Governor Kay Ivey’s supporters will tell you that the governor is untouchable based on favorability numbers that don’t paint a full picture of the current state of collapsing support for her election.
State Auditor Jim Zeigler, one of the state’s most prolific campaigners, will tell you, “Governor Ivey’s support is a mile wide and an inch deep.”
This is why she’s drawing primary opponents who are confident that she is beatable, not just for what she’s done, but for what they are quick to point out she hasn’t done: Pushed a Donald Trump agenda or stood by him strongly enough. In stark contrast to other supportive elected officials, specifically governors around the nation have done, Ivey’s official website reflects that she has put out only three formal statements in support of Trump through her official office. There is no record of a formal statement in support of him during his second impeachment hearings.
As a matter of fact, rather than defending the President, according to AL.Com, “Ivey did not answer the question about whether Trump was to blame” for the events of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol. In her response to questions, instead of taking the opportunity to voice her support for Trump and his supporters, she echoed the chorus of their opponents who blamed them for the events that day, stating, “All Americans need to press pause on divisive rhetoric, take a step back and do some deep soul-searching on how we got to this point of pain, ugliness, and loss of life.”
In the same interview, Governor Ivey gave a tepid response to Nancy Pelosi and Never Trumpers pushing for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office. She stated, “One of the hallmarks of our system of government is the orderly transition of power after an election. Vice President Pence has stated that he has no intention of invoking the 25th Amendment, and I do not believe a partisan impeachment would do anything other than further divide our nation. Invoking the 25th Amendment would create more chaos and would only incite further violence.”
Trump was not the only person Ivey refused to support outright, telling the outlet in response to U.S. Congressman Mo Brooks’s fiery speech that day, “Everyone should be held accountable for the words they use,” Ivey said. “I’ve long believed that as elected officials, we should be held to a higher level of accountability. If the people of the 5th District believe their views are not being properly represented, then they need to express their disappointment directly to Congressman Brooks and, if necessary, hold him accountable at the ballot box. Moreover, it should be noted, he does not speak for all Republicans, much less all Alabamians.”
While Ivey has been cagey in her history of Trump support, rarely mentioning his name or supporting his policies before heading back into campaign season, she was quick to celebrate Joe Biden publicly and directly.
In fact, Ivey has praised Joe Biden and celebrated his election. Pledging to work with him, a promise she has made good on this week by joining Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Vice President Kamala Harris in pushing electric vehicles, a key component of Biden’s big-government agenda Build Back Better.
As Alabama Today reported in August, in a matchup of possible gubernatorial candidates, Ivey had only 41.5%, well below the threshold to win without a runoff at 50% plus one vote. Incumbents below 50% are considered vulnerable.
The independent poll was conducted by Montgomery-based Cygnal August 17-18 among 600 likely Republican primary voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.0%. It was paid for by Alabama Daily News.
Zeigler, who has filed to run for governor, says his campaign against Ivey would be “Zeigler and the Taxpayers vs. Ivey and the Insiders.”
Though he’s one of the most vocal opponents, Zeigler has publicly hedged on getting into the race himself, citing his inability to finance the endeavor saying, “If I could keep the campaign about common sense and not about the millions of dollars and cents raised for Gov. Ivey by the Montgomery Insiders, I could win.”
Tim James is rumored to be announcing a run for governor as well, a position he ran for in 2002 and 2010, when he narrowly missed making the GOP runoff.
When asked about the difficulty of taking on an incumbent, James commented, “Look, I’ve lost. It didn’t kill me. But I think if we do it, I think I’ll win it.”
When asked about a possible run for governor, Lynda Blanchard told Alabama Today exclusively, “I’ve been all over this state and the one thing I hear repeatedly is that the people want a conservative fighter like President Donald Trump at every level of government; someone who will not just talk the talk but has shown loyalty to President Trump’s agenda to make our nation the strongest it can be for America’s families and businesses. The America First agenda has been the cornerstone of my race for the U.S. Senate and will continue to be on the forefront of my mind as I prayerfully consider the options before me to serve the people of our state in the best capacity. I have great respect for President Trump and his supporters and will not let them down.”
Don Wallace, President of the Alabama Republican Assembly, believes that Ivey can be beaten, even as an incumbent.
“I do believe Kay Ivey is beatable based on the encouragement others are getting to run. Many people are looking for stronger leadership to push back against the very liberal Biden Administration,” Wallace commented.
When asked if voters support Ivey, Wallace mentioned the I-10 plan, the prison plan, and other controversial issues that have shown a willingness of the people and elected officials to break ranks with her and push back against her plans or goals.
“Many have also been concerned about Ivey’s governing decisions when it comes to the original I-10 plan, the faulty prison plan, and efforts to take away our elected school board that State Auditor Zeigler has criticized. Then we had the heavy-handed tactics to push through a 10-cent gas tax which is terrible for working Alabama right now,” continued Wallace.
The two-term county commissioner from Tuscaloosa also doesn’t believe Ivey is a faithful Trump supporter.
“The Governor has never been seen as a big supporter of #45, and history tells us she is not instinctively a conservative Republican. While still the favorite at this point, her support appears soft, and if pushed to a runoff, then I would likely expect her to lose,” Wallace predicted.
