Who is Marilyn Lands? Dem running on abortion platform wins Alabama house seat by 25 points

A Democrat won a contentious special election Tuesday for a state house seat in Alabama, in win that could signal the dominant role of abortion and in-vitro fertilization in elections across the country in 2024.

Marilyn Lands beat Republican Teddy Powell in a race for the seat that was left vacant after former Republican Rep. David Cole who pleaded guilty to voter fraud.

Alabama has been in the reproductive rights spotlight after the state Supreme Court ruled that embryos created during IVF should be legally treated as children. The decision halted IVF treatments at many clinics in the state, until the state legislature passed measures to protect the treatment.

Lands made abortion and IVF access a central point of her campaign. Her win could be a testament to the salience of those issues for voters in 2024.

Federal abortion access: Supreme Court arguments on abortion pill could unify judges

Who is Marilyn Lands?

Marilyn Lands is a licensed professional counselor who previously worked in banking and aerospace, according to her website.

She moved to Huntsville, Alabama as a toddler, and is now a wife, mother and community advocate with Christian values, in addition to her counseling work.

Abortion was one of her top issues as a candidate, along with economic development and education.

In a TV ad, Lands shared her experience getting an abortion for a “nonviable” pregnancy years ago. She appeared with an Alabama woman who faced a similar situation but had to travel out of state to receive the procedure because of the state’s abortion ban after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

Lands also argued that a law passed in response to the state Supreme Court’s IVF ruling, which aimed to protect IVF providers and patients from prosecution, fell short and did not address the root concerns with the court’s decision.

"Alabama women have spoken—thank you District 10!!" Lands wrote on X Tuesday night.

Lands won Huntsville-area purple district by nearly 25 points

According to unofficial results on the Alabama Secretary of State website, Lands won 62.31% of the vote, with 100% of votes counted. Powell, a local city council member, lost earning only 37.5% of the vote. Just 1.85% of voters turned out.

Lands ran against her predecessor in 2022, and lost by seven points.

Powell mainly campaigned on infrastructure and the economy, and criticized Lands for making the campaign overwhelmingly about reproductive rights.

Lands will represent Alabama State House District 10, which covers an area outside of Huntsville in the northern part of the state. It is a rare purple district, and her win is not likely to have a big impact on the makeup of the state legislature, where Republicans hold a supermajority.

However, national Democrats hope this a sign that reproductive rights will sway voters in General Election later this year.

Abortion and IVF in Alabama

Alabama is also one of several states where a strict abortion ban went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. 

The state's highest court took it even further in February by ruling that frozen embryos are "extrauterine children" and legally protected like any other child. The decision led many providers in the state to halt IVF for fear of facing possible homicide charges when handling embryos during the IVF process. The ruling received national opposition from both Republicans and Democrats.

Later that month, the Alabama state legislature passed bills to protect patients and professionals from civil and criminal liability for IVF treatments.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrat Marilyn Lands wins Alabama District 10 on abortion platform