2018 Elections

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

Gov. Kay Ivey

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.

Ivey, who became governor last year when former Gov. Robert Bentley resigned amid a sex scandal, has $2.08 million in her campaign account, according to her monthly report filed Tuesday with the secretary of state’s office.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle reported contributions of $1.83 million so far during the GOP campaign. State Sen. Bill Hightower of Mobile reported $860,847 in contributions and evangelist Scott Dawson of Hoover listed receipts of $731,782. Battle had an account balance of $1.35 million, compared to $419,048 for Hightower and $321,368 for Dawson.

Maddox has raised $554,857 and has a balance of $219,781. Cobb reported raising $517,380 and a balance of $190,737.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox

Ivey’s biggest contributor was James W. “Jimmy” Rane of Abbeville, who has given $200,000 to her campaign. Rane, listed by Forbes magazine last year as Alabama’s richest person, is owner of Great Southern Wood Preserving and is widely known for portraying “Yella Fella” in his company’s television commercials.

Moving Alabama Forward, a political action committee formed by Battle in 2013, tops the Huntsville mayor’s list of contributors at $113,000.

Montgomery-based Franklin PAC was the leading donor to Cobb’s campaign at $105,000. The top contributor to the Maddox campaign was Cash PAC of Tuscaloosa at $45,500.

The two parties will hold primary runoffs on July 17 for races in which no candidate got a majority of the votes in June. The general election will be Nov. 6.

Read the detailed list of contributors.