North Jefferson Republican Patriots host Shelnutt, Dixon, Duncan in Gardendale

The North Jefferson Republican Patriots held their monthly meeting Thursday, September 18, 2025 at the Gardendale Civic Center in Gardendale, Alabama.

The meeting began with a tribute to Keith Tolbert, a former Board Member of the group who passed away on July 3.

Alabama State Senator Shay Shelnutt, whose District 17 covers portions of Blount, Jefferson and Shelby Counties, spoke about Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (VCAP). Shelnutt reminding the group that it took three years for that bill to be passed in the Legislature.

Alabama was one of the first State to actually pass such a bill, but as of April, 2025, 27 States have passed similar laws.

Shelnutt briefly discussed two bills which he has pre-filed for the 2026 Legislative session, both of which failed to pass in the 2025 session.

SB3 would “require any sex education or human reproductive curriculum or program in a public K – 12 school to exclusively teach sexual risk avoidance and encourage abstinence from all sexual activity.” Shelnutt pointed out that Planned Parenthood continues to be the main provider of sex education in the country, promoting comprehensive sex education that includes discussions of gender identity, and “we don’t need that,” Shelnutt said.

According to Shelnutt, Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) will be carrying the companion bill in the House, but this bill is not yet on ALISON, the Legislative information system. 

SB4 would “require each local board of education to implement a policy, allowing elective credit to students who are released from the classroom to attend religious instruction during the school day, provided each local Board of Education may tailor the policy to meet their needs.“ Shelnutt commented that the previous version of this bill was fought by the Superintendents of Education because “they didn’t want to have to defend their policies.”

Shelnutt said that Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) will be carrying the complimentary bill in the House. Again, this House bill is not yet posted on ALISON.

Shelnutt then went on to discuss the races for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. In the Lt. Governor’s race, he mentioned Rick Pate and Wes Allen, commending Allen and reminding the group that “he voted no on the gas tax.” He did not mention Dr. Nicole Wadsworth, who is also running for Lt. Governor.

In the Attorney General’s race, Shelnutt named Jay Mitchell and Katherine Robertson, speaking highly of Robertson and saying that Mitchell was “tied up with” the BCA. Again, he failed to name Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey, who is also running for AG and is the DA for a portion of the District which Shelnutt represents.

Of the Senate race, Sheldon said “I don’t even want to name them,” before moving on to other topics.

Shelnutt spoke about how he was proud to have assisted in securing $850,000 in funding for the Regional Training Institute (RTI) is a non-profit organization that provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) education to use in securing better facilities. RTI was born of the need to address a critical shortage of Paramedic and EMS personnel across the State, and according to Shelnutt has outgrown its current facilities. The $850k in funding will help address that issue, he said.

Shelnutt was asked directly if he was going to run for office again, which after some initial reluctance to address the topic he said that yes, he would be seeking reelection to the State Senate. He said that Sen. Dan Roberts had asked him to remain in the Senate, and he had agreed.

Shelnutt’s confirmation of his intention to seek reelection was very favorably received by the group.

U.S. Congressional candidate Case Dixon, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Gary Palmer in District 6, introduced himself as “a born-again believer, a lifelong conservative and Alabamian.” Dixon, who is a home health Physical Therapist, said that “I don’t want to be a career politician.”

He said that he was motivated to see public office because “I was doing a disservice to my kids by not getting involved in politics.” He described how, when he was researching the issues, “one word kept coming up—accountability.”

Dixon discussed three specific areas in which he believes we need more accountability: spending, the actions of our elected officials, and term limits.

Dixon described the problem of the debt and deficit as “a delayed tax on our children.” He pointed to a small National Debt Clock that he was wearing on his lapel, pointing out that “we’re still living under Biden spending levels.” He criticized the Continuing Resolution that recently passed the House, citing a Daily Caller piece with the headline "Democrats Can’t Name Single Thing They Dislike About GOP Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown.” According to Dixon, too many Republicans talk about cutting spending, but “do their actions match their words? People are not taking it (the debt) seriously.”

Dixon cited Congressional stock trading as an issue also needing transparency, saying “we must ban Congressional stock trading because serving in Congress is supposed to be a sacrifice.”

“The third thing to restore accountability to Congress is term limits,” Dixon continued. “When you have more turnover in Congress, you get a more diverse Congress; a Congress that looks more like America.” He then asked the group how many were lawyers (very few raised their hands), using the high number of lawyers in Congress to illustrate his point that Congress needs more people from other professions and trades to bring a wider view to issues.

Dixon has already signed the Term Limits Pledge.

“Holding office is not a career, it’s a calling,” Dixon concluded. “I will always stand for faith, freedom and the Constitution.”

Dawson Duncan, University of Alabama student, spoke on behalf of UA’s Turning Point USA chapter. “Conservatives cannot be silent any longer,” Duncan said. “Silence is not the answer. We have to rise up. We have to be vocal. We have to continue to fight, continue to stand up for conservative Christian views. We have to elect Godly people to office,” he finished.

The next meeting of the North Jefferson Republican Patriots will be on October 16, and a representative of Turning Point USA will be invited to speak. The meeting will also feature “War Stories,” honoring local Veterans.