Plump, a resident of Fairfield, Alabama,[1] was drafted into the United States Army in his youth and served a year-long tour in Vietnam.
[2] He is a graduate of Lawson State Community College, with an associate degree in business administration, as well as the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he attained an emergency medical technology certification.
[2] In 1972, Plump was rejected a job at the fire department of Birmingham, Alabama; he sued on the grounds of racial discrimination and won the case.
After declaring his candidacy, Plump said he would focus on economic development and fight to keep Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, which was facing closure, open.
Plump said he decided to run again in 2022 because of his frustrations with what he saw as inaction from elected officials, charging that they were "not putting a lot of effort into doing things".
[7] Following his criminal charges and subsequent resignation, Plump was succeeded in the 55th district by Birmingham police sergeant Travis Hendrix.
The Department of Justice said that another legislator in the Alabama House of Representatives directed $400,000 to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League, of which Plump was still the executive director.
[11] Fellow Democratic representative John Rogers publicly disclosed that he was the unnamed legislator in Plump's charges and said he had been communicating with the Department of Justice, but maintained his innocence.
[13] Plump pled guilty to both the criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges; he agreed to resign from his legislature seat as part of his plea on May 23, 2023,[10] less than six months after taking office.