Office: Governor

 Scott Dawson

Party: Republican

Age: 50

Residence: Birmingham resident and native of Ensley.

Political races:This is Dawson’s first political race.

 Professional experience: Founder and CEO of Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association (SDEA), 1987-present, Birmingham-based national Christian outreach organization; ordained minister, Roebuck Park Baptist Church, 1993; worked at Western Supermarket during college and at Shoe City in Five Points West during high school.

 Education: Ensley High School, 1985; Samford University; master of divinity degree, Beeson Divinity School, 1993.

Main issues:Dawson says he is “an outsider’s outsider who is resolved to implement conservative reforms that will work, create an environment of efficiency and integrity, and make Montgomery into a place that serves the people again.” His priorities include recruiting industry while empowering those businesses that are already here with free market policies and rolling back onerous regulations. Other priorities include helping Alabama students excel by keeping Washington, D.C., out of our educational decisions, countering drug addiction by requiring drug-testing for students who participate in extracurricular activities and bringing back mentorship and vocational tech. In addition, Dawson says “we’ll refuse to be silent while abortion clinics legally murder and fail to report suspected child sexual abuse — all lives matter to me.”

Top contributors: David Green, $100,000; Bradford & Company, $25,000; Robert Hutson Jr., $22,500; McGehee Engineering Corp.; Bruce C. Dunbar Jr., $20,000; Joe Headley, $19,920; Bradford & Sons LLC, $19,500; Smith Family Tire Wholesale, $17,500; Smith Family Tire Inc.; Erwin Brother’s Entertainment; Dotry Enterprises LLC, $15,000.

Campaign: www.scottdawson.com and www.facebook.com/dawson2018/