Nobody saw it coming. Or maybe everyone did. When Sandy Stimpson stood up on September 25, 2024, and announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term, the political shockwaves didn't just rattle Government Plaza. They fundamentally rewrote the future of the Gulf Coast.
For the first time in two decades, there was no incumbent. No "safe bet." The Mobile Alabama mayor race became a wide-open scramble for the soul of a city that has seen its demographics flip and its borders swell through massive annexations.
Honestly, the 2025 cycle was a beast. It wasn't just a local vote; it was a referendum on whether Mobile wanted to continue the "One Mobile" vision or pivot toward a more aggressive, populist localism. By the time the dust settled in September 2025, we had a new face ready to take the 109th spot on the mayoral list.
The Night the Runoff Changed Everything
If you were following the numbers on August 26, it was a mess. Spiro Cheriogotis, the former District Court judge, was the man to beat. He had the money—lots of it—and he had Stimpson’s blessing. But in a four-way split, nobody gets a clean win.
Cheriogotis took about 27.7% of the initial vote. Barbara Drummond, the veteran state representative, actually edged him out with 33.7%. It set up a classic Mobile showdown: the Republican-leaning judge versus the Democratic-leaning state lawmaker.
Then came September 23.
The runoff was tight. Stressful. People were texting "Who's winning?" every five minutes. Basically, Spiro Cheriogotis pulled it off. He ended up with 25,106 votes (51.42%) compared to Barbara Drummond's 23,715 votes (48.58%). A difference of just 1,391 votes.
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Think about that. In a city of nearly 200,000 people, the whole trajectory of the "Port City" was decided by a margin that wouldn't fill the Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Why the Numbers Tell a Deeper Story
Mobile isn't the same city it was in the early 2000s. The 2020 Census showed a massive shift: the white population dropped to 40.4%, while the Black population grew to 53.1%.
Historically, Stimpson won because of a "white surge" in turnout. He barely got any support from African American voters back in 2013 and 2017. Barbara Drummond, being the only African American candidate in the final four, was expected to consolidate that majority.
So why didn't she win?
- Turnout was the killer. Only about 48,000 people showed up for the runoff. That’s a fraction of the eligible voters.
- Annexation math. The city recently added thousands of new residents in West Mobile. These areas lean heavily toward candidates like Cheriogotis.
- The "Judge" factor. Spiro leaned hard into public safety. He wasn't just a politician; he was a guy who sat on the bench. People in the suburbs eat that up.
The Candidates Who Almost Made It
Paul Prine. That name still gets people fired up in the coffee shops downtown.
The former Police Chief was fired by Stimpson in 2024. Talk about drama. He ran for mayor basically on a platform of "I'm going to show them they were wrong." He pulled nearly 20% of the vote in August. If he hadn't been in the race, where would those votes have gone? Probably to Spiro, but maybe some to Connie Hudson.
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Connie Hudson has been around forever—City Council, County Commission, you name it. She brought in over $150,000 from her commission fund, but she just couldn't break the 19% ceiling.
It was a "big name" graveyard. Stephen Nodine tried to run but had to drop out because of issues with the state pardon board. Michael Woodard, an IT guy, couldn't find the momentum. Even Jerry Carl, the former Congressman, looked at the race and basically said "no thanks."
What Spiro Cheriogotis Inherits
The Mobile Alabama mayor race wasn't just about winning a title. It was about who gets to oversee the new International Airport at Brookley. It’s about the Civic Center renovation—a project that’s going to cost a fortune but could revitalize the downtown core.
Cheriogotis campaigned on being a "bridge builder," but he’s walking into a divided City Council.
Look at the council results from 2025. You've got veterans like Cory Penn (District 1) and C.J. Small (District 3) who won easily. But you also have new blood like Samantha Ingram in District 2 and Beau Fleming in District 5.
The new mayor has to play nice with seven different personalities, each representing a district with wildly different needs. West Mobile wants paved roads and less traffic. The Highland Avenue area wants historic preservation and better drainage. The Southside needs investment that hasn't arrived in decades.
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The "MAGA" Label and Local Realities
In the final weeks of the runoff, things got ugly. A Democratic PAC started hitting Cheriogotis with the "MAGA Republican" label.
In a city that's majority-minority, that's usually a death sentence. But municipal races in Alabama are technically nonpartisan. Even though everyone knows who belongs to which party, the "R" or "D" isn't next to the name on the ballot.
Spiro played it smart. He stayed focused on "One Mobile." He leaned on his judicial record. He didn't get bogged down in national politics, even when the ads were screaming about it. Drummond had big hitters in her corner—Doug Jones, the DNC Chair Ken Martin, even Randall Woodfin from Birmingham. It just wasn't enough to overcome the turnout in the newly annexed districts.
Key Insights for the Future
If you're living in Mobile or thinking about moving there, the 2025 election changed the rules. The era of Stimpson’s "business-first" approach is evolving into something else.
What to watch for now:
- The Airport Move: The transition from Mobile Regional to the Downtown Airport is the biggest economic move in a generation. Cheriogotis has to nail the infrastructure around it.
- Council Relations: If the mayor and the Council get into a deadlock, the city's progress stops. Watch how he handles C.J. Small, the Council President.
- Public Safety: With a former judge as mayor and a former chief (Prine) watching from the sidelines, crime stats will be under a microscope.
The Mobile Alabama mayor race showed us that while the face at the top changes, the underlying tensions of the city remain. It’s a city of 187,000 people trying to figure out if it wants to be a modern metropolis or keep its "big small town" feel.
If you want to stay involved, don't just wait for the next election. Head down to Government Plaza for the Tuesday Council meetings. That's where the real deals happen. You should also check the City of Mobile website for updates on the "Riverwalk Plaza" and the Civic Center plans. These aren't just blueprints anymore; with a new administration, they are the immediate priorities that will define the next four years of our lives.