Historic Municipal Election Run-off's Behind Us, Alabama Statewide Party Primaries Next

Some of the recent municipal elections will be one for the historic books in Alabama.

In our state, presidential elections draw the most voters to the polls, far above other races, including those for governor or other statewide races. So when record amounts of folks showed up at the ballot box for run-off elections for those candidates seeking seats for local mayoral and city council races, people have paid attention. And not only was it about the increase in voters, but conservative voters showed up and swept their folks into office. There is a lot of supposition on what was the mechanism that turned out the votes, but there is no question that across the across the state Republican voters came out for these elections.

So now that these city races are behind us, the next round of elections are next year for statewide officials. We will see if Alabama voters show up as enthusiastically as well for the state party primaries in May of 2026. While it may not be a presidential year, there will be lot of candidates on the ballot next Spring.

All the statewide constitutional officers will be up for grabs. Governor Kay Ivey, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth and Attorney General Steve Marshal are all term limited from running again, meaning those offices are open. Secretary of State Wes Allen and State Auditor Andrew Sorrell are voluntarily leaving to run for higher office, meaning more vacancies at the state’s top offices. The entire Alabama Legislature also have completed their four-year terms, meaning state representatives and senators who want their seats back have to hit the campaign trail. Finally, there will be a lot of county commissioners, district attorneys, judges and other local officials whose names will also be on the ballot.

Candidates are already gearing up as party qualifying is just a little over three months away. So, stay tuned for more politicking, as one set of yard signs are replaced with others.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on X, formerly Twitter, at @Paul_DeMarco

Opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alabama Gazette staff or publishers.