Candidate for Republican Party Chairman Dr. Stan Cooke Calls for Immediate Censure and Expulsion of Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter from Republican Party

February 17, 2026 – SUMITON. Ala. - Dr. Stan Cooke, a longtime conservative activist and candidate for Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, is making internal party accountability a central pillar of his campaign.

In a statement released to Republican executive committee voters and the media, Cooke pledged that one of his first actions, he will do if he is elected, will be to introduce a formal measure before both the ALGOP Steering Committee and the State Executive Committee to censure and seek the expulsion of Alabama House Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) from the Alabama Republican Party.

The action follows leaked audio from a Republican House Caucus meeting where an angry Speaker Ledbetter said, "I don't give a s**t about the Alabama Republican Party."

This was immediately following the failure of a controversial Alabama Power Company priority bill that would have stripped Alabama voters from the ability to choose their own Public Service Commissioners.

Cooke's pledge stems from what he describes as a "profane tirade" by Ledbetter directed at the Republican Party. According to Cooke, such conduct is incompatible with the standards expected of Republican elected officials and undermines the trust of grassroots voters.

"When elected, I will place a measure before the Steering Committee and the Executive Committee to immediately censure Nathaniel Ledbetter for his profane tirade against the Republican Party," Cooke said. "I will also ask both committees to expel him from the Republican Party."

Cooke argues that the Alabama Republican Party plays a critical role in protecting the integrity of the ballot and ensuring that candidates who run under the GOP banner genuinely reflect Republican values. He warns that without strong internal accountability, voters could lose confidence in the party's ability to prevent "RINOs and Democrats cloaked in disguise" from appearing on Republican ballots.

"The Alabama Republican Party is the only organization in place that helps Republican voters of this state have confidence that RINOs and Democrats are not running for office cloaked in disguise," Cooke said. "We must protect the ballot for the voters of Alabama and for the integrity of the Republican Party."

Cooke's message is aimed squarely at grassroots conservatives who have long expressed frustration with what they view as insufficient accountability for elected officials who deviate from party principles. His call for censure and expulsion represents one of the strongest internal-party disciplinary proposals in recent Alabama GOP history.

As the race for ALGOP Chairman continues, Cooke is positioning himself as the candidate willing to confront internal conflicts head‑on and restore what he describes as trust, transparency, and ideological consistency within the party.

On March 7, the 440 members of the state executive committee will vote on selecting their new chairman. State Representative Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle) and Jnterim chair Joan Reynolds.