Republican Executive Committee will decide presidential delegates, not GOP voters
The Republican National Convention will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next year to select the Republican nominee for President. On Saturday, the Alabama Republican Party State Executive Committee passed its Presidential Preference Primary Resolution – which details how Alabama’s presidential delegates will be allocated for the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary. Much of that remains the same. The major change is that Alabama’s Republican primary voters will still pick the candidates for President of the United States but will not get to pick the delegates pledged to that candidate. In past presidential elections, there were dozens of names on the ballot for voters to select from pledged to each presidential primary candidate. The winning delegates for the candidates with enough votes to be awarded delegates would then represent Alabama at the Republican National Convention. There won’t be any delegates for voters to vote on in the 2024 Republican primary ballot. Voters can still choose which presidential candidate they prefer: Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchison, Chris Christie, etc. The roughly 475-member Republican State Executive will decide who the 50 delegates to the convention are. State Representative Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) introduced the resolution. “Delegates to the convention don’t just nominate the President. They also serve on the rules and platform committees,” Simpson said. “This is party business.” “The best people to make the decisions on how to grow up in the party is to reward the people that have been in the party,” Simpson said. “We know better than anybody who are the workers, who supported the party, who are the Republicans.” “The general public really doesn’t have a clue about the people on the ballot,” Simpson said. State Auditor Andrew Sorrell, who is also the State Executive Committee’s bylaws committee chairman, said that the delegates will still have to pledge to the candidate that they represent before the primary. Alabama will have 50 delegates at the RNC Convention in Wisconsin next year. The Chairman will be one delegate, as will the National Committeeman and the National Committeeman. Those positions are presently held by John Wahl, Paul Reynolds, and Vicki Drummond. The executive committee will then select 26 statewide at-large delegates. Alabama’s seven congressional districts will have three delegates each for a total of twenty-one delegates allocated by congressional district. The 2024 Presidential Preference Primary Resolution keeps the same delegate allotments as previous cycles. Details include the following: A candidate must receive a minimum of 20% of the vote on either the statewide or congressional district level to be awarded any delegates. The 26 statewide at-large Republican delegates will be awarded to the first-place candidate if that candidate receives over 50% of the vote in the state’s Super Tuesday primary. There will be three delegates from each of the state’s seven congressional districts, for a total of 21 delegates. The congressional district delegates will also be awarded to the first-place candidate that receives over 50% of the vote in each of the congressional districts. If no candidate receives over 50% at either the statewide or the congressional district level, the delegates will be awarded proportionally based on primary election results. The state executive committee voted 72% to 28% to approve the bylaw amendment. Since the Republican primary will be on March 5, presumably after the ALGOP’s winter meeting tentatively scheduled for February, there will likely be a special meeting of the State Executive Committee in the Spring to select the delegates. Other items passed at the Saturday meeting include: A ban on campaign donations from the National Education Association (NEA) and its affiliates – including the Alabama Education Association (AEA) – for all Republican school board and superintendent candidates. A resolution condemning President Joe Biden for circumventing the Hyde Amendment and using taxpayer money to fund abortion-related expenses and supporting Senator Tommy Tuberville for standing up to the Biden Administration over its flawed policy. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: Friends and neighbors politics
Last week I discussed young State Auditor Andrew Sorrell. Recently, when I had him on my Montgomery television show, we discussed his successful race for State Auditor. He understands the golden rule of politics, “money is the mother’s milk of politics.” In his 2022 race, he raised an amazing, record-breaking $714,000 and was able to outspend his opponents 7-to-1. More impressively, he spent the 7-to-1 advantage prudently and wisely. He designed and produced his own television ads, which cut out a 20% distribution and production charge. The most impressive revelation was that he wisely used his personal campaign time in locales where he took advantage of friends and neighbors politics. His opponent, Rusty Glover, had a very strong base of support in Mobile, where he had been a state representative, state senator, and taught school for years. Stan Cooke, his other opponent, was a well-known preacher in Jefferson County. Therefore, he acknowledged that these two urban enclaves would vote for their native sons, which they did. Sorrell realized that this left him as the only North Alabama candidate. He was from the Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, Florence area, and he worked in the Tennessee Valley area as their boy. He carried the vote-rich North Alabama. He also worked and cultivated the Wiregrass, where there was no hometown candidate. He did well there, also, with the help of television. In the runoff with Glover out, Sorrell swooped down to Mobile/Baldwin, garnered Glover’s votes, and trounced Cooke. What surprised me was that in 2022 the old “friends and neighbors premise” still prevailed, and even more surprising that it existed in a low-profile down-ballot race. I have been preaching and telling you about the pervasive friends and neighbors politics in Alabama for the last 20 years in my columns. When folks come to visit with me in anticipation of running a statewide race, I make them aware that it still exists, especially in the governor’s races. Those of us who are students of southern and Alabama politics attribute the highlighting of friends and neighbors theory to the brilliant southern political scientist Dr. V. O. Key Jr. In Dr. Key’s textbook, Southern Politics in State and Nation, written in 1948, he points out that friends and neighbors politics has existed in the South for decades. I am here to tell you that it still exists today. What is friends and neighbors? It is simply a trend whereby folks will vote for someone from their neck of the woods. Alabamians will vote overwhelmingly for a candidate from their county and adjacent counties. When I taught Southern Politics to college classes, I would tell the students this habit of voting for the hometown boy in Alabama politics was so pervasive that if a candidate from their county or neck of the woods was running statewide and were a well-known drunk or crook, they would vote for him. They might say, “I know ole Joe is a drunk or crook, but he’s my drunk or crook.” You can look at every governor’s race in the last 80 years and see our local friends and neighbors voting for the hometown candidate when you dive into the numbers. It is unmistakable. Dr. Key illustrates it well, first in the 1946 races for governor, Congress, and U.S. Senate. There was an open U.S. Senate when Roosevelt appointed our liberal senator, Hugo Black, to the Supreme Court. The congressman from the Tennessee Valley, John Sparkman, won the Senate Seat riding a 75% hometown vote from Madison and Morgan counties. That Tennessee Valley Congressional Seat was won by Scottsboro lawyer Bob Jones because he got an unheard-of 97.8% of the vote in Jackson County. In that same year, Big Jim Folsom won the 1946 governor’s race because he had two hometowns. Big Jim was born and raised near Elba in Coffee County but spent his adult life in Cullman in north Alabama. In that 1946 race, Big Jim garnered 72% in Cullman and 77% in Coffee in the first primary, where his statewide average was 28% in the crowded field. You can point to countless examples in all governor’s races since 1946. There are clear-cut examples of localism and regionalism voting for the candidate from your neck of the woods. Friends and neighbors politics is still alive and well. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Andrew Sorrell good start as State Auditor
Young Andrew Sorrell was sworn into office as the 41st State Auditor of Alabama in January. In the early years of Alabama statehood, the State Auditor and State Treasurer were important positions in our 1819 political era. In those wilderness times of Jacksonian Democracy, it was not unusual for the treasurer and auditor to abscond with some of the fruits of the state coffers. There were no ethics laws at that time, and the old political maxim of “to the victor goes the spoils” prevailed. There was a need for an honest man to carefully guard the nest. The posts of State Auditor, State Treasurer, and Secretary of State were your only full-time public servants, who were actually full-time officials who came to the Capitol. The legislature only met every other year for three months, and the governor was usually a Black Belt planter who was more interested in running his plantation and considered his governor’s job part-time. Less some of you are offended by the pronoun “he,” there were only male politicians. It would be 100 years later before women would even have the right to vote in America. Blacks were still slaves and would be given their freedom 45 years later in 1865 and the right to vote in Alabama 100 years after that in 1965. Therefore, in the early years, the Auditor was an important post. In recent decades, the legislature evolved and became the important entity that the new 1901 Constitution intended. The legislature created the position of Examiner of Public Accounts. The legislature rightfully created the office because they appropriated the state funds. They wanted to have their accountant oversee their proper appropriations and accounting of state dollars. Beginning three or four decades ago, there became a rallying to do away with the State Auditor’s position. Some would say it was unnecessary and a waste of money. That balloon would never really get off the ground. The State Auditor’s office costs less than one percent of the State General Fund budget, and it is difficult to do away with a state constitutional office. Besides, someone or some office has to be in charge of keeping up with the state’s cars, desks, chairs, and computers. Andrew Sorrell seems to be the perfect fit for this statewide office. While some have used the post in recent years to demagogue and take positions on state matters that the State Auditor is not involved with to try to build name identification, Sorrell is honest, upright and appears to want to make the State Auditors job an important post as opposed to a demagogic stunt show. Andrew Sorrell is only 37 years old. He has an attractive young family. Hannah, his wife, is a successful realtor in their home area of Muscle Shoals. Their daughter, Liberty, who is only two, became a TV star in Andrew’s campaign commercials last year. Andrew and Hannah currently bring her to political events around the state. She steals the show, as she did during the campaign. Liberty has been joined this month by a baby sister, Glory, born June 1. Andrew Sorrell was 36 years old when he was elected Auditor last year. He served one four-year term in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2018 through 2022. He ran an excellent campaign for Auditor in 2021-2022. He was able to raise $324,000 and loaned his campaign $393,000, which shows he has been successful in the private sector. This amount of money, over $700,000, is unparalleled in this state Auditor’s race. He was able to smother and dwarf the campaigns of former State Senator Rusty Glover of Mobile and Reverend Stan Cooke of Jefferson County in the Republican Primary. Both Cooke and Glover had previously run and started with more name identification than Sorrell. Sorrell ran a perfectly scripted modern campaign using both television and social media. He spent his money wisely and designed his own ads. He also worked the state tirelessly, campaigning one-on-one for two years. Andrew Sorrell is a very capable, bright star on the political scene in the Heart of Dixie. He is part of an interesting trend of a trio of superstars on the political horizon in Alabama – State Auditor Sorrell, Secretary of State Wes Allen, and Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, who all served one four-year term in the Alabama House of Representatives before being elected statewide. The State House of Representatives seems to be the new launching pad for state political office. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Alabama has a host of outstanding political leaders under 45
It may appear to you and most casual observers of Alabama politics that our Alabama elected officials are old. That observation is accurate when you observe our current leaders in the highest offices. The governor’s office has been held by mature folks in recent years. Our current Governor, Kay Ivey, is 78 and has been the object of national media humor for appearing to be a pistol-toting great-grandmother. Dr. Robert Bentley, her predecessor, was in his 70’s, but he may have been sprier than he appeared. Bob Riley was no spring chicken while governor at age 65, although he looked younger. Our iconic senator, Richard Shelby, retired in January at 88 after a record-breaking 36 years in the U.S. Senate. Our new Senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, is 68. This was not always the case in the Heart of Dixie. In the period from 1930 through 1970, we elected the youngest political leaders in the nation, beginning with our legendary tandem of United States Senators Lister Hill and John Sparkman, who served together close to 30 years. Lister Hill was elected to Congress from Montgomery in 1923 at age 29 and was elected to the U.S. Senate at age 44. John Sparkman was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1946 at 46 after serving as the Congressman for the Tennessee Valley. If you think Hill and Sparkman were young when they went to Washington, you have not seen anything like the governors we elected from 1946 -1966. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom was 38 when he was elected in 1946. John Patterson was 37 when he was elected in 1958. Patterson was referred to as the “Boy Governor.” When George Wallace was elected to his first term in 1962, he was only 43. When his wife Lurleen Wallace was elected in 1966, she was 40. She died in office of cancer less than two years later at 41. Lurleen Wallace was succeeded by Lt. Governor Albert Brewer, who had been Speaker of the Alabama House at 34, Lt. Governor at 38, and was 39 when he became governor. Bill Baxley was the youngest Attorney General in America when he was elected Attorney General of Alabama at 29 years old in 1970. He had been a 25-year-old District Attorney in Houston and Henry Counties. Baxley still practices law in Birmingham at 81. Well, folks, a cursory look at our current top elected officials may appear old. However, we have a generation of young political leaders arriving on the scene in Alabama. We already have superstars on the horizon and already on the scene who are under 45. Our new United States Senator, Katie Britt, is only 40 years old. She has the ability and youthfulness to be one of Alabama’s greatest senators. She has gotten to the Senate at a younger age than Hill, Sparkman, or Shelby. Marshall County has become the hotbed and breeding ground for the next generations of Alabama political leaders. This beautiful pristine lake area of North Alabama lays claim to Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, age 41, State Senate Majority leader Clay Scofield, age 42, and State Representative Wes Kitchens, who is 35 and is Vice Chairman of the House Republican Caucus. Andrew Sorrell, the newly elected State Auditor, is only 37. He has a bright future. The brightest star in the Democratic ranks is Huntsville State Representative Anthony Daniels. At age 40, Daniels is a superstar. He is in his third term in the House from Huntsville. He is the Minority Leader in the House. This gentleman is also a successful high-tech businessman in Rocket City. There are several other stars under 45 in the Alabama House of Representatives besides Daniels and Kitchens, including Kyle South of Fayette, Matt Simpson of Daphne, Joe Lovvorn of Auburn, Ben Robbins of Sylacauga, Scott Stadthagen of Madison, Corey Harbison of Cullman, and very young newcomers James Lomax of Huntsville and Brock Colvin of Albertville. Joining the affable and accomplished 42-year-old Senate Majority Leader, Clay Scofield in the powerful State Senate in the under 45 superstar group are Senator Chris Elliott, 42, of Baldwin, Senator Andrew Jones, 38, of Cherokee, and newly elected Senator Josh Carnley from Coffee County who is 44. Alabama has a host of under 45 political leaders. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column is seen in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the legislature. He may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Conservatives hold rally and prayer service in front of the Alabama State Capital
On Thursday, a variety of conservative groups held a prayer service and rally for their issues in front of the Alabama Statehouse. The Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) and Alabama Eagle Forum held a prayer service and followed that with a rally by the Campaign for Common Sense. The welcome-back rally urged legislators to advance a socially conservative agenda in the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session that began on Tuesday. ALCAP President and CEO and talk radio host Greg Davis said on Facebook, “We had a blessed time of prayer in Montgomery at the Statehouse steps yesterday with ALCAP – Alabama Citizens Action Program. I encourage all Christians to include those who serve us thru Government on your prayer lists and then truly lift them up to God!” Several speakers urged the Legislators to jettison the unpopular Common Core educational standards – renamed the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards by the state school board. The Rev. John Killian said that the state will not succeed educationally while Common Core remains in place. The Campaign for Common Sense Director Lou Campenosi said, “We have been coming here for 13 years, and still nothing has been done.” Campenosi said that the state of Alabama had gone from 20th in educational performance to 52nd in state educational rankings since switching to the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. The Director of Alabama Eagle Forum, Becky Gerritson, told Alabama Today that State Sen. Larry Stutts and State Rep. Susan Dubose will introduce legislation in each House to prevent pregnant women from being able to obtain medical marijuana – which will become legal in Alabama by the end of the year. Gerritson said that the group would also support a bill to expand school choice for families across Alabama – the Universal School Choice Act. State Auditor Andrew Sorrell advocated for legislation to give his office powers similar to that of other state auditors. Sorrell said that he had been criticized as being “too conservative,” but in the recent November general election, it was he who won by the largest margin showing that true conservatives can win. Sorrell said that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis governed as a conservative and was rewarded with an easy re-election. State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough vowed to support the school choice bill. Former ALCAP Director Joe Godfrey said on Facebook, “Glad to have been a part of the ALCAP Prayer Rally led by Greg Davis.” Stephanie Durnin with the Healthcare Freedom group advocated for passage of the Healthcare Freedom Act. The controversial legislation would prevent employers from being able to require employees to be vaccinated. Durnin said that some workers who refused to get the vaccine are required to submit frequent COVID-19 tests. Durnin said that this was unfair and unjust. Healthcare Freedom wrote on Facebook, “We expect our legislators to pass the #neveragain legislation called the Alabama Health Freedom Act (AHFA) this session. We need your help to make this happen. Here’s your first CALL TO ACTION to kick off this legislative session right…” Other speakers included: former State Auditor Jim Zeigler, 1819 news podcaster Bryan Dawson, Jarman Leatherwood, Angela Shepard, Jackie Connell, Dr. Rick Lance, and others. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Ron Desantis speaks to Alabama Republicans
Florida Governor Ron Desantis was in Hoover on Thursday to address the Alabama Republican Party. Over 1,400 attended the GOP’s winter dinner fundraiser to hear the likely presidential candidate denounce the “woke” movement. Desantis was welcomed by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who introduced DeSantis, as well as other top state elected leaders. Attorney General Steve Marshall, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, Secretary of State Wes Allen, State Auditor Andrew Sorrell, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate, Chief Justice Tom Parker, Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, and many more were on hand at the Finley Center to welcome DeSantis to Alabama. “Tonight, I was proud to welcome @GovRonDeSantis to our Sweet Home Alabama!” Gov. Ivey said on Twitter. “I was honored to welcome “America’s Governor” @GovRonDeSantis to Alabama and lead the ALGOP dinner in the Pledge of Allegiance,” Lieutenant Gov. Ainsworth said on Twitter. Gov. DeSantis’s speech was heavy on social conservatism. DeSantis spoke about his feud with Disney, his opposition to books that preach alternate sexual lifestyles to children even in elementary school being in school libraries, his opposition to the COVID-19 economic shutdowns mask mandates, his anti-riot measures in Florida following the George Floyd riots, his shipping illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard, his opposition to the transgender agenda, and the migration of people from blue states like New York, Michigan, and California to red states like Florida. DeSantis said that Hispanics in Florida support his efforts to reduce illegal immigration to Florida. He also compared and contrasted his state of Florida with the state of New York. They have similar populations, but New York has twice the state budget. “What do they get for all that money?” DeSantis said. “We have no state income tax. Alabama should try that,” DeSantis said. While Florida has no income tax, their property taxes are far higher than Alabama’s, and as anyone who has driven around Florida knows, there are toll roads and toll collections all over the state outside of the federal interstate system, which are very rare in Alabama. Florida residents, on average, have a 9.1% state and local tax burden (#11 in the country), while Alabama residents pay 9.8% (#20 in the country.) Tennessee has the lowest tax burden in the southeast at 7.6% (#3 in the country). DeSantis spoke about his hurricane response and how fast his team built back a bridge to connect the residents of an island to the mainland. Desantis said that if he was President, his team could get the border wall built quickly and at reduced cost. DeSantis has not yet announced his presidential campaign. At this point, the only announced presidential candidates are former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. DeSantis and President Joe Biden are, at this point, presumed to be presidential candidates. DeSantis’s speech was the speech of a governor, touting his accomplishments as a governor. The most pressing issues facing the next President are Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, balancing the federal budget without crashing the economy, the possibility of war with China, the high likelihood of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, the prospect of that triggering a war in the Middle East, as well as energy policy and its perceived connection to climate change. Desantis will have to discuss these larger issues in a presidential campaign. The Alabama Republican presidential primary is scheduled for March 5, 2024. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
State Auditor Andrew Sorrell addresses East Alabama Republican Assembly
Alabama State Auditor Andrew Sorrell was in Opelika on Monday to address the East Alabama Republican Assembly. Sorrell served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022, prior to his election last year as state Auditor. “In my first four years in the Legislature, I was the most conservative one down there,” Sorrell said, citing the ranking of members by the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth. “And it wasn’t even close. On every conservative scorecard, I was either number one or tied for number one.” “They said I was too conservative to get elected statewide,” Sorrell said. “I got the highest percentage of any candidate on the ballot in November.” “I was born in California, but I got out of there as quick as I could,” Sorrell said. “I was only there six weeks. We were there because Dad was a preacher at a Church there. If there is one thing that California needs, it’s more preachers. Dad took a job teaching Greek at a college in Wisconsin. I lived there until I was six years old. Dad got laid off from that job.” Sorrel’s father was laid off at the college and worked as a truck driver until finally; he was offered a job as pastor of a Church in Muscle Shoals, so the family moved to Alabama. ” There is nowhere I would rather be,” Sorrell said. Sorrell and his wife have one daughter and are expecting another. “We are going to home-school our children,” Sorrell said. “I got a good education at Muscle Shoals,” Sorrell said. “I can’t believe what has happened to the schools. There is a transgender kid in Muscle Shoals. When I was growing up, all my teachers were Christians.” Sorrell said that he became an entrepreneur growing up. His brother, Matthew, went to college at the University of North Alabama and received a $200 scholarship, so he thought his books were paid for. “That only bought one book,” Sorrell said. Then when that course was over, the bookstore would only pay $50. His brother decided to buy books on Amazon for substantial cost savings. He wanted to buy books and then sell them for a profit but had no money, so he formed a 50:50 partnership with Andrew because Andrew could front the $2000 in startup capital. “He came back home with a basket full of textbooks and $2500,” Sorrell said. They began offering cash for textbooks at the end of the semester to resell them at the beginning. “We were the book guys on campus. At one point, we bought 856 books in four days.” “We started buying hundreds of textbooks a day,” Sorrell said. Before selling the company, Andrew and his brother had grown the company to forty employees and over a million dollars in revenue. Next, Sorrell decided to go into the pawn shop business to sell guns. “It took two and a half years,” to open the store, Sorrell said. “Then I opened a second one – Gold, Guns, & Guitars. I also have eight rentals around the state.” “I am not in politics to make money – in fact, I am losing money,” Sorrell said. “Most of them (legislators) are losing money. Dr. [Larry] Stutts – I guarantee you that he is losing money in the legislature instead of delivering babies.” The Sorrell brothers became involved in local GOP campaigns, but all the candidates they helped lost their races. “Andrew, we are doing something wrong,” Matthew Sorrell said that his brother told him. “There are schools that teach you how to learn to run campaigns.” So they spent a week at a D.C. event learning how to run campaigns, and things changed. “We learned how to be campaign managers,” Sorrell said. After that, they found growing success. Sorrell said that Republican dominance has brought its own unique problem. “A big problem we have in the state is if you can’t run as a Democrat, you run in the Republican primary,” Sorrell said. “That is why we need party registration. I know you have a large problem with that down here with that.” Sorrell ran for House District 3 when he could not recruit a candidate to challenge incumbent Rep. Marcel Black (D-Tuscumbia). Black ultimately decided not to run again. “I narrowly won,” Sorrell said. “The gentleman that replaced me got 64% where I just got 52%. Part of that is redistricting made it a lot more fair, but it is also a lot more acceptable to vote Republican in Colbert County than it was.” Sorrell said one of his greatest legislative accomplishments was seeing constitutional carry law passed. That removed the requirement that gun owners purchase a pistol permit from their sheriff to carry their handguns concealed. “The guy that had it before I got elected got elected as a circuit judge, so I agreed to carry it,” Sorrell said. “I only had seven cosponsors,” Sorrell said that first year. That second year State Rep. Connie Rowe, a member of the leadership, “Stuck her neck on it” and agreed to cosponsor the bill after 22 members had signed on to cosponsor. “That took it to 26 or 27.” That third year, “I got it up to 28 or 29 (cosponsors),” Sorrell said. The bill would not come to the floor, so Sorrell decided to add it as an amendment to the lifetime permit bill to force a House floor vote on the legislation. Sorrell said that the Speaker of the House asked him to not bring that amendment and agreed to cosponsor the bill and bring it to the floor in 2022 if he would agree. “I decided to take the deal,” Sorrell said. “Fortunately for me, the Speaker kept his word.” Sorrell said that the decision by Mobile Sheriff Sam Cochran to fire State Rep. Shane Stringer as a deputy in the 2021 session over his support for constitutional carry was a key moment in passing the bill because legislators who weren’t fans of constitutional carry liked Stringer. “I wanted to introduce an amendment to name it the
Personnel update: Hope Scarborough as Andrew Sorrell’s Chief of Staff
On Tuesday, State Auditor Andrew Sorrell announced that he has appointed Hope Scarborough as his Chief of Staff, effective February 1. “Immediately after I won my Primary in 2022, people began recommending that I keep Hope Scarborough on staff,” Sorrell said in a statement. “I heard this everywhere I went- from Registrars, elected officials, lobbyists, and other government employees in Montgomery.” Scarborough most recently worked as Executive Assistant to former State Auditor Jim Ziegler. She also previously held the executive assistant’s role for then Public Service Commissioner Terry Dunn. “I needed someone with familiarity to the duties of the Auditor’s office who also shared my vision for strengthening the office legislatively by requesting additional duties and responsibilities,” Sorrell said. “Hope Scarborough was the most qualified person for the position and will do an excellent job leading our staff for the next four years,” Scarborough is a native of Union Springs, the ‘Field Trial Capital of the World,’ in Bullock County Scarborough has a great love and appreciation for dogs and horses. She lives in Auburn with her husband, Scott. They have three children. Hope is an active member of Opelika First United Methodist Church. Scarborough has a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) and is a graduate of AUM’s Certified Public Manager program. Scarborough was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley (R) to serve as a Board of Trustee for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind and served from 2014 to 2021. Scarborough is a longtime member of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Managers, where she has served as President and Board member. State Auditor is a constitutional officer created by the historic Alabama Constitution of 1901. In 1939 the Alabama legislature undermined the office by taking away its auditing powers. Since the 1940s, the Auditor has been tasked with only maintaining state property inventories. Sorrell ran for the office in 2022, campaigning for the office’s historic powers to be restored so that the office can guard against misuse of state funds – similar to the role that the State Auditor plays in Mississippi. Passing that government accountability legislation could be difficult in the Alabama Legislature. In the 2022 Alabama Regular Legislative session, a group of legislators actually pushed a controversial proposed state constitutional amendment that would have abolished the office of State Auditor. Sorrell defeated a Libertarian in the 2022 general election for the open Auditor’s position. Sorrell served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022. Sorrell is a small businessman, who has owned an online textbook store, a pawn shop that specialized in selling guns and guitars, and a real estate company. He is a graduate of the University of North Alabama. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: Inauguration day
The Inauguration of our Alabama Constitutional officials was Monday. Our state constitution calls for the Inauguration to be held on the third Monday in January. As you would expect, and as Almanac suggests, it is usually a cold day. Over the years, I have had countless folks harken back to their high school band experiences of marching in the Inaugural Parade, especially ladies who had been majorettes. They had to march and twirl a baton in 20-degree weather with skimpy, legless, bathing suit style attire. It left them with a lasting indelible memory of an Alabama Gubernatorial Inauguration. Mind you, I was not there, but every old-timer who has talked politics with me over the years and who have seen a good many inaugurations, will remark that the January 1963 George Wallace’s initial inauguration as governor was the coldest. There was a lot of frostbite that day. However, the inaugural address from George C. Wallace was hot and heavy. That was the day that Wallace threw down the gauntlet and declared, “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” That was exactly 60 years ago. A lot has changed since that day. It was during the Wallace era that the Civil Rights movement changed the political landscape of the nation and especially in the south. Wallace was an integral part of that historical era. He watched it all unfold from his Goat Hill office overlooking Dexter Avenue, and he was the reason for a lot of the bloodshed. Every time I see an inauguration on the Capitol steps, I reminisce about the history that has been made in that block of Dexter Avenue in Montgomery. The men who wrote Alabama’s overtly racist 1901 Constitution and the crowd that howled in defiance as Wallace made his 1963 declaration would marvel at the change and diversity of today’s Alabama. It is poetic and ironic that this year’s Inauguration Day, January 16, 2023, was on the same day as Martin Luther King Day, a state and national holiday. Kay Ivey grew up in the heart of the Wallace Era in Wilcox County. She cut her political teeth campaigning for the Wallaces. She was especially involved with Lurleen Wallace’s 1966 governor’s race when she was a student at Auburn University. After Auburn, she worked for a while in Banking and teaching in Mobile. She began her Montgomery career as the reading clerk in the Alabama House of Representatives under the tutelage of Speaker Joe McCorquodale. Black Belters, like McCorquodale, controlled the House and the Senate. Kay Ivey’s melodious, pronounced Black Belt accent drew folks’ attention to her reading even the most mundane legalese for hours on end. She later became associated with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. As their Public Relations and Governmental Affairs Director, she learned the legislative process. She entered the political arena in 2002 when she was elected State Treasurer. She served eight years in that post. She was then elected Lt. Governor in 2010 and reelected in 2014. In the middle of her second term, she became Governor after Dr. Robert Bentley vacated the governor’s office. She served out the last 18 months of his term and was elected in her own right as Governor of Alabama in 2018. She was reelected, overwhelmingly, last year. If Kay Ivey finishes out this four-year term, she will have been Governor of Alabama longer than anyone else besides George C. Wallace. She is the first woman to be elected as a Republican. She is the second female governor, the first being her idol, Lurleen Wallace, 56 years ago. Also inaugurated with Governor Kay Ivey were Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall, State Treasurer Young Boozer, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, Secretary of State Wes Allen, and State Auditor Andrew Sorrell. Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker were sworn in for four-year terms on the Public Service Commission. Two Supreme Court Justices, Kelli Wise and Greg Cook, were sworn in for six-year terms in a special investiture last Friday. Justice Kelli Wise was sworn in for her third term. She has served 12 years on the Supreme Court and was on the State Court of Criminal Appeals for a decade prior to being elected to the high court. Justice Greg Cook was sworn in for his initial term on the high tribunal. He is a well-qualified and conservative jurist who will fit in well on the Supreme Court. It was a big day in Alabama politics. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Kay Ivey sworn in for her second full term
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and other state constitutional officers will be sworn in today in Montgomery. Gov. Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate will be sworn in for their second term. Secretary of State Wes Allen and State Auditor Andrew Sorrell will be sworn in for their first terms. State Treasurer Young Boozer returns for another term. The festivities began Sunday with the Made in Alabama Reception at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion. The traditional Morning Prayer Service was held at 8:15 am. The Governor began inauguration day with an early morning prayer service at her home church, First Baptist Church in Montgomery. The Swearing-in Ceremony followed at 10:00 am. With one hand on the Bible, Governor Ivey took the oath of office on the Alabama State Capitol steps and was sworn into her second term as governor. The investiture ceremony for new Associate Alabama Supreme Court Justice Greg Cooke was on Friday. All of Alabama’s Constitutional Officers are Republicans since Democrats have been able to field a competitive slate of candidates since 2008 as the state increasingly tends to vote overwhelmingly Republican. Following the swearing-in ceremony, there will be a celebratory parade to mark the inauguration and another peaceful transfer of power. The parade will follow up Dexter Avenue to the historic 1859 State Capitol Building. The parade will showcase and celebrate Alabama’s diverse communities and talent. Attendance at the parade is free for all Alabamians and their families. Ivey will host an exclusive donor reception at 6:00 pm for her donors to thank those supporters who went above and beyond to keep Alabama working. The Inaugural Gala will follow at 7:00 pm. A formal gala will be held to commemorate Alabama’s first Republican female governor and celebrate Governor Ivey’s dedication to keep Alabama growing. Ivey was born on a cattle farm in Wilcox County during World War II on October 15, 1944. She is the oldest governor in the country. She graduated from Auburn University, where she served in the school’s student government association. She worked as a teacher in California before returning to Alabama, where she has held several posts in state government, including serving in Gov. Fob James’ cabinet and working for Speaker of the House Joe McCorquodale. Ivey served two terms as State Treasurer from 2003 to 2011. In 2010 she shocked the political world by unseating Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom Jr. in the 2010 Republican wave election that gave the GOP undivided control of the Alabama State government. Ivey was re-elected Lt. Gov in 2014. She was elevated to governor in April 2017 when then-Governor Robert Bentley resigned rather than be impeached. Ivey was elected in 2018 and then re-elected last November. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Inauguration for Gov. Kay Ivey will be January 16
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey was recently re-elected to a second term as Governor of Alabama. Gov. Ivey’s next four years will begin on January 16. Ivey and the other state constitutional officers will be sworn in at 10:00 am CST on the Capital steps in Montgomery. The festivities will begin on January 15 with the Made in Alabama Reception from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Governor Kay Ivey will kick off inaugural festivities by hosting an Alabama Made reception at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion. The traditional Morning Prayer Service will be held on January 16 at 8:15 am. The governor will begin inauguration day with an early morning prayer service at her home church, First Baptist Church in Montgomery. There she will petition our Heavenly Father for wisdom, guidance, and strength in leading the people of Alabama. The swearing-in Ceremony will follow at 10:00 am. With one hand on the Bible, Governor Ivey will take the oath of office on the Alabama State Capitol steps and publicly be sworn into her second term as governor. Other state constitutional officers likely to be sworn in include Will Ainsworth – Lieutenant Governor; Steve Marshall – Attorney General; Rick Pate – Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries; Wes Allen – Secretary of State; Andrew Sorrell – State Auditor, and Young Boozer – State Treasurer. Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker were both re-elected to the Public Service Commission. All of Alabama’s statewide constitutional officers are Republicans. Following the swearing-in ceremony, celebrate newly inaugurated officials with a parade up Dexter Avenue that showcases and celebrates Alabama’s diverse communities and talent at 12:00 pm. Attending the parade is free for all Alabamians and their families. Before the Inaugural Gala, Governor Ivey will host an exclusive donor reception at 6:00 pm for her donors to personally thank those supporters who went above and beyond to keep Alabama working. The Inaugural Gala will be at 7:00 pm. A formal gala will be held to commemorate Alabama’s first Republican female governor and celebrate Governor Ivey’s dedication to keep Alabama growing. The Governor’s inauguration committee is still accepting opportunities for donors as she is sworn into office for a second term as Alabama’s 54th governor. A $100,000 contribution gets you to the Governor’s Circle Level. Those high-dollar donors receive ten tickets to the Alabama Made Reception, ten tickets to the Prayer Service, forty priority seating tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, eight tickets to the special Donor Reception, and forty reserved seating tickets to the Inaugural Gala as well as two full-page, four-color advertisements in the Official Inaugural Commemorative Program and acknowledgment in the program as a Governor’s Circle Level Inaugural Sponsor. A $50,000 donation is a platinum Level sponsorship. Those donors receive eight tickets to the Alabama Made Reception, eight tickets to the Prayer Service, twenty-four priority seating tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, six tickets to the special Donor Reception hosted by Gov. Ivey, twenty-four reserved seating tickets to the Inaugural Gala, full-page, four-color advertisement in the Official Inaugural Commemorative Program, and acknowledgment in the program as a Platinum Level Inaugural Sponsor. A $25,000 contribution is gold level. That purchase six tickets to the Alabama Made Reception, six tickets to the Prayer Service, ten priority seating tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, four tickets to the special Donor Reception hosted by Gov. Ivey, sixteen tickets to the Inaugural Gala, a full-page, four-color advertisement in the Official Inaugural Commemorative Program, and acknowledgment in the program as a Gold Level Inaugural Sponsor. A $10,000 contribution purchases silver-level sponsorship. That purchases two tickets to the Alabama Made Reception, two tickets to the Prayer Service, four priority seating tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, two tickets to the special Donor Reception hosted by the Governor, eight tickets to the Inaugural Gala, a half-page, four-color advertisement in the Official Inaugural Commemorative Program, and acknowledgment in the program as a Silver Level Inaugural Sponsor. $5000 is Bronze Level, and those donors receive two tickets to the Prayer Service, two priority seating tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, two tickets to the special Donor Reception, four tickets to the Inaugural Gala, a half-page, black-and-white advertisement in the Official Inaugural Commemorative Program, and acknowledgment in the program as a Bronze Level Inaugural Sponsor. Commemorative Program Ads cost $5,000 for one full-page, four-color advertisement; $3,500 for a one full-page, black-and-white advertisement; $2,500 for a half-page, four-color advertisement; and $2,000 for a half-page, black-and-white advertisement. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Republicans dominate statewide races
As expected, Alabama Republicans won every statewide race. Kay Ivey was easily re-elected, and political newcomer Katie Britt will be the next U.S. Senator from Alabama. Republican incumbents Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate, and Treasurer Young Boozer were easily re-elected. Republican State Representatives Wes Allen and Andrew Sorrell won the open Secretary of State and Auditor races. Republicans also held their supermajorities in both Houses of the Legislature and won the open State Supreme Court Justice race. Ivey won by an even larger percentage than in 2018 in 2022. Ivey had 69.9% of the vote as of press time. Yolanda Flowers’ 29.2% performance was the worst performance by a Democratic nominee in memory. Ivey improved her percentage victory by over 10% (69.9% versus 59.5%) of the vote; but actually had fewer votes than four years ago – 944,845 in 2022 versus 1,022,457 in 2018. Ivey’s two landslide victories makes her the most popular Republican governor in state history. Yolanda Flowers only received only 411,269 votes, whereas Walt Maddox received 694,495 votes. Ivey is the first Republican woman to serve as Governor of Alabama. She was already the longest-serving woman governor in state history and the first woman in state history to be re-elected as governor. Ivey won the 2022 election for governor, the 2018 election for governor, the 2014 election for Lieutenant Governor, the 2010 election for Lieutenant Governor, the 2006 election for State Treasurer, and the 2002 election for State Treasurer. This unprecedented run makes Ivey the most successful woman politician in the history of Alabama. Ivey, age 78, is also the oldest governor in the state’s history. Election night was hugely disappointing for Libertarians. While they did get ballot access for the first time since 2022, none of their candidates were able to get close to the 20% threshold needed to give the party ballot access in 2024 – even in statewide races where no Democrat even qualified. Gaining ballot access cost the Libertarian Party over $240,000 to get the necessary number of ballot access signatures to be on the ballot. If the party is going to be on the ballot in 2024, they will have to go through the ballot signature process. Libertarian candidate for Governor – Dr. Jimmy Blake, only received 45,825 votes (3.2%). It is unclear where Blake’s voters came from, disgruntled Republicans or Democrats who did not support Flowers. It was not a good night for write-in gubernatorial candidates. Dean Odle and Jared Budlong, representing the far right and far left respectively, received just 9,401 votes (0.67%). Since those votes will not be individually counted, so there is no way to know how many of those votes were Odle’s, Budlong’s, or someone else entirely. In the Senate race, Britt received 940,048 votes (66.6%). Democrat Dr. Will Boyd received 435,428 votes (30.87%). Libertarian John Sophocleus received 32,790 votes (2.32%). 2,454 Alabamians wrote in someone else. Britt is the first woman to win a U.S. Senate race in Alabama. In the Lieutenant Governor’s race, incumbent Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth won in a landslide. Ainsworth had 955,372 votes (83.69%). Libertarian Ruth Page-Nelson had 178,069 votes (15.60%) – far short of the 20% Libertarians needed to guarantee them ballot access in 2024. 8,066 Alabamians (0.71%) wrote in someone else. Incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall coasted to re-election, receiving 953,284 votes (67.91%) versus 449,193 votes (32%) for Democrat Wendell Major. Major received more votes than any Democrat running statewide. In the Secretary of State’s race, Republican Wes Allen won 923,206 votes (65.9%). Democrat Pamela Lafitte got 435,558 (31.1%), and Libertarian Matt Shelby received 41,480 votes (3%). In the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries race, incumbent Republican Rick Pate cruised to victory 944,021 (84.3%) over Libertarian Jason Clark 169,869 (15%). In the State Treasurer races, Republican incumbent Young Boozer trounced Libertarian Scott Hammond with 944,792 votes (83.75%) to 174,472 votes (15.47%). For State Auditor, Republican Andrew Sorrell won 947,719 votes (84.4%), while Libertarian Leigh Lachine had 166,243 votes (14.81%). For Alabama Supreme Court Place 5, political newcomer Republican Greg Cook won 941,059 votes (67.42%), while Democrat Anita Kelly received 453,518 votes (32.49%). Incumbent Republican Alabama Supreme Court Place 6 Kelli Wise was unopposed winning re-election 995,688 votes (97.51%). For Public Service Commission Place 1, Republican incumbent Jeremy Oden defeated Libertarian Ron Bishop 934,987 (83.73%) to 172,733 (15.47%). For Public Service Commission Place 2, incumbent Republican Chip Beeker received 929,248 votes (83.18%), while Laura Lane had 179,302 votes. Lane received more votes than any other Libertarian, but her 16.1% was still far below the 20% threshold that the Libertarians needed statewide. The Alabama Republican Party also retained its supermajorities in both Houses of the Legislature. Democrats flipped one Alabama House seat in Montgomery County (Charlotte Meadows), while Republicans flipped one Democratic seat in the Wiregrass (Dexter Grimsley). These numbers are all unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
