Former State Rep. Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) was unanimously elected chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party on Wednesday night, the ALGOP announced in a press release.

“I am excited to get to work with our outstanding members and affiliated organizations as we enter the 2020 election cycle. We are committed to campaigning on behalf of all our local and statewide candidates on the ground here in Jefferson County,” DeMarco said.

Though Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in Alabama’s most populous county, there remain more Republican voters in Jefferson County than any other county in the state.

DeMarco served as a state representative for Alabama House District 44 from 2005-2014.

A lawyer at a firm in Birmingham, the Auburn grad has served in recent years as the president of the Mid-Alabama Republican Club. MARC draws a large crowd to its monthly meetings in Vestavia Hills and is a frequent campaign stop for every prominent Republican candidate in the state. DeMarco told Yellowhammer his last month as MARC president will be January.

DeMarco takes over the Jefferson County chairmanship from former Vestavia Hills Mayor Butch Zaragoza, who announced his retirement last month.

State Rep. Danny Garett (R-Trussville), who succeeded DeMarco in the District 44 seat, praised the result as “A great choice!” in a tweet on Wednesday. U.S.Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01) also extended his congratulations on Twitter.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan said in the party’s press release, “Chairman DeMarco will be an excellent addition to our ALGOP organization. His commitment, enthusiasm, and longstanding conservative actions are valuable to our causes. We look forward to working with Chairman DeMarco.”

Mike Kozlik was elected vice-chairman of the Jefferson County GOP.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.