U.S. House, Alabama 5th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Alabama's 5th Congressional District?
Dale Strong has the strongest record in Alabama's 5th Congressional District. Dale Strong scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Dale Strong's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Andrew Sneed (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Andrew Sneed
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 63
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Dale Strong
On the ballot as Dale W. Strong
67 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 63
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Andrew Sneed
- On the record2026-08
Organized a four-stop 'Hear Every Voice' town hall series across North Alabama, open to the public and press, with former Republican state Rep. Mike Ball moderating two events.
Sources: Alabama Political Reporter, Aug. 11, 2026, Alabama Political Reporter, Aug. 3, 2026
Dale Strong
- Credit2026-09-16
The House unanimously passed his Civil Preparedness for Agroterrorism Exercise Act of 2026 in September 2026.
- Credit2024-12-23
Sponsored H.R. 7177, consolidating divisions of the federal Northern District of Alabama court, enacted Dec. 23, 2024 as Public Law 118-179.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Andrew Sneed. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Dale Strong. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 11, 2026 after an extension. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074989, House Committee on Ethics site search for Dale Strong, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Andrew Sneed. Scheduled four free town halls open to the public and press in Scottsboro, Decatur, Athens and Huntsville from August to October 2026, with audience questions.
Sources: Alabama Political Reporter, Aug. 3, 2026, Alabama Political Reporter, Aug. 11, 2026
Dale Strong. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. Served 26 years in Madison County government, ending as commission chairman, and in the House since January 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Dale Strong
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. Has held sworn county office and, since January 2023, a House seat, taking office after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Office site, About
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Andrew Sneed. Master plumber and mechanical contractor who founded his own Huntsville trades business in 2019; earlier worked in restaurants. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Andrew Sneed, Alabama Political Reporter, June 26, 2026
Dale Strong. In the U.S. House since January 2023, now seeking a second full term after one full term; previously chairman of the Madison County Commission after 26 years in county government.
Sources: GovTrack, Dale Strong, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Andrew Sneed. Publishes issue pages on health care, affordability, education, energy and congressional reform; the reform page lists specific items (term limits, a lobbying moratorium, a stock trading ban), the rest are general.
Sources: Campaign site, Fix the House, Campaign site, Healthcare
Dale Strong. Chairs the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology and is vice chair of the Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittee. A bill he sponsored was enacted in December 2024.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 7177 (118th Congress)
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Andrew Sneed. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025, publishes issue pages and holds public town halls.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Andrew Sneed, Campaign site, Fix the House, Alabama Political Reporter, Aug. 3, 2026
Dale Strong. Offers an e-newsletter and publishes issue pages on his office site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Andrew Sneed. Born and raised in Huntsville and returned there to start his family and business. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 92 percent of itemized individual contributions from Alabama.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Andrew Sneed, FEC contribution totals by state
Dale Strong. Born and raised in Madison County and served 26 years in its government; based in Huntsville. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 62 percent of itemized individual contributions from Alabama.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Dale Strong, Alabama Daily News, Feb. 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Andrew Sneed. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Dale Strong. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.331 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, meeting expectations. Sponsored H.R. 7177, consolidating divisions of the federal Northern District of Alabama, enacted Dec. 23, 2024.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 7177 (118th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. Missed 30 of 1,917 roll call votes, 1.6 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. Keeps district offices in Decatur and Huntsville and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.75924 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 283 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Andrew Sneed. No public record found.
Dale Strong. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Alabama's 5th Congressional District?
Dale Strong has the strongest record in Alabama's 5th Congressional District. Dale Strong scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Dale Strong's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Andrew Sneed (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Alabama's 5th Congressional District in 2026?
Andrew Sneed (Democratic), Dale Strong (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Andrew Sneed a good candidate for Congress?
Andrew Sneed has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Dale Strong a good candidate for Congress?
Dale Strong scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Alabama race scored, and the Alabama 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.