qualifying deadline approaching, Ward is the only Democrat set to appear on the ticket as of the publication of this story.

The Republican Primary, thus far, will see incumbent Sen. Gerald Allen take on Tuscaloosa businessman and political newcomer Tripp Powell for the GOP nomination.

To date, $163,422.26 in campaign contributions has been raised by the three candidates, according to the Alabama Secretary of State's Office, in addition to $36,739.21 spent in 2021. The next round of campaign finance filings will be due on Jan. 4, 2022.

Party primaries for the November General Election are set for May 24, 2022.

Alabama Senate District 21 covers parts of Tuscaloosa and Pickens counties.

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