Democratic Challenger Sneed Pitches Government Reform in Bid to Unseat Rep. Dale Strong in North Alabama

Andrew Sneed, the Democratic nominee in Alabama's 5th Congressional District, says widespread frustration with Washington could give his party a chance to compete in one of the state's most reliably Republican districts. He won the June 16 Democratic runoff and will face Republican U.S. Rep. Dale Strong in the Nov. 3 general election.

The district includes Huntsville and much of North Alabama and has been held by Republicans since 2009. In an interview with 256 Today, Sneed said his campaign has concentrated on meeting voters where they are and hearing their concerns, rather than leaning on conventional political messaging.

"We founded this whole campaign on this idea of 'hear every voice,'" Sneed said. "It's not just a slogan." He said voters respond well when candidates listen and offer plans that speak to their worries.

Sneed owns and runs a small business and says he spent 25 years working with his hands before entering politics. He believes that background sets him apart from career politicians at a time when many people feel apathetic and cynical. "They feel like everywhere they look there's rich politicians while they're falling further and further behind," he said.

Acknowledging the district's conservative leanings, Sneed said some Republican voters who are unhappy with Congress have backed his campaign. "I can't tell you how many three-time Trump supporters donate to this campaign," he said. "They still like the president, but they hate Congress." He also said Congress has not met its constitutional responsibilities and faulted Strong for supporting what he described as an expansion of executive power.

The centerpiece of his platform is the BAC Pledge, a five-point reform plan. BAC stands for Balance, Accountability and Candidates, which Sneed says reflects an effort to restore constitutional checks and balances and raise public trust in government.

The pledge calls for congressional term limits of 12 years in the House and 12 years in the Senate; reversing the effects of the Citizens United decision to reduce corporate influence in politics; banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks; a five-year waiting period before former lawmakers can become lobbyists; and an enforceable ethics code for U.S. Supreme Court justices.

"People are tired of career politicians," Sneed said. On the court, he added: "It's not too much to ask that the arbiters of the Constitution be above reproach." He said more than 120 congressional candidates nationwide have signed the pledge, and that U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio recently became the first sitting member of Congress to endorse it.

Sneed said he wants 2026 to be a "hope election" and that voters are ready for politicians who want to clean up Washington. He credited his late father with shaping his view of public service, recalling the advice that "you have to like who you see in the mirror." Doing politics without integrity, Sneed said, "isn't worth doing at all."