Full Name Wayne Sowell Name Wayne Sowell | Spouse Marietta Cameron Political party Democratic Party | |
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Wayne Sowell was the Democratic nominee for Alabama in the United States Senate election of 2004. He was also a candidate for Governor in 1998, Congress in 2000, the U.S. Senate in 2002 and State Auditor in 2006.
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2002 elections
Julian L. McPhillips won many counties in the southern part of the state, but Susan Parker won the most counties. Sowell endorsed Parker for the run off. Parker was the first woman in Alabama to be nominated for a Senate seat. Parker lost to incumbent Republican Jeff Sessions in the general election, winning 40% of votes against Sessions' 59%.
2004 elections
Sowell was the first African American candidate from a major party in Alabama to be nominated for one of its United States Senate seats. He received the Democratic nomination when the other Democratic candidate was ruled ineligible. He was considered a long-shot against Republican opponent Richard C. Shelby, receiving only 32.4 percent of the vote in the election. Shelby won his fourth consecutive term with 67.6 percent. One of Sowell's controversial tenets during the election was the legalization of marijuana.
Personal life
Wayne Sowell is married to Dr. Marietta Cameron, an associate professor of computer science at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama.