May 13, 2026 - Primary Elections Are Next Week
Our much-anticipated 2026 Primary Elections are next Tuesday, May 19. We have been awaiting this for a while. This is our big election year in Alabama politics. All our constitutional offices are on the ballot. Also, all our legislative seats are up for election. Most states elect their Governor in the same year as the Presidential election year. Alabama, and several of the other southern states, have their Governor’s race in what is termed nationally as the ‘off-year’ election year. We refer to this year in Alabama as our gubernatorial year.
In bygone years, more Alabamians would cast their ballot in gubernatorial year elections than in presidential years. We were more interested in who was governor, than who was president. More importantly, Alabamians were more interested in who was sheriff of their county.
The winners of our statewide Republican primary next week will be elected. Winning the GOP primary in the Heart of Dixie is tantamount to election. However, most of the hotly contested contests will be headed to a June 16 runoff. On June 16, it will be all over but the shouting. The general election will be nothing but a coronation.
We were looking forward to an intriguing governor’s race this year. With Kay Ivey term-limited, the brass ring of political office in Alabama is open. Senator Coach Tommy Tuberville made the unorthodox and bewildering decision to not seek a second, six-year term in the U.S. Senate, and chose to run for governor. Coach Tuberville will stroll to election as governor next Tuesday with only unknown, token opposition.
Tuberville’s open senate seat will be the marque race next week. Early on, it looked like a close two-man race between First District Congressman Barry Moore, and two-term AttorneyGeneral Steve Marshall. However, the all-powerful, deep pocketed, dark money, Right Wing National Club for Growth came to the table. They brought a barrel of money into the state,along with President Donald Trump, who is in their lap, as are most GOP senators in Republican states in America. They own most, if not all of the Republican members of the U.S. Senate. The Club for Growth has backed, from the get-go, Congressman Barry Moore for the senate race. These conservative billionaires and multi-millionaire ‘no government’ oligarchs will spend what it takes to make Barry Moore our next conservative GOP Senator. They have out spent all of the other candidates put together by a ten to one margin for Moore.
Therefore, Barry Moore will lead the field, significantly, next week. However, he will probably be forced into a runoff. However, the surprise of the night may be young Jared Hudson. He may make the runoff instead of Steve Marshall. He is coming on strong with a little money, and movie star good looks. Hudson will be harder than Marshall for the Club for Growth and Barry Moore to beat in a runoff. However, they will spend what it takes to prevail. They have unlimited deep pockets.
Former Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell will lead the field in the contested open Attorney General’s race. He is facing two formidable female opponents. Assistant Attorney General Katherine Robertson will probably run second to Mitchell, and be in a runoff. Blount County District Attorney Pam Casey will run a strong third. Pam Casey will team up with and endorse Mitchell in the runoff. Mitchell and Casey detest the fact that most of Robertson’s money has come from out-of-state, dark money PACs, and they have had to raise their money the hard way, from Alabamians.
The Lt. Governor’s race will be a close and interesting battle royale. It will be a three-man contest between current Secretary of State Wes Allen, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, and Republican Party Chairman John Wahl. Chairman Wahl has been the beneficiary of over a million dollars of Club for Growth money and President Trump’s endorsement.
Caroleene Dobson will waltz to victory as Secretary of State of Alabama next Tuesday. She may be the largest vote getter. Caroleene Dobson is the real thing. This young lady exudes class, integrity, and humility, with a six generations deep, Black Belt pedigree, and Harvard education. She is the brightest star on the Alabama political horizon. She has future Governor written all over her.
Young Derek Chen should prevail in the race for State Auditor.
Young Boozer will be elected to an unprecedented fourth term, next week, as State Treasurer.
The Agriculture Commissioner race will be too close to call. Christina Woerner McInnis, Jack Williams, and Corey Hill are all well qualified. It will be interesting to see which two make the June 16 runoff.
Y’all vote. See you next week.
May 6, 2026 - Barfoot and Hatcher Outsmart Federal Courts
A couple of years ago, Democratic Party legal groups found a sympathetic federal panel in the Northern District of Alabama, and that court created a new minority Democratic Congressional District. That district came into existence a little over a year ago.
The Constitution grants the power to draw and determine Congressional and Legislative districts to legislatures in each state. Our duly elected Alabama Legislature had created, for several decades, districts that yielded six Republicans and one Democrat.
Using the auspices of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the federal court ruled, and then drew new maps that led to a new Congressional Democratic district. That seat is now held by Mobile Democrat Shomari Figures. Our delegation now has five Republicans and two Democrats.
Having had success with congressional realignment, these same Democratic legal groups focused on the Alabama State Senate. Again, they were successful with the same Federal Judge, however, with a limited focus. The Court zeroed in on the Montgomery River Region. This Republican district of Senator Will Barfoot was comprised of the white areas of east Montgomery, Pike Road, along with Crenshaw and Elmore counties. After the interventionist decision by the same Federal Judge that changed Alabama’s Congressional lines, the jurist commenced, again, to redraw the lines.
The court dissolved the Barfoot Senate District 25 and created anew Democratic Montgomery-based State Senate district, combining the former River Region district with areas where there was burgeoning growth of the black population of Montgomery. Currently, the area has two very competent, diligent, and popular State Senators. However, the drafter made Democrat Hatcher’s District 26 a winnable Republican district and made Barfoot’s District 25 a very likely Democratic district.
After a month or so of mulling over the new lines, Barfoot and Hatcher, who get along well together and work well together representing Montgomery, said, “why don’t we just swap Senate district numbers?”
Senator Will Barfoot initiated the maneuver. He studied it and ran it by several folks and political powers, and everybody told him, “That dog will hunt.” When Hatcher contemplated the plan, the amicable, pragmatic Democrat
had no problem changing his Senate district number from 26 to 25. Afterall, the ruling had moved most of his constituents to the new District 25 anyway. Furthermore, these voters do not care what the district number is, they just know Hatcher is who they want as their State Senator.
Senator Will Barfoot made one of the boldest and shrewdest moves seen in Alabama politics in a long time. Barfoot outwitted the Federal Judge and turned the tables on her, saving a Republican Seat in the State Senate and in turn, saving and preserving Hatcher’s familiar Democratic district. Barfoot and Hatcher did what you call “making lemonade out of lemons.”The people of that area will have continuity and selfless public servants with Hatcher and Barfoot representing them in the Alabama State Senate.
Senator Barfoot’s statement in announcing the changing of State Senate numbers was one of the most succinct and accurate summations I have ever seen or heard. Barfoot, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he is running for reelection to the Senate from Seat 25 to Seat 26 because the Court ruling “makes no sense.”
Barfoot went on to add, “I cannot allow one of the most conservative counties in Alabama – Elmore County – to be denied the conservative representation it deserves simply because Federal Courts issued a badly flawed ruling. Allowing a Democrat to represent Elmore County in the Alabama State Senate would be like Bernie Sanders representing Alabama in the U.S. Senate and casting liberal votes that do not reflect the views of the citizens they swore an oath to serve. When that happens, grassroots voices are silenced, and conservative views are ignored. I’m running in District 26 to ensure that conservative Republicans in Elmore County and throughout the area are represented by a conservative Trump Republican and not a woke liberal Democrat who fights against everything they believe and embrace.”
The new district lines that were dictated from the Federal Judge were drawn by an untrained 18-year-old college freshman Democrat, who used an online app and submitted the map to the Courts for consideration.
This novice mistake allowed Will Barfoot and Kirk Hatcher outsmarted the Federal Courts and made lemonade out of lemons.
See you next week.
April 29, 2026 - Very Few Open or Contested State House Races
Like the Alabama State Senate, the State House of Representatives will have very little turnover. Our state legislative seats are becoming analogous to congressional seats when it comes to incumbency. Over 80% of the legislature is unopposed. The partisanship makeup and faces will be pretty much unchanged. The House will have a supermajority Republican complexion. It will remain 75% Republican. There will be a strong continuity of leadership in the House of Representatives between this quadrennium and the next quadrennium.
The leadership on both sides of the aisle will be returning. The Speaker of the House will, again, be the respected and powerful Nathaniel Ledbetter, a Republican from Dekalb County. He will have the affable gentleman from Mobile, Chris Pringle, by his side as Pro Tem. The major Committee Chairmen will remain the same. Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn) will chair the Rules Committee. Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) and Representative Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) will chair the Budget Committees.
The Republican Leadership will return, including House Majority Leader Paul Lee (R-Dothan), Andy Whitt (R-Huntsville), Matt Simpson (R-Mobile), David Standridge (R-Blount), Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road), Alan Baker (R-Escambia), Chip Brown (R-Mobile), Chris Sells (R-Butler), Ginny Shaver (R-Cherokee), David Faulkner (R-Jefferson), Chris Blackshear (R-Russell), Steve Hurst (R-Munford), and Jamie Kiel (R-Franklin). Veteran Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) will prevail for a ninth term and will continue to lead the conservative Wiregrass delegation.
There are three young rising stars in the Republican ranks, who are returning: Brock Colvin (R-Marshall), Parker Moore (R-Morgan), and James Lomax (R-Huntsville). Lomax has an interesting challenger in his Madison County reelection bid. Former legislator and veteran, right wing Congressman Mo Brooks is running against young James Lomax. The youngster is expected to prevail, and the victory will catapult him into stardom.
Some other Republican stalwart legislators who are becoming major players in the House are Susan DuBose (R-Shelby), Corley Ellis (R-Shelby), Phillip Pettus (R-Lauderdale), Randy Wood (R-Calhoun), Margie Wilcox (R-Mobile), Allen Treadway (R-Jefferson), Frances Holk Jones (R-Baldwin), Jennifer Fidler (R-Baldwin), Donna Givens (R-Baldwin), Mike Shaw (R-Jefferson), Marcus Paramore (R-Pike/Dale), Ed Oliver (R-Tallapoosa), Mayor Jeff Sorrells (R-Hartford), Kenneth Pascal (R-Shelby), Danny Crawford (R-Limestone), Russell Bedsole (R-Shelby), Mark Gidley (R-Etowah), Leigh Hulsey (R-Shelby), Bill Lamb (R-Tuscaloosa), Ron Bolton (R-Tuscaloosa), and Troy Stubbs (R-Elmore).
There is a cadre of superstars, who came to the House during the past quadrennium who have tremendous potential and will be sterling legislators. This list includes Bryan Brinyark (R-Tuscaloosa/Fayette), Kristin Nelson (R-Chambers), Norman Crow (R-Tuscaloosa), Jeana Ross (R-Marshall), Cindy Myrex(R-Cullman), and Heath Allbright (R-Cullman).
There will be a few interesting House races. Democrat Marilyn Lands will be striving to defend her purple Huntsville Seat. Alva Lambert is attempting to capture a Democratic seat in Montgomery for the Republicans. The best race in the House will be in the Houston/Henry County seat. Incumbent Rick Rehm is being challenged by popular Henry County former Probate Judge David Money.
The Democrats will return a stellar cast of outstanding and veteran legislators. The Democratic leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) will be returning. He is special.
There are some truly outstanding women coming back, who have all been in the House for decades, including Laura Hall (D-Huntsville), Pebblin Warren (D-Macon/Tuskegee), Barbara Boyd (D-Calhoun), and Mary Moore (D-Jefferson).
There are some very distinguished gentlemen who have immense seniority and wisdom. Included in this list are Thomas Jackson (D-Clarke), Berry Forte (D-Barbour), Mayor Sam Jones (D-Mobile), A.J. McCampbell (D-Marengo), Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), Jeremy Gray (D-Lee), and Kenyatte Hassell (D-Montgomery).
The Alabama House of Representatives will be stock full of wise leaders, and will be led by a wise, stable, strong as new rope, Speaker of the House in Nathaniel Ledbetter.
See you next week.
April 22, 2023 - State Senate Will Have Very Little Turnover
This is a big election year in Alabama politics. All our constitutional state offices are up for election. However, more importantly, all of our legislative seats are up for election. All 35 State Senate seats and all 105 House seats are on the ballot.
With Alabama being one of the most Republican states in America, the partisanship is reflected in the makeup of our State Senate and State House. We have a supermajority Republican makeup in both bodies. In the Senate, there are 27 Republicans and only 8 Democrats. That makeup will change very little, if any, in this year’s four-year term election cycle.
In fact, the faces will not change much either. Over 80% of the legislature is unopposed. Our state legislative seats are becoming analogous to congressional seats when it comes to incumbency. Very few incumbents are ever defeated or even challenged. There are only two State Senate Seats open because of retirement.
Veteran state Senator Tom Butler is retiring from his Madison/Limestone seat. His seat will be taken by Republican John Roberts. Roberts got in the race early and cleared the field. Early on, he received the support of every major special interest group. John Roberts will amazingly be elected without opposition to an open state senate seat.
The best state senate race will be for the open Senate District 34 in northern Mobile County. Senator Jack Williams of rural Mobile County is giving up this seat to run for State Agriculture Commissioner. It is a two-man race to replace Williams in thisRepublican seat.
Former lawmaker, Rusty Glover, a Republican stalwart from Semmes, previously served three terms in the State Senate and one in the Alabama House. He is a former teacher. He is being backed by both ALFA and AEA and may be a slight favorite in this race.
Doug Harwell, a businessman, will be a formidable candidate in this race. He owns a concrete and asphalt contracting company and is a former Mobile County Board of Education member.This race will be a donnybrook.
Several incumbents will face opposition. First on the list, isSenator Andrew Jones (R-Cherokee). He has done a good job and is popular in his district but has garnered the wrath of the political giant Alabama Farmer’s Federation (ALFA). Most of the other special interest groups are sticking with him and he will probably prevail. He has $500,000 in campaign money and has worked his district diligently during the quadrennium. Jones has a viable opponent. His challenger Amy Minton is the ALFA backed candidate. She is currently on the Alabama Public Library Service Board.
There are other contests where incumbents are having challenges, but they are token opposition and these popular incumbents should be safe.
Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) has atoken opponent.
Senator Donnie Chesteen (R-Geneva) has an unknown opponent.
Senator Chris Elliott (R-Baldwin) represents the fastest growing district in the state. With growing pains comes embroilment in local issues. He has a local issue challenger.
Senator Jay Hovey (R-Auburn) won the closest election in state history four years ago. He defeated incumbent Tom Whatley by a single vote. That would portend for him to be challenged. Indeed, Hovey has a serious challenge from popular and well-funded Lee County Commission Chairman Doug Cannon.Cannon is very strong in his home county bailiwick. Lee County comprises the bulk of this senate district. This race may well be decided in Tallapoosa County.
Also in east Alabama, incumbent State Senator Randy Price is being challenged by Veteran former State Senator Gerald Dial. This will be an interesting race.
Incumbent State Senator Dan Roberts will face opposition from Republican businessman Scott Ortis. This District 15 seat is very Republican and includes the upscale areas of Mountain Brook and Vestavia, along with portions of Jefferson and Shelby counties. Senator Dan Roberts and his challenger, Scott Ortis, are both successful businessmen and both reside in Mountain Brook. Roberts is running for his third four-year term. He has been a very pro-business and effective member of the upper body and is emerging as a leader in the Republican Senate Caucus.
It is obvious that the State Senate races attract most of the Special Interest money. The average incumbent senator has over $400,000 in their campaign accounts. That is why it has become like the U.S. Congress when it comes to electability of incumbents.
We will highlight the few open House seats next week.
See you next week.
April 15, 2026 - New First District Republican Congressional District Open This Year
This will be a great political year, with some fantastic, interesting, and close contests. However, there will be only one hotly contested open congressional seat this year in the Heart of Dixie. The other six incumbent congressmen will coast to reelection, either unopposed or with token opposition.
This is not unusual in today’s national politics. It is next to impossible to defeat an incumbent congressperson. The winning percentage for sitting congressmen is 95%. The Russian Communist Politburo does not have that high a reelectability rate.
The new First District Congressional Seat is open and provides for a competitive battle. This recently configured district is a Republican seat. It was drawn by intrusive Federal Judges, who declared that one man, one vote, and all voters are created equally does not apply to Republican voters. They ruled that a black Democratic vote is more important than a white Republican vote. The Federal Judges corralled all the white Republicans into a district, which is irrational for having a concerted voice in Washington. They usurped the majority Republican Legislature’s power, and placed the Republicans in Mobile and Baldwin Counties in with the Wiregrass Republicans. These two regions have nothing in common, especially when it comes to Federal needs. However, this is what these folks have for the time being.
The seat is open because the winner of the seat two years ago, Barry Moore, is running for our open U.S. Senate seat. Moore defeated Jerry Carl two years ago in a close race. Jerry Carl, a two-term former congressman from the Mobile/Baldwin area is pitted against State Representative Rhett Marques. It will be a battle between Mobile/Baldwin Republicans and the Wiregrass Republicans. Moore, who is from the Wiregrass, energized Wiregrass voters to turn out to vote for him better than Carl did with his Baldwin home region voters. It will be interesting to see if Marques can replicate Moore’s success in the Wiregrass. Fort Rucker and agriculture are vitally important to this region.
Shomari Figures won the newly, federally drawn majority/minority Democratic Second District two years ago. He will be easily reelected to a second two-year term this year. He has taken to Congress like a duck to water and done an excellent job. When you look at his resume and life experience, you could expect this success. Shomari was born to iconic Democratic legislative legends. His father, Michael Figures, was President Pro Tem of the Alabama State Senate. His mother, Vivian Figures, took the mantle and has been one of the longest serving and most effective State Senators in Mobile history. He is striving to work across the aisle. He garnered a seat on the Republican laden Agriculture Committee.
Our senior Democratic Congresswoman Terri Sewell has become a very powerful member of Congress. She has been in her Democratic seat for 15 years. She is in the leadership in the U.S. House Democratic Caucus. If the Democrats take control of the U.S. House in this Fall’s national elections, she will be in the catbird seat when it comes to Alabama’s Congressional power in Washington.
It is not a possibility but a probability that the Democrats will take the majority control of the U.S. House in November. Historically, when the sitting President is of one party, and his party has prevailed with a slim majority in his Presidential election, the minority party wins significant seats and flips to the majority in the House. This elective precedent has never failed to occur. In addition, the current Republican majority is razor thin. It is expected that the majority party in the House will be Democratic. Terri Sewell will be powerful. If the Republicans buck the trend, we have a group of very powerful congressmen who will continue in the House leadership.
Representative Robert Aderholt has represented the Fourth District with honor and distinction for 30 years. He is on course to be Alabama’s longest serving and most powerful Congressman in history. He currently chairs the House Appropriations Committee.
Representative Mike Rogers has represented the Third District for 23 years. He chairs the very important Armed Services Committee.
Representative Gary Palmer has done a stellar job of representing the very conservative Sixth District for 11 years.
Representative Dale Strong has only been in his Huntsville based Fifth District for three years but is doing an outstanding job and is well liked by the House GOP leadership, as well as the White House.
See you next week.
April 8, 2026 - Several State Court Seats Up This Year
We have a nine-member State Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court is also comprised of nine members. The nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life. When one retires or dies, which is seldom, the President of the United States makes the appointment to fill the rare vacancy.
Our Alabama Supreme Court does not have this “appointment for life” luxury. They are not appointed, they are elected. However, their terms are for six years. Once they are elected, they seem to never get opposed for reelection. They run in staggered years.
Since we are a one-party state, all nine justices on our Alabama Supreme Court, as well as all five members of the Court of Criminal Appeals and all five members of the Court of Civil Appeals are Republicans. Since all 19 of these justices are elected in statewide Republican primaries, they are bona fide conservatives.
The description of conservative applies to the two State Supreme Court justices up for reelection this year. Justice Greg Shaw and Justice Brad Mendheim are up for reelection on May 19. They have done an outstanding job and deserve another term.
Justice Greg Shaw will be returning for his final six-year term on the bench. Our Alabama law prohibits a judge from running for another term after they reach age 70. Shaw will reach that plateau during his next six years on the Supreme Court.
Greg Shaw has been a steady mainstay conservative senior judge on the Supreme Court. He is on the May 19 ballot seeking his fourth term on the High Court. Shaw has been doing appellate work for the State of Alabama for 40 years now – 16 years as a Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court, eight years as a Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, and 16 years as a Justice on the Supreme Court. He is very well qualified.
Judge Brad Mendheim is pursuing his second, full six-year term. He is unopposed. He was born to be a judge. He was born and raised in Dothan. His father was a local pharmacist. He became a Circuit Judge for Houston and Henry Counties at a young age. He served as a Wiregrass Circuit Judge for a decade. He is very well respected in his hometown. He is a pillar of the First Baptist Church of Dothan. He is only 57 years old and should be a mainstay of the Supreme Court for several more decades.
Both Brad Mendheim and Greg Shaw are immensely qualified, proven conservative Republican jurists.
There are two female jurists running for reelection to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals – Mary Windom and Beth Kellum. These women work long, hard hours, as this appellate Court has an immense workload.
Mary Windom is running for her fourth, six-year term on the Court. She is the presiding judge on the five-member panel. She does an excellent job.
Beth Kellum is running for her fourth term on the Court of Criminal Appeals. Beth is a Tuscaloosa native and is approaching the record for longevity on this appeals panel. She got there at a young age.
Beth Kellum and Mary Windom both have done a stellar job as judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals and deserve another term.
The five member Court of Civil Appeals has two of their malemembers up for reelection. Judges Ben Bowden and Matt Fridy are unopposed.
Ben Bowden was recently appointed by Gov. Ivey to the Court of Civil Appeals. He will be reelected on May 19 to a full six-year term. Ben Bowden is imminently qualified. He has been Probate Judge of Covington County and was also a Circuit Judge prior to joining the Court of Civil Appeals. He is a good man.
Matt Fridy is seeking his second term on the Court of Civil Appeals. Matt served as a legislator from vote rich Shelby County prior to joining the Court of Civil Appeals. He is a real gentleman. Judge Fridy has a judicial law clerk, Madison Clark, who has a bright future in judicial politics in Alabama.
The May 19 primary elections are right around the corner.
See you next week.
March 25, 2026 - A Look at Attorney General and Agriculture Commissioner Races
This is a big election year in the Heart of Dixie. Every Constitutional office is on the ballot. Most of the major Constitutional offices are wide open with no incumbent running for reelection.
The two most important posts in state government, after Governor, are Attorney General and Agriculture Commissioner. Both constitutional offices are incumbent free. AgricultureCommissioner Rick Pate is term-limited and is running for Lt. Governor. The Attorney General office is being vacated by Steve Marshall, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
These two races have fielded well qualified and good candidates. The winner of the GOP Primary on May 19th will be the next Attorney General and Agriculture Commissioner, respectively. A Democrat cannot win a statewide race in Alabama. However, these two GOP Primary elections will not be decided on May 19th. These two races are the most consequential, close, contentious, and interesting statewide races this year. They are both headed for a June runoff.
The Democrats have fielded good candidates in these two marque races. Ron Sparks, a former Agriculture Commissioner, is running for his old job. Jeff McLaughlin, a Sand Mountain lawyer and former one-term legislator from Marshall County, is running for Attorney General. He is a good man. If McLaughlin and Sparks were running as Republicans, they probably would not win the GOP nomination, but they would be viablecandidates. However, they both are true blue Democrats.
The GOP Attorney General Primary election will feature former State Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell, Assistant Attorney General Katherine Green Robertson, and Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey. All are well qualified for this important office. This will be one of the best and most expensive state contests and will probably need a runoff to determine a winner.
Jay Mitchell is favored to win, but Katherine Robertson will run him close, and Pamela Casey will be the surprise in this race. Casey is going to get a significant vote and will be right on Katherine Robertson’s heels. Pam Casey is probably the most qualified candidate in the race. She has been the District Attorney in Blount County for over a decade and has actually prosecuted criminals.
Jay Mitchell served seven years on the Alabama Supreme Court and left the high tribunal to run for Attorney General. He has been elected twice statewide. He has a proven, conservative, pro-business track record. He has the backing of the state business community, and his fundraising illuminates this support. He leads the field in campaign dollars raising well over $2 million.
Katherine Robertson is right behind Mitchell in dollars in the bank heading towards May 19. She has been the recipient of over $1.5 million from right wing, out-of-state, dark money political action committees, which accounts for the majority of her campaign contributions. It is because of this dark money that she will be a very viable candidate.
The problem she has is that in the runoff, Pam Casey will finish a strong third, and Casey will endorse and campaign for Jay Mitchell. She and Mitchell really dislike Robertson, and truly resent Robertson being funded by out-of-state PACs, when they had to do it the hard way and raise money one-on-one from Alabamians.
The Agriculture Commissioner race has three viable candidates, also, and this one will more than likely be headed for a runoff to determine the last two standing. The horses in this race all have bona fide agricultural backgrounds of longstanding. Any of the three would do a good job.
State Senator Jack Williams of Mobile County is a veteran 12-year legislator, as well as being a fifth-generation farmer.
Christina Woerner McInnis is also the scion of a fifth-generationfarm family. Her ancestors settled in Baldwin County a century ago, and like most settlers of that county were originally potato farmers. Over the past decades, the Woerner family has become the largest sod grass farmers in Alabama, if not the nation.
Corey Hill is a fourth-generation farmer from Marshall County. He is the only candidate from vote-rich North Alabama. He is also Mayor of his hometown of Douglas and has the ALFA endorsement.
Jack Williams and Christina Woerner McInnis will probably outspend Hill in this race. Williams has been endorsed by most of the pro-business groups in the state and may be the favorite.
This will be a good race for an important office.
See you next week.
March 18, 2026 - Alabama Is About to Be Hijacked by California and China
Where I grew up, the term “hijacking” usually referred to the disappearance of a fresh load of moonshine on its way to market. Hijacking occurs when something, or even some process, is taken over without the consent and, at times, even the knowledge of the rightful owner. Hijacking, like classic high-seas piracy, is one of the most direct and forceful means of stealing something from someone.
Well, folks, I've recently come to realize you can hijack a whole lot more than moonshine in the South. A bunch of hijackers from California, and even China, have come to recognize our home, the Southeastern United States, as a field ripe for the picking.
Just last year, in the November elections in Georgia, millions of dollars from these hijackers flowed into the Georgia Public Service Commission races. As a result, two incumbent Republican PSC commissioners lost by about 24 points apiece. That is the first time a Democrat has been elected to the PSC in Georgia since 2000. That, my friends, was a good old-fashioned hijacking.
So, who was the hijacker? An operation called the Georgia League of Conservation Voters pumped about $2.2 million into the Georgia PSC races. They got their money from their mothership, a national group called the League of Conservation Voters. This organization, with funding from liberal groups across the nation, reckoned that just a little of their money in down-ballot races would let them sneak in under the radar and hijack those Georgia elections. They were right. They pulled it off slick as a whistle. And now they are setting up a hijacking in Alabama.
And while it sounds like something from a John Grisham novel, an outfit headquartered in Beijing is a prominent player in the money trail funneling cash through the League of Conservation Voters and right to Alabama.
Conservation Alabama is the local wing of the League of Conservation Voters, and they partner with and help support a liberal environmentalist group called Energy Alabama. These two organizations are carrying the water for the same folks who hijacked the elections in Georgia.
So, how do we stop them?
Last week, the Alabama State Senate took a major step toward derailing these liberal out-of-state hijackers with the passage of SB360 – a bill that passed the Senate without a single dissenting vote 32-0.
This legislation does three things to deal with rising power bills while stopping the influence of California environmental groupsin our elections.
First, it freezes rates for Alabama Power for three years. Folks, that is an unprecedented action by our Legislature that gives Alabama families and businesses rate assurance that no one else in the nation has.
Second, it enlarges the Public Service Commission from three commissioners elected statewide to seven commissioners elected by Congressional District. This historic change in the structure of the PSC puts more power in the ballot box and in the hands of the people than has ever existed.
Third, it creates a cabinet level position for a Secretary of Energy that will raise the importance of providing affordable, reliable energy to a new level. But this Secretary will not have ultimate power. The elected commission members can override the Secretary and nothing, absolutely nothing, happens without a vote of the seven elected commissioners.
These California hijackers, with financial backing that goes all the way to China, have crossed the Chattahoochee River. But they will find it a whole lot harder to work their devious plans with seven elected commissioners rather than three. Nevertheless, liberal environmentalists are still going to argue that a three-year rate freeze is a bad thing and that giving the people more control at the ballot box is somehow wrong.
After unanimous passage in the Senate, the House will begin work on the legislation this week. A unified show of strength against these out-of-state pirates will help serve notice that Alabama cannot be hijacked by paid social media trolls and intentional deception.
With only a few days left in the legislative session, let’s hope our House of Representatives will finish the job and send these hijackers packing back to California.
See you next week.
March 11, 2026 - A Look at the 2026 Governor and Lt. Governor Races
The 2026 state races have officially begun. The qualifying ended on January 23. It will now be a less than three-month horserace sprint to the finish line.
Our May 19th GOP Primary will be our election day, because winning the Republican Primary is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie.
The Governor’s race will not be one of the best races. Coach Tommy Tuberville appears to have a cakewalk coronation tour to the Governor’s office. He has been running full steam ahead for over a year and has $10 million in the bank. He is recognized as the most conservative right-wing politico in the Heart of Dixie, and only has token opposition in the GOP Primary. However, he will spend some money and campaign. He is a prolific and effective campaigner and loves it.
Some of you may be wondering why I do not consider the candidacy of Democratic candidate Doug Jones a challenge to Tuberville. My belief is a Democratic candidate cannot win a statewide race in Alabama, especially Governor, and even more especially, a recognized and proven Bernie Sanders liberal Democrat like Doug Jones. Around 40% of the vote is what a Democratic candidate can get in Alabama. Therefore, Jones is not a viable or serious candidate.
The Lt. Governor’s race may very well be the best contest on the May 19 ballot.
As qualifying ended, there was a lengthy list of seven qualifiers for this race. The list includes Wes Allen, George Childress, Pat Bishop, Rick Pate, Nicole Jones Wadsworth, John Wahl, and Stewart Hill Tankersley.
This will probably boil down to a three-man race between current Secretary of State Wes Allen, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, and Republican Party Chairman John Wahl. It will be interesting to see who makes the two-man runoff. Although the female candidate in the race, Nicole Jones Wadsworth, has worked hard and will get some votes.
Secretary of State Wes Allen is the favorite to win this race. He began in earnest over a year ago. He has been like a plow horse and has worked tirelessly. He has raised more money than the other candidates. Money is the mother’s milk of politics, and it will be especially important in a down ballot race with sevenpeople in the race. He has received every important, major pro-business group endorsement, including ALFA and BCA.
In addition, with a large field of candidates in this race, Wes Allen being listed first on the ballot alphabetically may be worth a 10-point advantage. He already has some statewide name recognition, having had a successful four-year tenure as Secretary of State, and has significant name identification in the Wiregrass having been Probate Judge of Pike County for 10 years and a Wiregrass legislator for four years.
Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate will be a major player in this race. He has had a very successful eight year run as Agriculture Commissioner and would probably like to run for another four-year term in that important post. However, he is constitutionally term limited. I have never seen anyone in or around state government or Alabama politics who does not like Rick Pate.
It looked like a two-man race between Allen and Pate until a bombshell was dropped into the race the last night before qualifying. President Donald Trump surprisingly endorsed Republican Party Chairman John Wahl in the Alabama Lt. Governor’s race. Wahl qualified the next day. The big question in this race is whether Wahl can raise the campaign money to tell Alabamians he is the Trump endorsee. Again, money is the mother’s milk of politics. Money equates into media, and media equates into name identification, and name identification equatesinto votes.
The problem with raising money for this job is that this job has no power. Therefore, it lacks interest for special interest donors.
More than likely, this Lt. Governor’s race will extend into a very interesting June runoff.
See you next week.
March 4, 2026 - Nathaniel Ledbetter is the Man of the House
Alabama Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter is one of the most effective House Speakers in Alabama history. He is in a league of his own when it comes to getting things done as Speaker of the House.
Ledbetter is not known for mincing words or telling you what you want to hear. He shoots straight and always stays true to his word, and his members love him for it. Ledbetter’s word and commitment are as good as gold. He is as strong as new rope. Ledbetter is so effective and entrenched as Speaker of the House that I have dubbed him, “The Man of the House.”
He gets things accomplished in a quiet yet focused way. His subdued yet authoritative demeanor yields results. In his five years as Majority Leader, and now in his third year as Speaker, he has never lost a vote.
Under his leadership, the House has picked up some huge wins, which have translated into even bigger wins for the state. Over$1 billion in taxes have been cut for Alabamians and small businesses. Transformational education reforms have been passed, leading Alabama to become one of the most improved states in the nation.
Numerous pro-business policies have paved the way for companies to invest over $60 billion to create 90,000 new jobs in our state.
Ledbetter and his members have led the way on all these issues.
In past years, special interest groups told the Speaker what to do. Ledbetter is the only Speaker I have seen that tells the special interest groups what to do. One of the best examples of his adroit, independent leadership was in 2017, when he beat back every private interest group to pass a bill mandating insurance companies to cover autism diagnosis and treatment for children.
Speaker Ledbetter remains independent of Special Interests because he has done a yeoman’s job of going into each of the Republican member’s districts and helping them get elected and reelected. He knows each of his GOP legislators’ districts like the back of his hand. He has grown the Alabama HouseRepublican membership from 72 to 76 Seats during his tenure as Speaker.
Ledbetter is from Rainsville in Dekalb County. He was born and raised in Dekalb. He and the great iconic Alabama bandleader Randy Owen are best friends.
Nathaniel was elected to the Rainsville City Council at 23 years old, and then at the town’s Mayor a few years after that.
Nathaniel Ledbetter is poised and well positioned to preside as Speaker of the House for the next quadrennium and probably for years after that.
Alabama’s political leadership will be poised to work very cohesively with Nathaniel Ledbetter as Speaker of the Houseand Tommy Tuberville as Governor. They are truly the best of friends. Ledbetter and Tuberville bonded six years ago when Coach Tuberville first began his campaign for U.S. Senator. Coach stayed in Ledbetter’s home when he camped out campaigning in North Alabama. Ledbetter later became Coach’s titular campaign chairman.
Tuberville and Ledbetter will be a dynamic team. There is an old adage that the Governor proposes, and the legislature disposes. That truism will apply with the Ledbetter-Tuberville partnership.
Another truism will probably be coined in the next quadrennium. Coach Tuberville will be dialing up the plays, and Speaker Ledbetter will be executing them in the legislature. I expect the State of Alabama is going to put a lot of points on the scoreboard.
See you next week.