Robert Aderholt
Robert Aderholt, a Republican who has represented Alabama's 4th congressional district since 1997 and is the dean of Alabama's congressional delegation, faces Democrat Amanda Pusczek, a registered nurse, in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Robert Aderholt.
- Born
- July 22, 1965
- Birthplace
- Haleyville, Alabama
- Education
- University of North Alabama
Birmingham-Southern College (degree in history and political science)
Samford University Cumberland School of Law (JD)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Robert Aderholt, whose full name is Robert Brown Aderholt, was born on July 22, 1965, in Haleyville, Alabama, to Mary Frances Brown and Bobby Ray Aderholt.
His father was a part-time minister for a small group of Congregational churches in northwest Alabama and served as a circuit judge for more than 30 years.
Aderholt attended the University of North Alabama and then Birmingham-Southern College, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and graduated with a degree in history and political science.
He received his J.D. from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law and practiced law after graduation.
Career
Robert Aderholt's public career began in 1992, when he was appointed Haleyville municipal judge and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. In 1995 he became the top aide to Governor Fob James.
The following year he won the Republican primary to succeed 15-term Democratic incumbent Tom Bevill and defeated State Senator Bob Wilson Jr. by 50% to 48%, becoming only the second Republican to represent the district since Reconstruction.
Two years later he was reelected over Tom Bevill Jr., his predecessor's son, and he later ran unopposed in 2004, 2010, 2014 and 2016.
Aderholt became the dean of Alabama's congressional delegation following Senator Richard Shelby's retirement at the end of the 117th Congress. He sits on the House Committee on Appropriations, and in the 118th Congress he chaired its Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. He is also a co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption.
2026 race
Robert Aderholt is the Republican nominee in the 2026 election for Alabama's 4th congressional district, which is located in rural north-central Alabama and includes Blount, Colbert, Cullman, Fayette and Marion counties along with half of Lauderdale and Tuscaloosa counties.
Aderholt, the incumbent, was re-elected unopposed in 2024. In the 2026 Republican primary he defeated Colbert County commissioner Tommy Barnes by 77.6% to 22.4%.
In the November 3, 2026, general election he faces Democrat Amanda Pusczek, a registered nurse who won the Democratic primary with 62.8% of the vote against business development manager Shane Weaver.