Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) is expected to resign his position in the Alabama Senate this week – perhaps as early as Monday – sources say. Scofield is expected to leave the State Senate to accept a role with the Business Council of Alabama (BCA).
Sources claim that the Alabama Ethics Commission has reportedly approved Scofield’s acceptance of the powerful position most typically associated with the BCA’s lobbying efforts, with the understanding that he will not personally lobby the State Senate until the two-year revolving door period has passed.
Scofield, 43, is a poultry farmer with a degree in agricultural economics from Auburn University.
The BCA, which represents both small and large businesses, is one of the most influential lobbying forces in Montgomery. Their most recent success, however, comes not from a lobbying win but from the election of their past president, Katie Britt, to the U.S. Senate. After years of supporting failed candidates for the U.S. Senate, Britt’s campaign found its footing running not as the BCA choice but by distancing her from the powerful organization she ran beginning in 2018 and emphasizing her ability to show independence from their moderate agenda.
Britt bucked the BCA publically against the COVID Vaccination Mandates.
BCA, while often at odds with the pulse and tone of voters, has remained one of the strongest campaign and lobbying powerhouses of the state. Other entities wielding comparable influence include the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA), the Alabama Education Association (AEA), and the Alabama Forestry Association.
Should Scofield deflect from the legislature to the BCA, leaving an open position in the State Senate, a special election would have to be called by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. Sources report to Alabama Today that both Rep. Brock Colvin (R-Guntersville) and Rep. Wes Kitchens (R-Boaz) are expected to seek the position.
The part-time position in the Alabama Senate pays $53,913 per year. The regular legislative session is a maximum of thirty legislative days.
Republicans presently control 28 of the 35 seats in the Alabama Senate. The 27 remaining Republican state Senators will have to select a new Majority Leader. The Majority Leader is second in power in the Senate to only the President Pro Tem. – currently Sen. Greg Reed (R-Jasper).
Scofield was elected in the Republican wave election of 2010 – which saw the GOP gain control of both Houses of the Alabama Legislature for the first time in 135 years.
Scofield was unopposed in 2018 and 2022.
Scofield has denied reports by 1819 News that he intends to leave the Senate to become a lobbyist. However, it is still possible that this is true.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
