Last day of qualifying for Alabama Republican Party primaries brings surprises to campaign season
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Eye on Politics
Paul DeMarco
So the final day of qualifying for the 2026 Alabama Republican Party primaries last week did not disappoint, as some eye-opening revelations occurred.
There were three races where former public officials have thrown their name back in the ring to serve again. Former Sen. Gerald Dial is running for his old seat in East Alabama, and former State Auditor Jim Zeigler is running for the Public Service Commission, but the legislative race that is getting a lot of attention is one in North Alabama.
Former Congressman Mo Brooks is taking on incumbent Alabama State Rep. James Lomax for a seat in the Huntsville area. Brooks has served for decades in public office as a Madison County commissioner, a state representative and then 18 years in the U.S. Congress. He left the House to run for the U.S. Senate, but lost to Katie Britt. This will be one of the more interesting campaigns this year pitting a long time congressman versus an up and coming first-term legislator.
Yet, the biggest surprise of the day that got the most attention was what happened in the campaign to be the next Alabama lieutenant governor. Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl had been flirting with running for the state’s second in command all year, but had never pulled the trigger, and it appeared he would not run.
Then as we approached the last date to officially declare, President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell and endorsed Wahl in this race. The next day, Wahl signed up in the waning minutes and joined the other seven candidates in the race.
This will be a contentious race for certain with two state-wide constitutional officers also in the race, Secretary of State Wes Allen and Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate, who have already been on the campaign trail for months now.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville is the prohibitive favorite to get the Republican nomination for Alabama governor, thus, the race for Alabama lieutenant governor will be one to watch. With the Republican Party primary on May 19, get ready for the candidates to get out soliciting votes sooner rather than later.
Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on X at @Paul_DeMarco.