Why People Are Talking About Gov. Ivey’s Age
The midterm elections are still a few months away and already there are questions about whether Gov. Kay Ivey has the stamina to campaign. Read more.
2018 Election
Vance Heads Into November With 12X More Than Parker in Warchest
Republican Tom Parker has raised more money, but Democrat Robert Vance Jr. has a larger warchest as they head into the campaign to become Alabama’s chief justice, according to reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s Office. Read more.
Ivey Quadruples Maddox in Fundraising Ahead of the General Election
Drawing financial support from deep-pocket supporters, Gov. Kay Ivey has collected more than four times as much in contributions as her Democratic challenger in the campaign leading to the November gubernatorial election. Read more.
Cavanaugh Leads in Fundraising, but Ainsworth Has Spent More So Far
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh boosted her advantage over opponent Will Ainsworth in fundraising last week as the campaign for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor entered its final two weeks. Cavanaugh, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission, took in $185,500 during the period of June 23 to June 29, compared to $18,500 for Ainsworth, a state representative from Guntersville, according to financial disclosure reports the two filed this week with the Secretary of State’s Office. Cavanaugh reported spending $173,744 during the reporting period, and Ainsworth spent $288,317. The latest reports boosted Cavanaugh’s monetary contributions to $1.84 million since the campaign began last year. She reported spending $1.58 million and a balance of $258,738. Ainsworth has raised $1.16 million so far. He has spent $1.95 million and has a cash balance of $204,565. Read More.
Marshall Leads in Fundraising Two Weeks Before the Runoff
Incumbent Steve Marshall has raised almost $600,000 more than challenger Troy King in contributions as the two campaign for the July 17 Republican runoff for attorney general, according to financial reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s Office. Marshall, whose wife, Bridgette Marshall, died June 24, reported that he did not raise any money during the reporting period of June 23-29. But he reported a $25,000 contribution on Tuesday, after the latest weekly reporting period was over, from the Automobile Dealers Association of Alabama Inc. in Montgomery. Marshall has raised $2.41 million so far during the campaign and has spent $2.14 million, leaving a balance of $287,783 in his campaign account. King, who is seeking nomination for the job he held from 2004 to 2011, reported contributions of $39,605 during the last week of June, bringing his total for the campaign to $1.81 million. He has spent $1.72 million and has a balance of $86,870. Read more.
King, Marshall Raising Funds Headed Into Runoff
Troy King and Steve Marshall, who are locked in a heated campaign for the Republican nomination for state attorney general, raised a total of more than half a million dollars during the first three weeks of June, according to reports filed Monday with the Secretary of State’s Office. Read more.
Cavanaugh Leads in Fundraising for Lieutenant Governor’s Runoff
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh has far outpaced opponent Will Ainsworth in fundraising for the Republican runoff for lieutenant governor so far this month, according to reports filed Monday with the Secretary of State’s Office. Read more.
No Hackers Here: SOS Says There Were No Attempts to Tamper With Alabama’s Primary Elections
After instituting cybersecurity measures to protect the state’s voting system, the secretary of state said there were no attempts to hack into or otherwise tamper with Alabama’s June 5 primary elections. In fact, despite worries about cybersecurity and implementation of e-poll books and on-line registration for voters, election officials said the voting came off with no major glitches. The state’s top voting official, Secretary of State John Merrill, said there have been no attempts to hack into the state electoral system since 2017. Alabama was one of 21 states notified by the Department of Homeland Security last year that hackers had attempted to infiltrate and manipulate the electoral system. Suspicious IP addresses and the attempted scanning of voting records were noticed, and the hacking attempts were blocked for the most part. The hackers were successful in only one state, Illinois. Some election observers have said the hackers can be traced back to Russia, but DHS did not identify their whereabouts. Concerns about future cyberattacks have persisted nationwide. Merrill said that, since Jan. 19, 2017, his staff and all voter registrars statewide have been trained in cybersecurity, and the training continues. “It is our position that all people with access to voter information be trained and equipped to function in the ‘new normal,’” Merrill said. Read more.
Jefferson County Primary Court Races
Results in Jefferson County court-related races
Incumbents Prevail in Legislative Primaries; Others Face Opposition in General Election
Incumbent Alabama lawmakers prevailed in primary voting in Jefferson and Shelby counties Tuesday, with five Democratic lawmakers essentially winning re-election because they have no opposition in November. Local Republican incumbents won their party’s primaries, but all face Democratic challengers in the Nov. 6 general election. The area’s only open seat, House District 54, is the only local legislative contest headed for a runoff and the only one with an independent challenger in the general election. Read more.