2018 Elections

Marshall Leads the Pack of AG Candidates in Fundraising

Incumbent Steve Marshall has raised $629,185 in his bid to win a full term as Alabama’s attorney general, according to his latest financial disclosure report. Marshall faces two former prosecutors, Troy King and Alice Martin, in the June 5 Republican primary. Birmingham lawyer Chess Bedsole rounds out the field of candidates for the GOP nomination. On the Democratic side, Birmingham attorneys James S. “Chris” Christie Jr. and Joseph Jay Siegelman are vying for the nomination. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Cavanaugh and Ainsworth Start Lt. Gov. Race With Money in the Bank

The two leading candidates for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor have raised a total of just over $250,000 for their campaigns, but both came into the race with large amounts of money in the bank. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Ivey Tops $3 Million in Fundraising for Governor, Far Outpacing Her Challengers

Gov. Kay Ivey has raised $3.18 million in her bid to win a full term, almost as much as the combined total of her three challengers in the Republican gubernatorial primary, according to campaign finance reports filed this week. Among Democrats, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox holds a slight advantage in fundraising over former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb as the campaign for the June 5 primary heads into its final two months. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Parker Takes the Lead Over Stuart in Fundraising for the Chief Justice Seat

Associate Justice Tom Parker is leading the campaign-contribution contest as he seeks to defeat Chief Justice Lyn Stuart in the Republican nomination for chief justice of Alabama, according to reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s office. Parker, who was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004 and 2010, has raised $210,750. Stuart, who has served on the court since 2001 and was appointed chief justice last year after the ouster of Roy Moore, reported contributions of $130,000. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Ivey, Cobb Lead Their Parties in Fundraising for the Governor Campaign

Gov. Kay Ivey has amassed a campaign war chest almost equal to that of her three opponents combined as the campaign for the Republican gubernatorial primary enters its final three months. On the Democratic side, former Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb has a slight fundraising advantage over her chief opponent, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox. Read more and see lists of contributors to each candidate.

by Glenn Stephens

Democratic Candidates for Governor Debate Lottery, Infrastructure, Minimum Wage

Four Democratic candidates for Alabama governor gathered at the Birmingham Crossplex Monday night for a forum mostly focused on economic issues facing the state. Sue Bell Cobb, James Fields, Walt Maddox and Anthony White each discussed their stances on a potential lottery, infrastructure funding and minimum wage, among other issues. Christopher A. Countryman and Doug “New Blue” Smith, who also qualified to run for governor as Democrats, did not attend the forum. The forum, sponsored by the podcast “Not Necessarily Political with James Williams and Lonnie Malone” and moderated by former Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Smoot, didn’t showcase much disagreement among its four participants. Instead, the candidates spent most of their time highlighting their backgrounds and qualifications. If there were any disagreements, they stemmed largely from the finer points of the candidates’ platforms. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

The Governor’s Race: The Candidate Lineup

Eleven people have lined up to run for governor this year. Eleven. Among the candidates are some of the state’s best-known names, including the governor herself, and some that are more obscure. With a lineup like that in politics, as the adage goes for another great American spectator sport, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard. So let’s take a quick look at just who are all of these people who soon will be stalking you on social media, via email, with flyers and on your TV screens asking for your vote. The Candidate Lineup

by Cheryl Slocum

Sen. Slade Blackwell is Not Running for Governor.

After filing papers at the last minute to run for the governor’s office, Sen. Slade Blackwell, R-Mountain Brook dropped out of the race Monday. “Senator Slade Blackwell withdrew his candidacy for the position of governor today,” Katie E. Lansford, director of communications and marketing for the Alabama Republican Party, said in an email to BirminghamWatch.

by Chery Slocum

Seven Things You Should Know About the 2018 Election

Sen. Slade Blackwell is not running for governor. Roy Moore is not on the list. This year’s election could change the face of the Birmingham City Council, even though there’s no city election. Patricia Todd might be leaving the Legislature at the end of the term, but the House might not lose its gay voice. A Siegelman is back on the ballot. Bob Vance qualifies for chief justice. Democrats are fielding 45 percent more state House candidates this year than four years ago.

by Virginia Martin

Democrats See Surge in Candidates Running for Office; Party Official Credits Jones Win for Boosting Interest

The Democratic Party is having a surge in interest from candidates this year, particularly for seats in the Legislature. As the deadline for candidates to qualify for races on the 2018 ballot passed Friday, Alabama Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley reported a big turnout of qualifying candidates. “We had a very strong group of people qualify for federal and state seats,” she said. She said county chairmen also reported strong results. “We are going to see a very interesting primary with a strong field of nominees,” she said. Worley said Doug Jones’ win in the race for U.S. Senate in December probably energized Democratic candidates to run this year. “We’ve got a lot of strong active women running, a lot of young people running, and a lot who haven't ever run before,” Worley said. In fact, the party has seen a 45 percent jump in candidates qualifying to run for the state House of Representatives compared to the 2014 election. That year, the Democrats fielded 80 candidates in 62 House races. This year, it has 116 candidates in 75 races. In the Senate, the Democrats ran 28 candidates in 2014, compared to 31 this year. The party has seen similar growth at the top of the ticket. In 2014, it had two candidates for governor and one each for attorney general, commissioner of agriculture and industries, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and auditor. This year, it has six candidates running for governor alone. Another two are running for attorney general, two for secretary of state and one for auditor. Read more.

by Virginia Martin