Nine Republican candidates and two Democratic candidates have qualified to run in a special election to fill Alabama’s 1st District Congressional seat.

The seat was vacated when former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, resigned to take a position with the University of Alabama System.

The Republican and Democratic primary elections will be Tuesday, Sept. 24. If required, a runoff election would be held Nov. 5, and the general election would be Dec. 17. If a runoff election is not required, the general election would be held Nov. 5.

The Republican candidates who qualified were:

• Bradley Byrne, a former state senator and Republican candidate for governor, who also served as the past chancellor of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education;

• Daniel Dyas, a small business owner;

• State Rep. Chad Fincher, a small business owner;

• Wells Griffith, an attorney who is also the deputy chief of staff for the Republican National Committee;

• Quin Hillyer, a conservative columnist for the American Spectator;

• Jessica James, a Realtor and grant writer for Bishop State Community College;

• Sharon Powe, a legal assistant for the U.S. Small Business Administration;

• David “Thunder” Thornton, a retired Shell production specialist and retail employee;

• Dean Young, a Realtor and small business owner who is a former candidate for Congress.
The Democratic candidates who qualified were:

• Lula Albert-Kaigler, a retired self-employed worker;

• Burton LeFlore, who works in real estate.
Independent candidate James Hall, a former U.S. Marine, has also qualified for the race.

Former State Sen. Albert Lipscomb had announced his intentions to run in the race as a Republican, but he has since withdrawn.
The winner of the special election to fill the remainder of Bonner’s term will then face re-election in 2014.