After an eight-year political break, a name familiar to most Limestone Countians will appear on the primary ballot next June.

Tom Butler, who served as senator for 16 years, is seeking election to his old District 2 Senate seat. It’s been held by State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, since 2010.

Butler, a former Democrat, was beaten by Holtzclaw in November 2010 as part of the “red tide” of GOP victories that washed several longtime Democrats out of office in Limestone County and elsewhere. He has qualified to run as a Republican, despite a previous clash with the Madison County Republican Party.

In 2012, Butler attempted to run for Madison County Commission as a Republican, but the Madison County Republican Executive Committee barred him from the primary ballot. At least 50 elected officials who were Democrats switched sides after the 2010 election, but Butler’s bid was denied.

He has since made peace with the party, which ultimately voted for him to serve on the state Republican Executive Committee. Butler also serves on Tennessee Valley Republican Club’s board of directors and is a charter member of the Pachyderm Club of North Alabama, a Republican organization.

“I was always a conservative, and I’m still a conservative,” Butler said. “All of the things you would identify with as being Republican in nature, I still am.”

He said he’s pro-life, pro-family and pro-gun with an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. He’s also pro-business and pro-jobs.

“Those things you may say, ‘That’s a Republican issue,’ I’ve been there since I’ve been in the Legislature,” he said.

In addition to serving as a senator from 1994 to 2010, Butler served as a state representative from 1982 to 1994. A release announcing his candidacy touted his efforts to sponsor and pass for $175 million in state bond money for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)-impacted schools in North Alabama.

The release said he also sponsored legislation to provide more TVA-in-lieu-of-tax money to the Tennessee Valley and secured state funding for the National Space Sciences & Technology Center and Applied Sciences Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Butler is a registered pharmacist and a graduate of both Auburn University and the University of Alabama. He and his wife Karen are members of the University Baptist Church, where he has served as a church medical missionary in South America. He is also a member of Gideon’s International.

“Being a public servant is my calling. I am ready to go back to work for District 2 in the Alabama State Senate,” Butler said. “We will work tirelessly to improve this district and the state of Alabama.”