Democrat Marilyn Lands wins special election in Alabama state House District 10
District is known for its purplish political leanings in a largely red state, making it an important test of how voters feel about these topics.
District previously held by Republican Teddy Powell and had been vacated after former state Rep. David Cole (R) pleaded guilty to voter fraud last year.
Lands campaigned on access to abortion and IVF, issues that have become increasingly contentious in the United States over the past few years.
In a surprising turn of events, Democrat Marilyn Lands has won the special election in Alabama state House District 10. The district was previously held by Republican Teddy Powell and had been vacated after former state Rep. David Cole (R) pleaded guilty to voter fraud last year.
Lands campaigned on access to abortion and IVF, issues that have become increasingly contentious in the United States over the past few years. The district is known for its purplish political leanings in a largely red state, making it an important test of how voters feel about these topics.
The Huntsville-area race was closely watched because Lands leaned into the issues of abortion and IVF in a special election that came one month after the state saw IVF services temporarily paused after the state Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos were children. Lawmakers quickly passed legislation afterward to address civil and criminal liability for IVF providers, prompting some health care providers to resume services.
Lands' victory has been hailed as a major warning sign by Democrats who are hoping it will signal that voters across the country have had enough of attacks on reproductive rights. The state House district is an unusual one, with purplish political leanings in a largely red state. Political observers tuned into the race to see if the issues of IVF and abortion might sway voters in this unique Alabama district.
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), called Lands' victory a “political earthquake” in a statement. She added that it was a harbinger of things to come and that Republicans across the country have been put on notice.
The overall score for this source is 78.5 out of 100, indicating it is likely to be valuable information.
Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands has won the special election in Alabama state House District 10.
Lands flipped the previously Republican district with 62.4 percent of the vote against 37.6 percent for Powell, a Madison City Council member.
Both the Powell and Lands campaigns released internal polling suggesting they were on track for victory.
Accuracy
The special election in Alabama for State House District 10 was held after the previous incumbent, Republican David Cole, pleaded guilty to felony voter fraud leading to his resignation.
Both the Powell and Lands campaigns released internal polling suggesting they were on track for victory. In January, Lands published a survey conducted by Impact Research between December 16 and 20 that showed her on 43 percent against 40 percent for Powell and with 17 percent undecided.
According to a Newsweek analysis, polling conducted by The Trafalgar Group, a conservative-leaning pollster, correctly predicted the winner within the poll's final margin of error in just five of the two dozen polls they conducted.
An analysis by The New York Times concluded that Republicans in 2022 were misled by 'right-leaning pollsters using opaque methodology, in some cases relying on financial support from hyperpartisan groups and benefiting from vociferous cheerleading by Mr. Trump.' These impacted the polling averages calculated by groups like RealClearPolitics exaggerating the GOP's position.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the statement of a politician without providing any evidence or reasoning for their claim. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when they describe Lands' victory as a 'political earthquake'. They also use dichotomous depiction when they contrast Alabama women and families sending a clear message with no mention of what that message is. The article does not contain any formal fallacies.
The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the statement of Heather Williams without providing any evidence or reasoning for their claim.
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article is biased towards the Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands and his stance on IVF and abortion. The author uses language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable by saying 'Alabama women and families sent a clear message' implying that those who disagree with her are not listening to reason. Additionally, the author quotes only the Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands without providing any countering opinions from other sources.
Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands has won the special election in Alabama state House District 10
The Huntsville-area race was closely watched because Lands leaned into the issues of abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a special election that came one month after the state saw IVF services temporarily paused after the state Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos were children.
The state House district is an unusual one, with purplish political leanings in a largely red state.
“Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation. Our legislature must repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception,” Lands said in a statement.
Republican Teddy Powell lost his bid for a seat in the Alabama House to Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands on Tuesday despite internal polling conducted in December which suggested he was on course for a comfortable victory.
Lands flipped the previously Republican district with 62.4 percent of the vote against 37.6 percent for Powell, a Madison City Council member.
An analysis by The New York Times concluded that Republicans in 2022 were misled by 'right-leaning pollsters using opaque methodology', which impacted the polling averages calculated by groups like RealClearPolitics.
Accuracy
The Republicans underperformed during the 2022 midterm elections despite internal polling suggesting they were on track for victory.
Former President Donald Trump speaks in New York City on March 25. The GOP suffered an election defeat in Alabama despite internal polling suggesting they were on track for victory.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents internal polling conducted by the Republican campaign as accurate and reliable when in fact it was not. The poll put Teddy Powell on 47.7% of the vote against Marilyn Lands' 36.8%, which was only a small margin away from victory for Powell, but this did not materialize in reality with Lands winning by over 5%. Secondly, the article presents polling conducted by conservative-leaning media as reliable when it is not. The Trafalgar Group's predictions were incorrect in just five out of 24 polls they conducted and their methodology was criticized for being opaque and relying on financial support from hyperpartisan groups. Finally, the article presents a skewed view of the Republican party by focusing heavily on Lands' campaign message around access to abortion and IVF treatment while ignoring other issues that may have contributed to Powell's defeat.
An analysis by The New York Times concluded that Republicans in 2022 were misled by right-leaning pollsters using opaque methodology.
The Trafalgar Group established a reputation after being one of the few pollsters to correctly predict Donald Trump would defeat Hillary Clinton, but their predictions were incorrect in just five out of 24 polls they conducted.
The internal poll conducted by Teddy Powell's campaign put him on 47.7% of the vote against Marilyn Lands, but he lost with 37.6%.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the Trafalgar Group's reputation for accurately predicting election results and their use of opaque methodology in polling. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the impact that conservative-leaning media outlets had on polling averages calculated by groups like RealClearPolitics. The article also contains an example of a dichotomous depiction when it describes Lands' campaign as focusing heavily on supporting access to abortion and IVF treatment, while Powell's campaign did not mention these issues in their internal polling.
The Trafalgar Group is cited as having correctly predicted the winner within the poll’s final margin of error in just five out of 24 polls they conducted. This suggests that their methodology may be flawed or biased.
Bias
(80%)
The article discusses the internal polling problem faced by Republicans in recent elections. The author cites examples of how Republican candidates lost races despite having conducted internal polls that suggested they were on track for victory. This suggests a potential bias towards overconfidence in their own polling and an underestimation of the strength of their opponents' campaigns.
In January, Lands published a survey conducted by Impact Research between December 16 and 20 that showed her on 43 percent against 40 percent for Powell and with 17 percent undecided. Referring to their own internal poll, Powell spokesperson Dalton Dismukes responded:
Republican Teddy Powell lost his bid for a seat in the Alabama House to Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands on Tuesday despite internal polling conducted in December which suggested he was on course for a comfortable victory.
The special election in Alabama for State House District 10 was held after the previous incumbent, Republican David Cole, pleaded guilty to felony voter fraud leading to his resignation. Ahead of the vote, both the Powell and Lands campaigns released internal polling suggesting they were on track for victory.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author James Bickerton has a conflict of interest on the topic of Republicans as he is reporting for Newsweek which is owned by IAC Media. The company also owns Impact Research, a polling firm that was hired to conduct internal polls for the Republican National Committee (RNC) in 2018.
Newsweek's parent company, IAC Media, has financial ties with Impact Research through its ownership of the firm. This could compromise Newsweek's ability to report on the RNC's internal polling problem objectively and impartially.
Marilyn Lands won a special election in Alabama after campaigning on access to abortion and IVF.
Lands defeated her Republican opponent by about 25 percentage points.
The special election was called when David Cole resigned and pleaded guilty to voter fraud.
Accuracy
The special election was called when David Cole, the Republican who had held the seat, resigned and pleaded guilty to voter fraud.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains multiple examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the statement 'voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive health care' is a lie by omission as it does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Secondly, Elon Musk's accusation against NBC News of bias is also a lie by omission as there are no quotes from Ronna McDaniel or anyone else supporting this claim.
The statement 'voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive health care' is a lie by omission
Elon Musk's accusation against NBC News of bias is also a lie by omission
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the statement 'Voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive health care' is an appeal to authority as it assumes that voters share this viewpoint without providing any evidence or reasoning behind it. Secondly, Elon Musk's accusation of bias against NBC News is a claim of injustice which lacks context and evidence. Lastly, the statement 'Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation' is an example of inflammatory rhetoric as it uses strong language to convey a sense of urgency without providing any concrete information.
Voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive health care
Elon Musk weighed in on Wednesday about NBC News severing ties with Ronna McDaniel, the former Republican National Committee chairwoman, just days after it had added her as an on-air contributor. He accused the network of bias.
Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation
Bias
(85%)
The article contains multiple examples of bias. Firstly, the author uses language that dehumanizes one side as extreme or unreasonable by saying 'verified accounts on X and major far-right influencers on platforms like Telegram were celebrating'. This is an example of religious bias. Secondly, the author quotes a statement from Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden's campaign manager that says 'voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive health care', which implies that Trump and Republicans are attacking reproductive rights. This is an example of political bias. Thirdly, the article mentions Elon Musk accusing NBC News of bias by saying they refused to let even one Republican join them. This is an example of monetary bias as it suggests that NBC News may have been influenced by money or power dynamics.
Elon Musk accused NBC News of bias by saying they refused to let even one Republican join them
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden's campaign manager said in a statement 'voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive health care'
verified accounts on X and major far-right influencers on platforms like Telegram were celebrating
``Our legislature must repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception.`a
Accuracy
Democrats and Biden campaign cheer surprise special election victory in Alabama
``Just how did Marilyn Lands end up ousting Republicans from a suburban state house seat in northern Alabama? The Associated Press reports that the licensed counselor✙s pitch to voters included the following demands: ✙Our legislature must repeal Alabamaδs no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception.✙
``Voters liked what they heard, and so did the Democratic party at large.
Today➷s election ◤ one of the first since the devastating decision by the Alabama supreme court that stopped IVF care ◣ was a referendum on Maga Republicansω out-of-touch extremism on reproductive rights. Marilyn Lands➷s victory demonstrates that voters arenΡt going to sit idly by while Maga Republicans lay the groundwork for a national abortion ban.
Trump overturned Roe v Wade, paving the way for attacks on womenωs freedoms like we saw in Alabama ◣ now heΡs running to ban abortion and gut access to IVF nationwide. Tonight➷s results should serve as a major warning sign for Trump: voters will not stand for his attacks on reproductive healthcare. This November will be no different.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Marilyn Lands' pitch to voters included demands for access to IVF and contraception when there is no evidence of this in the Associated Press report. Secondly, the author quotes Joe Biden's campaign manager stating that Alabamans lost access to fertility treatments because of Donald Trump, which is not true as Alabama does not have a ban on IVF or any other form of reproductive healthcare. Lastly, the article uses emotional manipulation by portraying Lands' victory as a clear message against Trump and extreme Maga Republicans without providing any evidence to support this claim.
Joe Biden's campaign manager states that Alabamans lost access to fertility treatments because of Donald Trump, which is not true as Alabama does not have a ban on IVF or any other form of reproductive healthcare.
The author claims that Marilyn Lands' pitch to voters included demands for access to IVF and contraception when there is no evidence of this in the Associated Press report.
Fallacies
(85%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article is biased towards Democrats and their stance on reproductive rights. The author uses language that dehumanizes Republicans by referring to them as 'Maga Republicans' and portrays them as out-of-touch with reality. Additionally, the author quotes Democratic officials who use inflammatory language such as 'restricting women's ability to decide how and when to build their families.' The article also uses examples of Republican actions that are presented in a negative light, while ignoring any positive actions taken by Republicans on this issue.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, manager of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign: Last month, Alabamans lost access to fertility treatments because of Donald Trump. Tonight, the voters in Alabama’s 10th house district elected a pro-choice champion in Marilyn Lands.
The article uses inflammatory language such as 'Maga Republicans' and portrays them as out-of-touch with reality.
The Associated Press reports that the licensed counselor’s pitch to voters included the following demands: “Our legislature must repeal Alabama’s no-exceptions abortion ban, fully restore access to IVF, and protect the right to contraception.”
