Robert Aderholt

The first Republican to win the seat had been Jim Martin, who was swept into office in what was then the 7th District during the 1964 wave that delivered the state's electoral votes to Barry Goldwater.

After his first win, Aderholt has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected nine times.

Robert Brown Aderholt (born July 22, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 4th congressional district since 1997.

He is a member of the Republican Party.

The district includes most of Tuscaloosa County north of the Black Warrior River, as well as Birmingham's far northern suburbs in Walker County and the southern suburbs of Huntsville and Decatur.

A social conservative, Aderholt was a member of the Tea Party Caucus.

In 1992, Aderholt was appointed Haleyville municipal judge.

The same year, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.

In 1995, he became the top aide to Governor Fob James.

He won the 1996 Republican primary in the race to succeed 15-term Democratic incumbent Tom Bevill.

As the Republican nominee, Aderholt faced a considerable challenge against State Senator Bob Wilson Jr., who called himself a Democrat "in the Tom Bevill tradition".

This was a seriously contested race, receiving considerable national coverage and significant support from the Republican Party.

Newt Gingrich personally visited the district during the campaign.

Aderholt won, 50%–48%, becoming only the second Republican to represent the district since Reconstruction.

Two years later, he was reelected over Tom Bevil, Jr., his predecessor's son.

He ran unopposed in 2004, 2010, 2014, and 2016.

His increasing margins reflected the growing Republican trend in this part of Alabama.

He became the dean of Alabama's congressional delegation following Senator Richard Shelby's retirement at the end of the 117th Congress.

According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, Aderholt represents the most Republican district in the country, with an index rating of R+33.

Aderholt was born in Haleyville, Alabama, to Mary Frances Brown and Bobby Ray Aderholt.

Aderholt's father, a part-time minister for a small group of Congregational churches in northwest Alabama, was a circuit judge for more than 30 years.

He attended the University of North Alabama and then Birmingham-Southern College, from which he graduated with a degree in history and political science.

During college, Aderholt was a member of Kappa Alpha Order.

Aderholt received his J.D. from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law and practiced law after graduation.

Although announced during the 118th Congress, the funds were from the previous House session.

In February 2023, CoinDesk reported that Aderholt is one of three members of Alabama's congressional delegation who received money from FTX, the defunct cryptocurrency exchange, alongside Katie Britt and Gary Palmer.

His office did not respond to a CoinDesk inquiry about what had been done with the funds.

Aderholt voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

For the 118th Congress:

Aderholt is associated with the Fellowship Foundation, which paid for his trip to Romania in 2017 to promote "traditional family values".

Over 16 years, Aderholt traveled to 18 countries on the Fellowship's behalf.

Aderholt is one of 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to overturn results in the 2020 presidential election.

He was at the Capitol to certify the election results when it was attacked.

During the attack, he tweeted a prayer to God to "guide & protect this nation."

In a video message, he later said that some of the attackers "crossed the line".

Even after the attack, he supported overturning the election.

Aderholt later opposed impeaching Trump for the second time.

In February 2021, Aderholt voted against the American Rescue Plan, claiming that his opposition was because half the bill's funding went to "unrelated liberal policies" and that the bill "has nothing to do with COVID-19 relief".

As of October 2021, Aderholt had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 7.5% of the time.

In January 2023, Aderholt announced that he had secured $13.8 million in funding for 14 infrastructure projects in his district, including broadband expansion, roadways and access to medical care.