2022 Elections

Blanchard Begins Run for Governor

WETUMPKA — Former U.S. Ambassador Lindy Blanchard officially launched her campaign for governor Tuesday, switching from running for the U.S. Senate to challenging incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey in the Republican primary. Speaking to a crowd in her childhood home just north of Montgomery, Blanchard called herself the “conservative outsider” candidate. “I will stand up for our rights against not just the liberal left, but the go-along-to-get-along, so-called conservatives who have run things in Montgomery for way too long,” Blanchard said. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Blanchard to Announce Candidacy for Governor Tuesday

MONTGOMERY — Lynda Blanchard, the former U.S. ambassador and current candidate for the U.S. Senate, will officially switch races and announce her candidacy for governor Tuesday, she confirmed to Alabama Daily News. Blanchard is planning an announcement in Wetumpka, the small town north of Montgomery where she was born and raised, according to an event invitation. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Tim James Running for Alabama Governor

Running for governor in Alabama is a full-contact sport, two-time candidate Tim James says, and he’s ready to play again. James, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2002 and 2010, filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's office to run for a third time in 2022. And it’s not just the sitting governor he wants to take on. “The Republican leadership in Alabama are not Republicans as we know it,” James, son of former Gov. Fob James, said in an interview with Alabama Daily News. “The Republican leadership in large part are what we call RINOS (Republicans In Name Only) or Democrats disguised as Republicans.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Super PAC Supporting Katie Britt for U.S. Senate Launches

The first super PAC of the Alabama Senate race has arrived. Alabama Conservatives Fund, which supports former Business Council of Alabama President Katie Britt’s candidacy, launched this week and is planning a series of advertising spots touting the Republican from Enterprise. The group is planning six-figure ad buys each on broadcast, cable and digital television platforms, seeking to “penetrate likely Republican primary voters at a significant rate” in the Montgomery, Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile media markets. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Mike Durant of ‘Black Hawk Down’ Fame Enters Alabama U.S. Senate Race

Huntsville businessman and “Black Hawk Down” veteran Mike Durant announced his campaign for U.S. Senate Tuesday, entering an already crowded Republican primary field. In a press release, Durant labeled himself as a “pro-Trump conservative Republican” and criticized many of the actions taken by the Biden Administration. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Britt Dominates in Fundraising for U.S. Senate Race

Katie Boyd Britt, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, holds a huge fundraising advantage over U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and three other candidates for the Republican nomination to succeed Shelby in Alabama’s 2022 GOP primary election, according to reports filed Friday with the Federal Elections Commission. Brooks, who is giving up his 5th District seat after five terms representing the Tennessee Valley area, held a commanding lead in recent polls and has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. In financial reports for the three-month period ended Sept. 31, Britt listed $1.53 million in net contributions during the period and $3.76 million since she resigned as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama and entered the race during the summer. She reported expenditures of $394,448 during the quarter and had a cash balance of $3.34 million at the end of September. Brooks reported net contributions of $663,074 during the three-month period and a total of $1.79 million overall. He listed expenditures of $507,623 and an account balance of $1.86 million. He had entered the race with $1.1 million left over from previous campaigns for the House of Representatives. Montgomery business executive Lynda Blanchard, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia, reported contributions of $1,958 but listed refunds of $12,100 for a net of minus $10,142 during the quarter. She made loans totaling $5.11 million to her campaign earlier this year and ended September with a cash balance of $4.51 million. Read more.

by Glenn Stephens

Mt Brook Donations to Britt for Senate Signal Views from the GOP’s Business Wing

Residents of Mountain Brook may be relatively few in number, but they sent a message about their views on the Republican Party in campaign finance reports filed last week by candidates running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. Although Mountain Brook’s population is just more than 20,000, people who live in the affluent Birmingham suburb contributed far more than any other municipality in the state to Katie Boyd Britt. Donations from residents of Mountain Brook signal support for Britt from the traditional, business-oriented wing of the Republican Party. Read more. Also read: Britt Leads Rivals in Fundraising for GOP U.S. Senate Nomination

by Glenn Stephens

Contributor Lists in U.S. Senate Race

The following are contributors of $5,000 or more this year to the campaigns of candidates for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate in Alabama next year, according to reports filed July 15 with the Federal Elections Commission. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Britt Leads Rivals in Fundraising for GOP U.S. Senate Nomination

Katie Boyd Britt, former chief of staff to Sen. Richard Shelby, collected more than twice as much in campaign contributions as her three rivals combined during the past three months, according to reports filed this week by candidates in Alabama’s 2022 U.S. Senate race. Britt, who resigned earlier this year as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, entered the race for the Republican nomination to succeed Shelby on June 1. Since then, she has raised $2.3 million in contributions. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville reported contributions of 820,775 for the three-month period that ended June 30, and Montgomery business executive Lynda Blanchard raised $190,873. Jessica Taylor of Birmingham, who announced her candidacy earlier this month, had no report on file with the Federal Elections Commission. Read more. Contributor Lists in U.S. Senate Race

by Glenn Stephens

Several Sitting House Republicans Draw Primary Challengers

According to June campaign filings, at least three sitting state House members have GOP primary challengers who plan to raise funds against them. In House District 48, Rep. Jim Carns, R-Birmingham, is running for reelection and being challenged by Republican William Wentowsk of Vestavia for the district that covers parts of Jefferson and Shelby counties. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News