# Kirk Hatcher

Kirk Hatcher (born 1964/1965) is an American politician from the state of Alabama. He currently represents Alabama's 26th District in the Alabama State Senate. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

## Education

Hatcher graduated from Morehouse College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature. He later enrolled in Emory University, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree in Theology in 1997.

## Career

After graduating from Emory, Hatcher moved to Rye, New York, where he worked as an English teacher at Rye County Day School. After resigning his position in 2015, he moved back to his hometown, Montgomery, Alabama, where he worked in community organization. In 2018, he ran for a position in the Alabama House of Representatives in District 78, which covers downtown Montgomery. He came in 2nd place in the initial Democratic primary election held on June 5, 2018, winning 37.6% of the vote and causing a runoff. In the runoff held 2 months later, Hatcher defeated incumbent Representative Alvin Holmes by 17.4%. Hatcher decisively defeated his independent opponent, Tijuanna Adetunji, in the November general election with 83.4% to her 16.3%. Hatcher's success was backed by several lobbying groups, including the Alabama Education Association, Medical Association of the State of Alabama, Alabama Bankers Association, Alabama Forestry Association, and Alabama Rural Electricity Association. After the resignation of Senator David Burkette, Hatcher ran for the empty seat in the Alabama Senate's District 26. He won the initial open primary with 47.9% of votes, although because he did not win a majority of the vote, there had to be a runoff election. In the runoff, Hatcher triumphed over his opponent, John Knight, winning with 74.2% of the vote. In the general election, Hatcher defeated Republican William Green with over 78% of votes cast.
In 2024, Hatcher strongly considered running for United States Representative in the 2nd congressional district (which was redrawn after the Supreme Court case Allen v. Milligan), although he eventually decided not to.

### Committee Positions

Hatcher is a member of the Banking and Insurance, Education Policy, Tourism, and Transportation and Energy Committees.

## Elections
### Alabama House of Representatives District 78
#### 2018 Democratic Primary

2018 Democratic Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Alvin Holmes | 2,116 | 45.9% |
| | Democratic | Kirk Hatcher | 1,736 | 37.6% |
| | Democratic | Terrance Dawson | 759 | 16.5% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,611 | 100.0% |

#### 2018 Democratic Runoff

2018 Democratic Runoff :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Kirk Hatcher | 1,704 | 58.7% |
| | Democratic | Alvin Holmes | 1,200 | 41.3% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,904 | 100.0% |

#### 2018 General Election

2018 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Kirk Hatcher | 9,506 | 83.4% |
| | Independent | Tijuanna Adetunji | 1,860 | 16.3% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 30 | 0.3% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 11,396 | 100.0% |

### Alabama State Senate District 26
#### 2020 Democratic Primary

2018 Democratic Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Kirk Hatcher | 2,513 | 47.9% |
| | Democratic | John Knight | 1,091 | 20.8% |
| | Democratic | Linda Douglas Burkette | 541 | 10.3% |
| | Democratic | TaShina Morris | 496 | 9.5% |
| | Democratic | Janet May | 400 | 7.6% |
| | Democratic | Deborah Anthony | 202 | 3.9% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,243 | 100.0% |

#### 2020 Democratic Runoff

2020 Democratic Runoff :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Kirk Hatcher | 3,961 | 74.2% |
| | Democratic | John Knight | 1,374 | 25,8% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,335 | 100.0% |

#### 2020 General Election

2020 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Kirk Hatcher | 4,565 | 78.3% |
| | Republican | William Green | 1,254 | 21.5% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 8 | 0.1% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,827 | 100.0% |