Tag: Walt Maddox

Maddox Defines Himself as Voice of Progress as Election Day Nears

At the end of what many have deemed a Sisyphean campaign, Walt Maddox is making a final appeal to voters. His argument? Think of the future.

Maddox, who has been mayor of Tuscaloosa since 2005, has always been a long shot to win the governor’s seat. He’s a Democrat in a deep-red state that hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since 1999, running against an opponent with one of the highest approval ratings in the country, a sizeable fundraising lead, and significantly more name recognition.

But Maddox’s campaign has attempted to frame him as a viable challenger, establishing him as a voice of progress for a stagnating Alabama. He’s worked to distance himself from the liberal Democrat label, saying he’s pro-life and supports gun rights. And in advance of a final campaign push this weekend, he says his polling shows him within the margin of error away from victory.

Most polls have placed Maddox well below Kay Ivey, who took office last year after her predecessor, Robert Bentley, resigned amid a sex scandal. She’s seeking her first full term in the office.

But she has been a spectral presence on the campaign trail, making few public appearances and refusing to debate.

In the final weeks of the campaign, Maddox has shifted from calling for that debate to insisting that the differences between the candidates are self-apparent — which is, essentially, what Ivey herself has argued. Read more.

Here Are the Biggest Contributors to the Gubernatorial and Chief Justice Campaigns

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More than $6.5 million has been raised in the past 18 months or so to fund campaigns for the governor’s office in Alabama. Most of it has been raised on the Republican side, with Gov. Kay Ivey netting $4.49 million in her first run for a full term. Democrat Walt Maddox, now mayor of Tuscaloosa, has collected $2.08 million in cash for his race.

Following are contributions of $5,000 and up to the campaigns of Kay Ivey and Walt Maddox, through Oct. 29. Read more.

‘Better, Brighter, More Dynamic:’ With Numbers Showing Him Behind Incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, Walt Maddox Reaches out to Young Voters

Walt Maddox kicked off the final week of his campaign for Alabama governor Monday night with a visit to Auburn University, where he spoke with students about issues pertaining to the state’s college-aged demographic.

“It’s a lot of fun being here with college students,” Maddox said after the event. “This election, unlike a lot of other elections, is going to impact them directly.”

He’d received the most feedback from younger voters, he said, about college scholarships. A central plank of Maddox’s campaign platform has been the creation of a statewide education lottery — from which he has pledged $125 million in annual funding to be allocated toward college scholarships and workforce readiness programs.

A large part of the discussion also focused on fighting voter apathy, “especially among younger voters, and especially college students,” Maddox said. Read more.

Ivey Widens Fundraising Gap Against Maddox in Governor’s Race

With the election two weeks away, Gov. Kay Ivey continues to widen her financial advantage over Democratic challenger Walt Maddox, according to reports filed Monday with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.

Ivey, a Republican seeking her first full term as governor, reported raising $193,291 in itemized cash contributions from Oct. 13 to Oct. 19. Maddox, the mayor of Tuscaloosa, reported contributions of $104,878.

The governor has raised $4.34 million since the current election cycle began last year. Maddox has collected $2.03 million. Read more.

See the List of Contributors at the One Month Mark.

Ivey’s Campaign Still Leads Maddox in Contributions With Three Weeks to Go in the Campaign

Gov. Kay Ivey continued to build her campaign warchest in early October, raising almost twice as much as Democratic challenger Walt Maddox, according to reports filed Monday with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.

Ivey, the Republican who is seeking her first full term as governor, reported itemized cash contributions of $194,133 from Oct. 1 to Oct. 12. Maddox raised $102,024 for the same period.

That gave Ivey a total of $4.15 million in contributions since the campaign began last year, compared to $1.93 million for Maddox, who is mayor of Tuscaloosa. Read more.

Read more stories about campaign financing in this year’s election.

Vance Outpaces Parker in Attempt to Put a Democrat in the Chief Justice Seat

Ainsworth Stretches out Campaign Funding Lead in Lt Gov Race

Siegelman Tops Marshall in October Fundraising, but Marshall’s Ahead in Campaign Spending for the AG Race

Ivey Still Doubles Maddox’s Fundraising One Month Before the Election

With the election one month away, Gov. Kay Ivey has raised more than twice as much as Democratic challenger Walt Maddox in the campaign for governor.

The Republican incumbent collected $510,457 in cash contributions during September, bringing her total to $3.88 million since the campaign started last year, according to reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s Office. She heads into the final four weeks of the campaign with an account balance of $510,888.

Maddox brought in $373,016 last month, raising his total for the campaign to $1.83 million. That leaves him with a balance of $500,339, his report showed.

Ivey continued to raise large amounts from political action committees, law firms and businesses. Her biggest contributors during September were the Alabama Forestry PAC, $25,000; the Balch & Bingham law firm’s PAC, $15,000; and SHR PAC, chaired by lobbyist and Republican activist Dax Swatek, $12,000.

Overall, the governor’s top contributor is James W. “Jimmy” Rane of Abbeville, founder of Great Southern Wood Preserving and identified by Forbes Magazine as Alabama’s richest person. He has given Ivey a total of $300,000 during the campaign. Franklin PAC, a business-oriented committee in Montgomery, has given $125,000 and the Beasley, Allen law firm of Montgomery has contributed $105,000.

Maddox’s report for activity in September showed a continued flow of money from six PACs operated by Mike Echols of Tuscaloosa. Cash, CMG, ET, Leadership, Pride II and T-Town II PACs contributed $25,000 each to the Democratic nominee; that brings their total for the campaign to $611,400.

Among the other top donors for the Tuscaloosa mayor was Greenetrack, at $70,000. Read the story and lists of contributors.

Read more stories about campaign financing in this year’s election.

Ainsworth Leads in Fundraising by a Wide Margin Over Boyd in Lt Gov Race

Democrat Vance Tops GOP Candidate Parker in Race for Chief Justice.

Incumbent AG Has Raised More Than Six Times as Much as the Challenger

Ivey Continues to Outraise Maddox in Governor’s Race; Maddox Reports 892 Smaller Donations in August

Gov. Kay Ivey nudged out Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox for the top spot in campaign contributions in August, which leaves her in the position of having raised more than three times as much as her Democratic challenger for the governor’s office.

In reports filed this week with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, Republican candidate Ivey reported having raised $402,000 in cash donations in August and, after spending more than $435,000, ending the month with $337,964. She has raised close to $5.4 million since her campaign started last year.

Maddox reported raising $337,742 in donations last month, and after spending $180,549, ending the month with $476,459. That brings the total raised for his campaign to $1.7 million. Read more.

More contribution reports in state races:

Ainsworth Leads Boyd by Wide Margin in Lt Governor Fundraising

Vance’s Campaign Coffers Swell in Chief Justice Race.

Marshall Maintains Big Fundraising Lead Over Siegelman in AG’s Race

Merrill’s SOS Campaign Leads Milam’s Almost 3-to-1 in Contributions in August