The rhetoric is heated, endorsements are made and battle lines are drawn in the run-off election for House District 55 in Jefferson County.

Travis Hendrix and Sylvia Swayne, both Democrats, will face off Tuesday as voters make a final decision on who will represent the district that includes much of western Jefferson County and stretches from Fairfield to parts of Birmingham’s Southside.

The candidates are making their final pitches and most importantly, trying to persuade their bases to come to the polls.

Hendrix, a 40-year-old Birmingham police sergeant, received 670 votes, or 27.91 percent, in the special election last month. Swayne, a 26-year-old customer service manager, received 515 votes, or 21.45 percent.

Turnout in the general election was dismal with just about 3,140 of the 25,000 registered voters participating.

“A lot of people just don’t understand how important our local elections are because these are the elections that affect our daily lives,” Hendrix said as he canvassed a neighborhood in Fairfield. “It’s my job to remind people to engage in these local elections.”

Swayne likewise spent the weekend making her case and soliciting votes. While she is running as Alabama’s first openly transgender candidate for a state office, Swayne said her gender identity should not by the sole definition of her campaign.

“I’m feeling great,” Swayne said. “Ultimately, the point of this message has always been to change the conversation to show people, especially young people, what’s possible. And just by making it this far we have demonstrated that Alabama is ready for change, they’re ready for a fresh perspective.”

Talk of race and gender identity exploded on Birmingham talk radio in recent days has exploded as callers and hosts debate and make cases for their preferred candidates.

District 55 has a 70 percent Black majority, and a victory for Swayne would change the area’s racial representation for the first time in decades.

Still, both candidates said they preferred to have conversations on issues affecting the district, rather than gender or race.

“I’m for all people. It doesn’t matter what you look like, what status you are, or what gender you are,” Hendrix said.

He renounced personal attacks against Swain, including a flier that attacked her gender identity.

“I don’t care about anything but making sure that District 55 has the representation that it needs so we can all be successful, and we can all have a better quality of life,” Hendrix said. “Quality of life is on the ballot.”

Swayne in recent days also took to the airwaves to present her platform and answer questions regarding her commitment to serving what is a largely Black constituency.

“I’m one person just like any candidate in the election. I can’t represent every single person in the district, but I can work alongside folks in the district and make sure that the people are prioritized over all else,” Swayne said. “My identity is only a distraction from the issues that face District 55 and I’m ready to talk about the issues and face the issues.”

Richard Arrington, the former longtime mayor of Birmingham who dominated city politics for more than 20 years, recorded TV and radio ads, and produced automated phone calls touting Hendrix as the best choice.

“Travis was born in the district, raised and educated in the district and has served as a community resource officer and public servant,” Arrington says in one radio spot. “He understands our issues to ensure that our voices are heard in Montgomery.”

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin endorsed Hendrix in the general election and made a television commercial for him. He has not made a public statement or endorsement in the runoff.

Clara McClure, a Black Lives Matter activist, and founder of a nonprofit community activist organization, said her support for Swayne falls within her long standing platform.

“I don’t want a police officer writing policy in Montgomery,” McClure said. “I don’t know why it’s so shocking to anybody why I would not be supporting a police officer, I never have.”

McClure, who is Black, defended her endorsement against backlash from critics who have attacked her for supporting a non-black and LGBT candidate.

McClure said her support for Swayne is not a matter of race or gender but is based on who she believes would best support and represent the district.

“I was so encouraged by what I heard, so there is no pressure,” she said.

Tuesday’s special election will fill the seat left vacant when former Rep. Fred Plump resigned in May after pleading guilty to charges in a federal corruption case.

Plump was a freshman representative who served less than a year before a kickback scandal ended his political career.