- District identifier: AL-SD-004
- Chamber: Alabama State Senate, part of the 35-seat upper house established under the Alabama Constitution, referenced via the Alabama State Legislature.
- District key: sldu:01:4
- Knowledge pathway: explore/places/al/upper/4
- Current incumbent reference: Garlan Gudger, Republican, documented in the official Alabama Senate Member Directory as of 2026-09-30.
- Term and election calendar: Four-year concurrent terms; primary held May 19, 2026, runoff June 16, 2026, and upcoming general election on November 3, 2026, as administered by the Alabama Secretary of State Elections Division.
¶ 2. Geography and Communities
- Spatial extent: District footprint bounded by west longitude -88.207229, south latitude 33.857974, east longitude -86.451111, and north latitude 34.321054, as established by the Alabama 2021 Legislative Redistricting Map and U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Boundary Files.
- County intersections: Covers the entirety of Cullman County, Winston County, and Marion County across north-central and northwestern Alabama.
- Contained municipalities (nearly entire mapped places): Cullman, Hamilton, Haleyville, Hanceville, Double Springs, Good Hope, Hackleburg, Guin, Bear Creek, Lynn, Brilliant, Baileyton, Holly Pond, Arley, West Point, Addison, Dodge City, Twin, Garden City, Colony, Fairview, Berlin, East Point, South Vinemont, and Natural Bridge.
- Overlapping municipalities (partial overlap): Winfield, Arab, Gu-Win, Joppa, and Glen Allen.
- Physical terrain and watersheds: Encompasses the transition zone between the Cumberland Plateau and the Fall Line Hills, including the Mulberry Fork drainage basin, the Sipsey Fork watershed, Lewis Smith Lake, and extensive federally managed acreage in the Bankhead National Forest.
- Transportation spine: North-south passage through Cullman County along Interstate 65 and U.S. Highway 31; east-west transit through Winston and Marion counties along Interstate 22 (Corridor X), U.S. Highway 278, and U.S. Highway 43.
¶ 3. Population and Electorate
- District population: 143,432 persons, based on the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year survey via Census Reporter API Data.
- Household income: Median household income reported as 58,830 USD (margin of error ±3,350 USD in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars).
- Poverty status: 22,690 persons below poverty level (margin of error ±1,966) from a evaluated poverty universe of 141,426 persons.
- Demographic composition: Rural non-metropolitan profile anchored by small manufacturing and agricultural centers in Cullman, Hamilton, and Haleyville, with persistent elder-skewed demographics typical of northwest rural Alabama.
¶ 4. Elections and Political Context
- Partisan baseline: Strongly conservative voting pattern across Cullman, Winston, and Marion counties, historically delivering substantial supermajorities for Republican state and federal candidates.
- Certified 2026 general candidates: Garlan Gudger (REP), certified on 2026-08-28 as recorded in the official Alabama Secretary of State Republican Certification.
- Uncontested general contest: No Democratic general nominee was certified by the state party for the 2026 cycle on the official filings.
- Historical electoral baseline: Garlan Gudger was first elected to Senate District 4 in November 2018 and re-elected in November 2022.
¶ 5. Economic and Civic Anchors
- Healthcare inside district: Cullman Regional Medical Center, located in Cullman, Alabama, serves as the primary regional acute-care hospital and acute surgical facility for Cullman County and adjacent portions of Winston County.
- Higher education inside district: Wallace State Community College, based in Hanceville, Alabama, provides major regional workforce training, applied engineering, nursing, and academic transfer programs.
- Natural resources and public lands inside district: Bankhead National Forest, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, spans central Winston County and supports regional forestry, conservation, and recreation economies.
- Key agricultural sector: Agriculture across Cullman County forms a primary economic anchor within the district, characterized by major commercial poultry, egg production, and sweet potato farming operations, documented within state agricultural reporting by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.
- Regional healthcare connections outside district: Tertiary and specialized referral networks connect patients to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, located approximately 50 miles south of the district line via Interstate 65.
¶ 6. People and Organizations to Map
- Key organizations: Cullman Regional Medical Center, Wallace State Community College, Bankhead National Forest District Office, Cullman County Commission, Winston County Commission, Marion County Commission.
- Research question 1: What relationship, if any, exists between Interstate 65 corridor manufacturing investments near Cullman and capital improvement allocations in more rural Winston and Marion county communities?
- Research question 2: What relationship, if any, exists between allied health training program enrollment at Wallace State Community College and clinical staffing retention at Cullman Regional Medical Center?
- Research question 3: What relationship, if any, exists between federal land acreage inside the Bankhead National Forest footprint and municipal road maintenance funding across Winston County townships?
¶ 7. Representation and Legislative Work
- Officeholder: Senator Garlan Gudger (Republican), representing District 4 since November 2018.
- Leadership: Elected by peers as President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate in February 2025.
- Committee assignments: Documented on the official Alabama State Legislature Committee Directory as serving on Finance and Taxation Education, Healthcare, Rules, and Local Legislation committees.
- Legislative priorities: State education budgeting, rural hospital preservation, local infrastructure development (ATRIP-II grants), and regulatory reduction for small businesses across North Alabama.