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.
Election 2022: A look at who’s running on the Alabama ballot
Alabama voters will decide races ranging from U.S. Senate and governor to local offices in Tuesday’s election Polling places and registration status can be found on the secretary of state’s website, at https://myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview. Voter turnout is expected to be moderate, according to a projection by Secretary of State John Merrill. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Here’s a quick look at major statewide races and issues: US SENATE Republican Katie Britt faces Democratic nominee Will Boyd and Libertarian John Sophocleus in the race for the rare open Senate seat in Alabama. Britt is outgoing U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby’s former chief of staff and the former leader of the Business Council of Alabama. Britt was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary and has emphasized border security, concern about the national debt and a need for new voices in Congress. Boyd, a pastor, supports Medicaid expansion and efforts to protect the Voting Rights Act. Sophocleus, a former college economics instructor at Auburn University, supports the abolishment of federal gun laws and the creation of a flat tax. GOVERNOR Republican Gov. Kay Ivey is looking to win a second full term in office as she faces Democrat Yolanda Flowers and Libertarian Jimmy Blake. Ivey avoided a runoff in the spring despite facing eight Republican challengers in the primary. Flowers, an educator, is the first Black woman to win a major party’s gubernatorial nomination in the state. Blake is a physician and a former Birmingham City Council member. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Republican Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth faces Libertarian Ruth Page-Nelson. There is not a Democratic candidate in the race. The lieutenant governor presides over the Alabama Senate. However, the most notable thing about the position is that the lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor leaves office for any reason. Libertarians believe the race is their strongest hope of hitting the 20% vote threshold needed to maintain ballot access in 2024. SECRETARY OF STATE Alabama will elect a new person to the office that oversees elections. Republican Rep. Wes Allen faces Democrat Pamela Laffitte and Libertarian Matt Shelby. Allen, citing security concerns, opposes alternative means of voting such as curbside voting, mail-in voting, or allowing people to vote absentee for any reason. Laffitte supports expanded methods, such as early voting and no-excuse absentee voting, to make voting more convenient. Shelby supports changing Alabama’s stringent ballot access law that has made it difficult for third-party candidates to run. He also supports alternative systems such as ranked-choice voting. ATTORNEY GENERAL Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall faces Democrat Wendell Major. Marshall is seeking his second full term as Alabama attorney general. His campaign has emphasized his role in lawsuits challenging vaccine mandates and other policies of President Joe Biden’s administration. Major is the police chief of Tarrant. He has emphasized the need to address the state’s opioid crisis and mental health crisis. OTHER RACES — In the state treasurer’s race, Republican incumbent Young Boozer faces Libertarian Scott Hammond. — In the state auditor’s race, Republican Andrew Sorrell faces Libertarian Leigh Lachine. — In the race for commissioner of agriculture and industries, Republican incumbent Rick Pate faces Libertarian Jason Clark — In the races for Public Service Commission, Republican incumbents Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker face challenges from Libertarians Ron Bishop and Laura Lane. — In the race for Alabama Supreme Court, Place 5, Republican Greg Cook faces Democrat Anita Kelly. NEW CONSTITUTION Alabama voters will decide whether to ratify the Alabama Constitution of 2022 that removes racist language, such as references to segregated schools and an interracial marriage ban. It also reorganizes the document, which has been amended nearly 1,000 times, to remove repealed provisions and make it more user-friendly. However, it makes no changes to how government operates. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS There are 10 proposed statewide constitutional amendments. Those include Amendment 1, which would give judges more discretion to deny bail to people accused of violent crimes. Amendment 10 is a companion amendment to the ratification vote that would allow new amendments to be placed within the document. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
John Merrill discusses the Secretary of State’s office in a visit to St. Clair County
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill recently spoke to the St. Clair County Young Republicans gathered in Pell City about his office and issues of election security. “Henry Hitchcock was our first of 53 Secretaries of state in Alabama,” Merrill told the group. Merrill said that while elections and campaign finance review is what the office is best known for, “Business services is over 65% of what we do. When we started (7 and a half years ago), we had 49 employees in that office, and they were six to seven months behind on filings. Today we have 36 team members, and they handle their filings on the day that they are filed. We are not moving at the speed of government anymore. We are moving at the speed of business.” The Secretary of State’s office oversees Alabama elections. “One of the things that I concentrate on is making sure that every citizen who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to vote,” Merrill said. “As of today, we have 3,681,000 registered voters in the state of Alabama. Per capita, no state has done what we have.” “96% of all eligible Black citizens in the state of Alabama are registered to vote. 91% of all eligible White citizens in the state are registered to vote.” In the last year and a half, Merrill said that many people had asked him what the Republicans did wrong in the 2020 election – where Donald Trump narrowly lost the presidency to Joe Biden. “When I was chairman of the Republican Secretaries of State in 2020 and 2021, some of the suggestions I made were listened to, and most were not,” Merrill said. “Karl Rove and Ronna McDaniel asked me to chair a commission,” looking at how elections could be improved. Merrill explained that there are “Five pillars.” 1. Empower the states 2. We believe we have to make sure that only U.S. citizens are added to the voter rolls 3. We believe the gold standard is in-person voting on election day with a voter ID 4. If you have a vote-by-mail component, you have a copy of your photo ID 5. When the vote occurs, that is the end of it. It is election day, not election week, election months, or election season.” “We have removed more than 1.5 million voters from the rolls because they moved away, passed away, or were put away (in prison),” Merrill said. Merrill said that he has a line of communication with Trump and the Trump organization. “I went to Mar-A-Lago a year ago,” Merrill said. “I am going back down to see him in the next couple of weeks.” Merrill said that Alabama’s voting machines are not hackable. “A lot of people know that none of our election equipment, our tabulators, are able to transmit data to the internet,” Merrill explained. “We had them built to a standard so that there are no modem components so that there is no internet connectivity. The only exception is for military servicemen and women. They can go to a secure website, and they can vote electronically. The reason I am not ever concerned about that being hacked is that they have secure military email accounts. We know who they are and where they are. That is an option we get our people. We led the nation in military voting in 2016.” “We provided every county a computer that is brand new – a hardened computer with preloaded data,” Merrill explained. “They can’t upload data.” Merrill said that the numbers that appear on TV on election night come from the Secretary of State’s office but do not include the official total. “That comes the next week,” Merrill explained. Merrill said that there were mistakes made during the primaries in four counties: Etowah, Calhoun, Lauderdale, and Limestone, where voters did not receive the correct ballots for their legislative districts. “There were people impacted,” Merrill admitted. “It happened in four counties. We actually terminated the registrars that were involved in those races.” “We had a race in Limestone County where somebody felt they were cheated,” Merrill said. “They missed being in the primary runoff by 14 votes. We don’t really know what would have happened,” if those voters had gotten the correct ballots. Merrill praised Chairman Paul Manning. “St. Clair county is a very fiscally sound county thanks to the leadership of Chairman Manning,” Merrill said. “While other counties are not so fiscally sound, and some counties can afford things that others can’t. The Secretary of State’s office tries to keep the voting equipment on an equal footing between the counties.” Merrill recalled when he first became Secretary of State. “We passed 16 pieces of legislation in the first year I was there,” Merrill said. “They had not passed six pieces of legislation in the previous ten years. We have passed over 50 pieces of legislation since then.” Merrill said that the Census made a number of mistakes in the 2020 census that are impacting congressional representation and are going to affect the 2024 electoral college vote. “California should have lost two electoral votes,” Merrill said. “Number two is Texas, who was undercounted.” “Alabama has been growing at a 5% clip since about 1970, but we are not growing at the same rate as the rest of the country. Georgia used to be about the same population as Alabama. Today, the Atlanta metropolitan area has more population than our entire state, and that impacted the 2020 election. Trump won 145 of the 159 counties in Georgia but lost the state.” “New York should have lost two more seats, but there is nothing that Congress can do,” Merrill said. There are ten amendments on the Tuesday ballot. Merrill said that the most important amendment is to vote for Amendment One – Aniah’s law. Merrill also urged voters to vote to ratify the recompiled state constitution; because it removes the racist language and reorganizes the state constitution so that similar issues are all near each other, Young Republican of St. Clair County Chairman Logan Glass thanked Merrill for speaking to the group and said he was a personal inspiration. Merrill is term-limited, so he cannot
Wes Allen visits all 67 counties
Republican nominee for Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced on Tuesday that he has accomplished the feat of having held campaign visits in all 67 counties. When Allen announced that he was running to become Alabama’s next Republican Secretary of State, he promised that he would campaign in all of Alabama’s 67 counties. Allen has now achieved that promise. “This is a big state,” Allen said. “I have traveled nearly 100,000 miles by car throughout this campaign, and I have now made my case on why I should be elected as Alabama’s next Secretary of State in each of Alabama’s 67 counties. Meeting voters in every county in the state was important to me, and it is important to the voters.” There is a tendency by many campaigns, given the population distribution of Alabama, to focus a campaign on the top ten counties in population, as 56.8% of Alabamians live in just ten counties. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby and Secretary of State John Merrill have both emphasized visiting every county in the state every year. Republican nominee for Senate Katie Britt has also announced that she has visited every county in the state during this campaign. “I have visited every county, but I am not slowing down,” Allen promised. “I will campaign as hard as I possibly can until the polls close on November 8.” Wes Allen currently represents Pike and Dale Counties in the Alabama House of Representatives. Prior to that, he served as the Probate Judge of Pike County for nearly a decade. Allen is a native of Tuscaloosa County. He played football at the University of Alabama under Coaches Gene Stallings and Mike Dubose. Allen has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree from Troy University. He and his wife, Cae, live in Troy with their two children. Sec. Merrill is term-limited from running for a third consecutive term as Secretary of State. The election for Secretary of State will be determined by the voters on Tuesday, November 8. Allen faces Democratic nominee Pamela Lafitte and Libertarian nominee Matt Shelby in his bid for Secretary of State. The Alabama Republican Party has held the office of Secretary of State since 2007. In addition to selecting new leaders, Alabama voters have to vote on whether or not to ratify the 2022 compilation of the Alabama Constitution of 1901. There are also ten statewide constitutional amendments on this year’s general election ballot. Polls open at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. Voters must vote at their assigned polling place and bring a valid photo ID to the polls with them. If you do not have a valid photo ID, you can get a free voter ID from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Kay Ivey, Yolanda Flowers facing off this fall in gubernatorial race
Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey is seeking reelection in three weeks against a newcomer to the political arena in Democrat Yolanda Flowers. Ivey, who has a lengthy political resume, is completing her first full term as governor. She initially assumed the role in April 2017, after former Gov. Robert Bentley resigned in response to an ethics investigation and won the seat in the fall 2018 general election. Her previous stints in state politics have included multiple terms as lieutenant governor, stretching back to 2010, and two terms as state treasurer, beginning in 2002. This campaign season, Ivey has been pushing on several hot-button national topics in her reelection bid. “I believe every life is precious,” Ivey wrote on her campaign website. “As a pro-life governor, I will always fight to protect the unborn. I believe the Second Amendment is clear, and it ought to be protected. I will always defend our right as law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.” Flowers is challenging Ivey and is a newcomer to the political arena. She advanced as the party candidate after a primary runoff in June. Flowers’ background includes professional work as a rehabilitation specialist, assistant speech pathologist, and reading instructor. She has earned degrees in speech therapy, audiology, and rehabilitation counseling. This fall, Flowers has been using the word “reconstruction” to describe her platform for education, health care, criminal justice, and the economy. In the area of education, Flowers has stated her belief that the state lottery system should be used as a lever to infuse funds into Alabama’s public education system. “Education reconstruction means more funding for public schools, better-trained teachers, and desegregation,” Flowers wrote on her campaign website. Two other candidates are on the ballot. James Blake is running on the Libertarian ticket. He has a lengthy background in Alabama politics, running at times as a Republican or a Libertarian. In an example of his jostling between the parties, Blake, in May, was named to the Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee. In this fall’s campaign, Blake, through social media, explained why he is running as a Libertarian. “I think it’s time for integrity,” he wrote. “I’m tired of the special interests defeating honest small government conservatives.” Additionally, Jared Budlong is running as an independent, write-in candidate. The Florida native moved to Alabama in 1994 and has a professional background in furniture making and construction. “Many may fight for the working class,” a statement on Budlong’s campaign website reads. “Jared is fighting for everyone, including those typically left out of the political discourse.” The governor’s race is one of multiple on the upcoming Nov. 8 ballot. Other high-profile races include: The lieutenant governor’s race. Incumbent Will Ainsworth is seeking reelection as a Republican against challenger Ruth Page-Nelson. There is a three-way race in the Alabama secretary of state race, with Wes Allen running as a Republican, Pamela Laffitte running as a Democrat, and Matt Shelby as a Libertarian. One of Alabama’s U.S. Senate races also is up for grabs. Vying for the post are Democrat Will Boyd, Republican Katie Britt, and Libertarian John Sophocleus. Additionally, all seven of Alabama’s U.S. House of Representatives seats are contested. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Jim Zeigler picks up endorsement of Alabama Republican Assembly for Secretary of State
The group that calls itself “the Republican wing of the Republican party” has endorsed Jim Zeigler for Secretary of State in this Tuesday’s Republican runoff. The Alabama Republican Assembly, a 25-year-old statewide organization, says “Zeigler has been a watchdog for taxpayers.” He faces off against State Rep. Wes Allen on Tuesday. Zeigler led the May primary with 43% to Allen’s 39%. State ALRA President Don Wallace stated, “Jim Zeigler has been a watchdog for the Alabama taxpayers his entire career. He has stood for honest government, and the Alabama Republican Assembly believes he will stand strong for honest and transparent elections.” “Jim Zeigler has been a conservative leader in our state, and the Alabama Republican Assembly recognizes his commitment to good government with our endorsement to be the next Secretary of State,” Wallace continued. The winner of Tuesday’s Republican nomination faces Democrat Pamela Lafitte and Libertarian nominee Matt Shelby in the November general election. On Thursday, Zeigler stated, “Over the next eight years, the job of Secretary of State will be vital. We face national attempts to manipulate honest election procedures. Alabama needs a proven fighter against government overreach to be our fighting Secretary of State.”
