MONTGOMERY — Former State Sen. Rusty Glover announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for state auditor on Tuesday, making him the third candidate to enter the race.

Glover, a Mobile native, previously served one term in the Alabama House of Representatives and was a member of the Alabama Senate from 2006 to 2018.

“I pledge to diligently serve all Alabamians in this role by transparently and accurately keeping full account of our taxpayer-funded state property, as well as in my role as a member of the Board of Adjustments,” Glover said in a statement.

The state auditor’s race is shaping up to be one of 2022’s most competitive contests. Glover is joining current state Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, and Kimberly pastor Stan Cooke in the Republican primary.

The office reports to the governor on receipts and disbursement of revenues collected and paid into the treasury. It’s also responsible for the accounting of state property costing $500 or more.

Current State Auditor Jim Ziegler is term-limited and cannot run for the office again.

Glover said the importance of selecting members to county boards of registrars is a duty he takes very seriously in light of calls for election security concerns over the past year.

“I pledge to be meticulous with this selection process to help make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Glover said. “I will also work tirelessly to provide accountability to the taxpayers of Alabama. I truly believe every taxpayer deserves to know what the government is doing with their hard-earned tax dollars, and I’ll bring commonsense, conservative leadership to the office of State Auditor.”

Glover is a retired high school history teacher and currently works with state law enforcement agencies to offer middle and high school students information and testimonial reasons for abstaining from alcohol and drugs.

Glover ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2018.