Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth has announced that he will not be running in the 2026 governor’s race. In a statement posted on social media Wednesday morning, the lawmaker explained his decision.
“After much prayer and many discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I will not be a candidate for governor during the 2026 election cycle,” Ainsworth said. “Kendall and I have decided that focusing on our children during their last years in high school and transitioning into the private sector makes the most sense for all of us at this time in our lives.”
After much prayer and many discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I will not be a candidate for governor during the 2026 election cycle.
Read my full statement below. pic.twitter.com/azNj6KSAk7
— Will Ainsworth (@willainsworthAL) May 21, 2025
Ainsworth stressed that he will continue to be a steadfast advocate for the state of Alabama and its residents during his remaining time in office
“Serving as Alabama’s Lieutenant Governor has been the honor of my lifetime and in the year and a half remaining in my term, I will continue working night and day to meet the needs, improve the lives and protect the conservative values of the Alabama citizens I took an oath to serve when first elected. I promised to be the most active, engaged, and hardest-working Lieutenant Governor in the history of our state, and I will leave this office secure in the knowledge that I kept my promise.”
The Lt. Governor reviewed the state’s recent progress on issues of great importance for Alabamians
“We led the effort to remove the state sales tax on groceries and enacted the largest tax cut in Alabama’s history,” Ainsworth stated. “We championed school choice because we believe parents know what is best for their children. We made our state the nation’s friendliest and most welcoming for active service members, veterans, and their dependents. We created a new high school diploma to ensure students are prepared for high-paying, long-lasting 21st-century jobs when they graduate and we pushed to quickly reopen Alabama and get back to business in the days following the pandemic.”
Ainsworth said that his heart is “deeply rooted” in Alabama.
“My passion is in helping people, and neither of those truths will ever change. Even when I leave elected office, I will still get up every day with a drive to help Alabama grow. ”
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
