President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden each won their party’s presidential primaries by wide margins in Alabama, including Limestone County, in Super Tuesday voting.

Voter turnout in Limestone was lower than expected at 34.45%, with only 23,154 of the county’s 67,217 registered voters casting ballots.

Trump, who is very popular among Republicans in the deeply conservative state, had an insurmountable lead over the only other candidate on the GOP primary ballot, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld.

In Limestone County Republican primary, Trump garnered 15,455 votes, or 96.15%, to Weld’s 276 votes, or 1.71%. There were also 342 uncommitted votes, or 2.12%, cast in that race.

Biden carried the state after a weekend appearance for an event commemorating the 55th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma.

Fourteen Democrats were on the state’s ballot, but the only candidates still in the race were Biden, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Black voters dominate the state’s Democratic electorate, and Biden and Bloomberg split the endorsements of the state’s largest black political coalitions. The Alabama New South Coalition backed Biden and the Alabama Democratic Conference supported Bloomberg.

In Limestone County, Biden won 4,127 votes, or 60.88%, compared to 1,411 votes, or 20.81%, for Sanders; 701 votes, or 10.34%, for Bloomberg; 400 votes, or 5.90%, for Warren; and 19 votes, or 0.28%, for Gabbard.

U.S. Senate

A seven-person Republican field competes for the right to challenge U.S. Sen. Doug Jones in November.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is attempting to win back the seat he held for 20 years, but he faces opposition from former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. State Rep. Arnold Mooney, businessman Stanley Adair and Ruth Page Nelson also are on the ballot.

Unless one candidate captures more than 50% of the vote, the race will head to a runoff between the top two finishers.

Jones, a one-time prosecutor and the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, doesn’t face opposition in the primary.

In Limestone County, Sessions won 6,273 votes, or 39.33%, over Tuberville, who received 5,088 votes, or 31.90%. Other contenders tallied votes as follows: Byrne, 3,159 votes, or 19.8%; Moore, 980 votes, or 6.14%; Nelson, 160 votes, or 1%; and Mooney and Adair each won 144 votes, or 0.9%.

U.S. House

The races for two open congressional seats in south Alabama are crowded, and an incumbent faces primary competition in north Alabama.

Entrepreneur Jerry Carl, Army veteran John Castorani, business owner Bill Hightower, restaurateur Wes Lambert and state Rep. Chris Pringle are competing for the Republican nomination in southwest Alabama’s District 1, where Rep. Bradley Byrne didn’t seek reelection. Veteran and nonprofit CEO James Averhart, real estate agent Rick Collins and biology professor Kiani A. Gardner are vying for the Democratic nod in District 1.

In District 2 of southeast Alabama, where Rep. Martha Roby isn’t seeking another term, the Republican field includes moving company operator Jeff Coleman, former congressional staffer Terri Hasdorff, former Alabama Attorney General Troy King, former state Rep. Barry Moore, electrical contractor Bob Rogers and business owner Jessica Taylor.

Former state legislator Nathan Mathis and retired educator Phyllis Harvey Hall are competing for the Democratic nomination in District 2.

Brooks defeats Lewis

In North Alabama’s District 5, Rep. Mo Brooks turned back a challenge in the Republican primary from retired Navy Cmdr. Chris Lewis. Victory will be tantamount to election because no Democrat is running.

State totals were unavailable at press time, but Brooks swept Limestone County with 12,093 votes, or 77.11%, over Lewis, who won 3,588 votes, or 22.88%, in the county.

Constitutional amendment

Alabama voters defeated a proposal to abolish the elected, eight-member state school board and replace it with an appointed commission.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was among the supporters of Amendment One, which would have ended the current system of electing school board members by district. Appointees would have been chosen by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate under the new system.

Although supporters cited lagging public schools and the need for more professionalism as evidence supporting the change, opponents contended voters should get to decide on board members, and voters agreed. Most states have appointed school boards.

In Limestone County, the amendment was defeated by 16,033 votes, or 72.9%, to 5,959 votes, or 27.1%.

PSC president

Incumbent Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh won her party’s nomination to remain president of the utility-regulating Alabama Public Service Commission. Cavanaugh faced a primary challenge from former teacher and school principal Robin Litaker for the statewide position.

She is now a favorite to defeat Democratic challenger Laura Casey in the Nov. 3 general election. The three-member commission is composed of Republicans, and only one Democrat holds statewide office in Alabama.

Casey was one of three audience members removed from a 2019 PSC meeting for live-streaming a hearing regarding fees charged on solar panels, and she sued the agency. Mardis is a party activist.

In Limestone County, Cavanaugh garnered 9,787 votes, or 72.59%, over Litaker, who won 3,695 votes, or 27.4%.

Supreme court

A incumbent member of the all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court faces an unusual primary challenge from a state lawmaker. Associate Justice Greg Shaw is being opposed by state Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster.

Shaw served on both the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals before first being elected to the Supreme Court in 2008. Ward is best known in the Senate for his work on issues facing Alabama prisons, and he also has served as president of the Alabama Law Institute.

No Democrat is seeking the position.

Court of civil appeals

A former judge and a state legislator are seeking the Republican nomination for a seat on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.

Phillip Bahakel is a former Jefferson County district judge who practices law in the Birmingham suburb of Pelham. He has tried to tie himself to President Donald Trump, wearing a Make America Great Again hat in a campaign video.

Bahakel is running against state Rep. Matt Fridy, a House member since 2014 who has served as vice chair of the Judiciary Committee and chair of the committee that oversees campaigns and elections.

There isn’t a Democrat running for the seat.

Court of criminal appeals

Two seats on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals are up for grabs in the GOP primary.

In Place 1, incumbent Judge Mary Windom defeated Melvin Hasting, a Cullman attorney.

In the race for Place 2, incumbent Judge Beth Kellum has two challengers. Jill Ganus, who was appointed to a Jefferson County district court judgeship in 2017, and former Lauderdale County Commission member Will Smith are opposing Kellum.

No Democrats are running for either seat.

State school board

Eight people are seeking the Democratic nomination for the District 5 seat on the Alabama State Board of Education now held by gubernatorial appointee Tommie Stewart.

Candidates for the position, which represents much of southwest Alabama, are Fred Bell, Tonya Smith Chestnut, Ron Davis, Pamela J. Laffitte, Patrice “Penni” McClammy, Woodie E. Pugh Jr., Joanne Shum and Billie Jean Young.

A runoff will be required if no candidate receives at least half of the vote.

Stewart, a retired dean at Alabama State University, filled the seat left open by the death of longtime board member Ella Bell of Montgomery. 

* The Associated Press contributed to this report.