Katherine Robertson, Chief Counsel to Attorney General Steve Marshall, launched her campaign for Alabama Attorney General in the 2026 GOP primary on Tuesday evening to a packed house at Regions Field in Birmingham.
Marshall introduced, endorsed and stood alongside Robertson as she made a long-awaited move official: “She can become Alabama’s first female Attorney General,” he said.
“Tonight, I get to stand before you to be able to introduce and to proudly endorse the person that I trust to carry that torch forward: my Chief Counsel, my friend, your next attorney general, Katherine Robertson,” Marshall said.
Marshall extensively praised Robertson for her record. Appointed in 2017 and elected in both the 2018 and 2022 election cycles, Marshall now faces a term limit as AG, and is running for U.S. Senate in 2026.
However, Marshall made no mention of his own bid in his speech. Outside of opening with a joke about how the large crowd made him appreciate term limits for the first time, he devoted his full remarks to elevating Robertson.
.@AGSteveMarshall “proud to introduce and proud to endorse” Katherine Robertson #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/QfM9BwPJwd
— Grayson Everett (@Grayson270) June 10, 2025
She began her remarks by praising Marshall for his record.
“They say running for office isn’t fun, but this is actually pretty fun,” she said. “Steve, thank you for your gracious and mostly accurate remarks. You will not only be the longest serving Attorney General, in my humble opinion, you will be the best attorney general we’ve ever had.”
Robertson has served as Marshall’s Chief Counsel since 2017. Prior to that, she worked for former Alabama Attorney General and U.S. Senator Luther Strange. She started her career in the U.S. Department of Justice, then went on to serve as former U.S. Senator Jeff Session’s legislative council on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and later, as a top staffer to the U.S. Attorney General when Sessions was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017 during his first term.
Robertson is a graduate of both Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law.
In her state role, Robertson has spearheaded reforms in capital litigation, sentencing, parole, gang violence, child exploitation, victims’ rights, and played a key role in Alabama’s opioid litigation.
Marshall spoke to that track record during his endorsement.
“When you work with somebody for many years, you get to know a little bit about their personality. But when you get in the foxhole with someone, when you stand in the trenches, you learn more. You get to learn a little bit more about their character. You can gauge their resolve, their commitment to core values and principles, and whether they’re willing to stand in the breach and fight the fights that need to be fought,” Marshall said Tuesday night in Birmingham.
“I have not been alone in that foxhole. As I say to law enforcement and victims, as we battle the lawless Biden administration, as we have championed Alabama’s liberties and freedoms, Katherine has been right by my side, and y’all, she has never wavered. I’ve seen her up close to learn about her keen grasp of the issues, her grit, her toughness, and her unwavering commitment to the people of Alabama. She’s helped steer our office through some of the toughest legal battles our state has faced. Whether pushing back against federal overreach or protecting our communities from crime, Katherine is in the fray delivering results for Alabamians, and I can tell you without hesitation, she is the most qualified person for this job.”
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When Robertson stepped up to the mic for the first time as a candidate, she pledged to build on the conservative, legal legacy of Marshall and to take a hardline approach to crime, federal overreach, and out-of-state liberals.
“When I first walked through the doors of 501 Washington Avenue, I was awestruck by the weighty responsibility the Attorney General has to the people of our state,” Robertson told the crowd. “That feeling has not worn off.”
“Early on, we defined our mission…to make our state safer and our country freer, and we promise to do our best for everyday Alabamians. We believe that if we did the right thing for the right reasons, the politics would work itself out.”
She pointed to legislative accomplishments of the office, including recent laws targeting gang violence, ending leniency for child exploitation crimes, and passing the Speedy Trial Act, which she described as a law that will “save lives and restore public confidence in our justice system.”
As a first-time statewide candidate for office, Robertson also embraced, and aligned herself with President Trump, and criticized the past administration as hostile to Alabama values. During her tenure in the AG’s office, Marshall waged a continuous legal war with former President Joe Biden – lock in step with other Republican AGs from across the nation.
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“President Trump needs leadership from deep red states like ours to support his agenda from the front lines. He doesn’t just need opportunistic talk. He needs action, and that’s why in all these fights, we haven’t just participated – Alabama has led,” Robertson said.
“We’ve been the tip of the spear. That takes savvy, and it takes guts, and it takes someone who doesn’t have a bit of quit in them. Next year will be a historic election cycle in Alabama. We’re going to see a lot of new faces running our state — and much like President Trump learned in his first term — these new leaders will find that state government doesn’t always take kindly to change, and will stop at nothing to ensure that the special interests are protected. Alabama needs an Attorney General who knows how to get things done and will battle through the status quo mentality in Montgomery.”
Yesterday morning, Robertson filed her paperwork to officially run for the office, but has not yet had to file a fundraising report.
With the May 19, 2026 election less than one year away, it is yet to be seen from which donor and fundraising bases Robertson will be able to successfully draw from. Her engagement with the Republican Attorney Generals Association, even predating Marshall’s tenure as chairman of the national organization, could prove useful as she begins building her war chest to seek her first statewide office.
In an early indication of that network, Marshall acknowledged Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who was present at the kickoff event. A campaign fundraiser was held in tandem with Robertson’s event on Tuesday at Regions Field.
Two other contenders for Alabama Attorney General in 2026 have declared their candidacies: Jay Mitchell, former Associate Justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, who resigned from the bench in order to run for AG, and Pamela Casey, District Attorney of Blount County, who was the first to enter the race earlier this year.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
