Shay Shelnutt

Shay Shelnutt

Republican Party

Alabama State Senate District 17

Tenure

2014 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

10

Compensation

Base salary

$59,674.08/year

Per diem

No per diem is paid to legislators whose permanent residence is less than six hours away. Legislators who are 6-12 hrs from their permanent residence receive $12.75/day. Legislators who are over 12 hours away and have no overnight stay receive $34/day.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Pinson Valley High School

Bachelor's

University of Montevallo

Graduate

University of Montevallo

Personal

Religion

Christian: Methodist

Profession

Business

Contact

Official Facebook

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

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Shay Shelnutt (Republican Party) is a member of the Alabama State Senate, representing District 17. He assumed office on November 5, 2014. His current term ends on November 4, 2026.

Shelnutt (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 17. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Biography

Shelnutt received his bachelor's degree in business finance and his M.A.Ed. in math from the University of Montevallo. His professional experience includes teaching and coaching at the high school level, teaching at Jefferson State Community College, and working in real estate and business development.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:[email protected].

2023-2024

Shelnutt was assigned to the following committees:

• Banking and Insurance Committee, Chair
• Children, Youth, and Human Services Committee
• Senate Education Policy Committee
• Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee
• Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee
• Governmental Affairs Committee
• Local Legislation Jefferson County Committee
• Finances and Budget Committee

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2021-2022

Shelnutt was assigned to the following committees:

• Finances and Budget Committee
• Sunset Committee
• Banking and Insurance Committee, Chair
• Children, Youth, and Human Services Committee
• Senate Education Policy Committee
• Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee
• Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee
• Governmental Affairs Committee
• Local Legislation Jefferson County Committee

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2019-2020

Shelnutt was assigned to the following committees:

• Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee
• Banking and Insurance Committee, Chair
• Senate Education Policy Committee
• Governmental Affairs Committee
• Local Legislation Jefferson County Committee
• Children, Youth, and Human Services Committee
• Energy Policy Committee
• Finances and Budget Committee

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2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Shelnutt served on the following committees:

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2022

See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Alabama State Senate District 17

Incumbent Shay Shelnutt defeated John Fortenberry in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 17 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shay Shelnutt (R)	90.9	38,099
		John Fortenberry (L)	8.8	3,675
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	122

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,896
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 17

Incumbent Shay Shelnutt defeated Mike Dunn in the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 17 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shay Shelnutt	68.5	14,338
		Mike Dunn	31.5	6,583

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,921
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Alabama State Senate District 17

Incumbent Shay Shelnutt won election in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 17 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Shay Shelnutt (R)	98.3	45,964
		Other/Write-in votes	1.7	792

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 46,756 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 17

Incumbent Shay Shelnutt advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 17 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Shay Shelnutt

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Alabama State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on July 15, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014. Shay Shelnutt, Jim Murphree, Gayle Gear, Brett King, Adam Ritch, Joe Cochran, and Jim Roberts faced off in the Republican primary. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters - Shelnutt and King - met in a runoff election, which Shelnutt won. Shelnutt was unchallenged in the general election.

Alabama State Senate, District 17 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Shay Shelnutt	34.3%	7,480
Brett King	30.1%	6,574
Jim Murphree	9.6%	2,084
Gayle Gear	8.1%	1,759
Jim Roberts	7.8%	1,698
Joe Cochran	6.7%	1,467
Adam Ritch	3.4%	745
Total Votes		21,807

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Shay Shelnutt did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Shelnutt's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

• Taxes

Excerpt: "We do not need higher taxes. Let me be crystal clear on this issue - I am opposed to higher taxes. A few months back I was reading something about how much the Republican leadership had cut from the state budgets over the last few years, nearly $1 Billion. I was impressed. I was thrilled and appreciative and then I got angry – why were we spending that money in the first place. I’ve known people who went bankrupt and in most of those circumstances is was [sic] always the spending that closed the doors. My first question when it comes to spending is: 'Do we need it?' My second question is: 'when the recession comes again, can we cut it?'"

• Job

Excerpt: "As a realtor I have had the opportunity to meet with families throughout the district who are selling their homes. Some are moving just around the corner, upgrading or downsizing. Some people move to the district because of the community values or to get away from the big areas. But over the last few years there have been a lot of people who couldn’t afford their home anymore. I’ve also had to help those who were upside down, or whose retirement was cut because their home just wasn’t worth what it was before. Second only to holding the line on our values, there is nothing more important than creating jobs in our district."

• Abortion

Excerpt: "Every life is precious, born and unborn. I have two beautiful daughters and cannot imagine that I could have made a choice for them not to be here. Just that thought goes against every Christian principle in my body. God teaches us to hate the sin and love the sinner. We as people are faced with challenging decisions each and every day but we have laws that protect us from murder and therefore we must work to ensure that we have protection against this accepted form of murder. Alabama has one of the strongest anti-abortion policies. Recent actions by the state legislature have shut down nearly all abortion clinics. I will not back down. I will always stand on the side of life and I will kneel to pray with anyone who feels they must bear this choice."

• 2nd Amendment

Excerpt: "So many people refer to this as just guns, but the rights we are guaranteed under the second amendment isn’t just about guns. Ultimately it is about our freedom and the stand against the erosion, or even more or our rights being taken away. I am a member of the NRA and Gun Owners of America. I believe that as citizens of the United States we are guaranteed the right to bear arms and ammunition without fear of registration, reprisal or censure by the government. I do not believe that guns kill, I believe that people kill. Criminals are not seeking to comply with the law and registration. The police are not finding lawfully registered fire arms at murder scenes, but rather ones with serial numbers scratched off, reported stolen or never registered. I am often reminded that drugs are illegal and yet we have a multi-billion dollar drug economy. Restricting the legal access to weapons will only harm the law abiding citizens and empower the criminals and the government. I support the 2nd amendment and I will always oppose restrictions on our constitutional rights."

• Education

Excerpt: "As a former local teacher, I trust our teachers, principals and state education officials to lead us and recent history shows that when we focus on long term education solutions, Alabama can do a great job on Alabama's education. Let Alabama decide what's best for Alabama."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Shay Shelnutt campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Alabama State Senate District 17	Won general	$398,611	$194,045
2018	Alabama State Senate District 17	Won general	$256,772	N/A**
2014	Alabama State Senate, District 17	Won	$376,377	N/A**
Grand total			$1,031,759	$194,045
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Alabama

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Alabama scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].
In 2024, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 6 to May 9. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from March 7 to June 6. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].
In 2022, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from January 11 to April 7. Alabama Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].
In 2021, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 2 to May 17. Alabama Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 4 to May 18. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 31. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
In 2018, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from January 9 to March 29. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].
In 2017, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 7 through May 19. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].
In 2016, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from February 2 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from August 15 to September 7. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].
In 2015, the Alabama State Legislature was in session from March 3 through June 4. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shelnutt and his wife, Paige Harwell, have two daughters.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Alabama State Senate District 17 2014-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Alabama State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Steve Livingston

Minority Leader:Bobby Singleton

Senators

District 1

Tim Melson (R)

District 2

Tom Butler (R)

District 3

Arthur Orr (R)

District 4

Garlan Gudger (R)

District 5

Vacant

District 6

Larry Stutts (R)

District 7

Sam Givhan (R)

District 8

Steve Livingston (R)

District 9

Wes Kitchens (R)

District 10

Andrew Jones (R)

District 11

Lance Bell (R)

District 12

Keith Kelley (R)

District 13

Randy Price (R)

District 14

April Weaver (R)

District 15

Dan Roberts (R)

District 16

J.T. Waggoner (R)

District 17

Shay Shelnutt (R)

District 18

Rodger Smitherman (D)

District 19

Merika Coleman (D)

District 20

Linda Coleman-Madison (D)

District 21

Gerald Allen (R)

District 22

Greg Albritton (R)

District 23

Robert Stewart (D)

District 24

Bobby Singleton (D)

District 25

Will Barfoot (R)

District 26

Kirk Hatcher (D)

District 27

Jay Hovey (R)

District 28

Billy Beasley (D)

District 29

Donnie Chesteen (R)

District 30

Clyde Chambliss (R)

District 31

Josh Carnley (R)

District 32

Chris Elliott (R)

District 33

Vivian Figures (D)

District 34

Jack Williams (R)

District 35

David Sessions (R)

Republican Party (26)

Democratic Party (8)

Vacancies (1)