The 2026 election year began on May 19 when campaign fundraising could begin. Our elections will be May 19, 2026. Our Republican primary that day, and subsequent runoffs four weeks later, will be our election day for all statewide offices. Winning the Republican Primary for state office is tantamount to election in Alabama. Qualifying for […]

I have been an upfront observer, participant, columnist, and commentator of Alabama politics for over six decades, and I can confidently say one of the most gifted political leaders in the history of our state is also one of its newest and youngest. Katie Britt’s skills as a public servant and stateswoman were demonstrated beyond […]

We all knew that this 2026 election year was going to be a big year in Alabama politics. This year’s biggest race will be for the U.S. Senate Seat of Coach Tuberville. The key to winning this seat like any open U.S. Senate Seat is having or garnering campaign money. Having your own money is […]

Two of our major constitutional statewide offices are up for election in next year’s May 2026 GOP Primary. The Attorney General and Agriculture posts are incumbent-free and totally up for grabs. Current Attorney General Steve Marshall has served his constitutionally limited two terms and is running for the U.S. Senate. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate has […]

This is a very big election year for cities throughout the state. Most mayors and city councils are running this summer. In fact, the elections are right around the corner on August 26. The marque race is for Mayor of Mobile. Mayor Sandy Stimpson is retiring as one of Mobile’s most successful mayors after three […]

This is a big election year in Alabama. All of our constitutional offices are up for election on May 19, 2026, and the races have begun. Included in the cavalcade are Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, and State Auditor. All of our statewide elected officials are Republicans, and […]

As mentioned last week, the race for Lt. Governor will be one of the best on the ballot next year. It will pit two very popular constitutional officeholders striving to capture another secondary constitutional office. Secretary of State Wes Allen and Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate will be the two horses in this contest. It is […]

One of the best races in this blockbuster election year will be for Lt. Governor. In bygone years, this was a much more powerful position than it is today. For about 50 years, from the 1950’s through the 1990’s, the Lt. Governor controlled the State Senate.  The Constitution gives the power to the State House […]

For the last few years after every Civic Group or Chamber banquet I spoke to, I would typically open the floor for questions, and invariably the most prominent inquiry was who is going to run for Governor in 2026. Alabamians love the Governor’s race. Always have and it stays the same. Also, they seemed to […]

As early as last Thanksgiving, there were smoke signals coming out of Washington that our popular Senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, was going to forgo an easy re-election jaunt to a second, six-year term in the United States Senate, to run for Governor of Alabama in 2026. The coveted Governor’s office was going to be open […]

Those of us who follow Alabama politics had been awaiting late May like kids waiting for Santa Claus at Christmas. We knew May 19 would be the golden opening date for candidates to begin making their announcements for Governor and other statewide Constitutional offices. Why? Because the law stipulates that candidates can begin raising campaign […]

A political stalwart in our state, George McMillan, passed away Easter weekend at 81 in Birmingham. George was born for politics in Alabama. He was a born leader. He had an exuberant, vivacious personality that people gravitated to and made it difficult not to like him. It was apropos that his funeral was really like […]

Like many of you, I have lived in Alabama all of my life. Therefore, I am an avid college football fan. As a boy, I followed Major League Baseball, but as an adult, I barely watch or pay attention to professional sports. However, I feel compelled for some reason, I guess as an American Patriotic […]

The recently completed 2025 Regular Session has concluded successfully. Anytime you record solid balanced budgets, you have succeeded. Both the Education Budget and General Fund Budget are sound, thanks to the good work of the Budget Chairmen. Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), Senator Greg Albritton (R-Escambia), and Representative Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) have […]

When Republicans finally took control of the Alabama Legislature in 2010, they put a conservative stamp on Alabama’s legislative process and lawmaking. They have made sure that Alabamians, and for that matter the rest of the country, know that Alabama is a ruby red Republican state, both socially and fiscally. A good bit of the […]

You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware that two of our state’s metropolitan areas have a serious problem with violent crime. Montgomery and Birmingham have become crime-ridden war zones that resemble third world countries like Mexico, run by drug cartels. The rampant, open-ended violence and cavalier murders in Montgomery […]

Folks, 2026 is shaping up as one of the best political years in memory in Alabama. The Governor’s, Lt. Governor’s, and Attorney General’s offices and maybe one of our U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs with no incumbent. The jockeying has begun in earnest for all these posts. The Attorney General’s position is a […]

Our Alabama Supreme Court is a stellar group. All nine of our Alabama justices are Republicans. They are conservative Republicans, and that is not bad. It is actually proper and appropriate, given that we are one of the most conservative Republican states in America. Not only are all of the Supreme Court Jurists Republicans, every […]

April 15 is traditionally known as the deadline to file your tax return. This time last year, Alabama political insiders had marked their calendars as that being the date that our 2026 political season would begin. It was thought that all of the thoroughbred horses would be at the gate to begin their races for […]

Over the past ten years, the following question has been posed to me, “Flowers, why in the world does Alabama not have a lottery, and why can’t we receive the revenue from gambling that every one of our surrounding states and almost every state in America thrives on?”  Over this past decade, I have spoken […]

As the Legislative Session evolves, I find myself missing my ole friend Mac McArthur around the Statehouse. We would visit in the halls and sometimes sit together in the gallery. He would be busier than a one-armed paper hanger as he was always having to work on legislative matters for the state employees. We would […]

For the casual observer, taking a cursory look at our political leaders reveals that may we have some pretty old folks in positions of power. Our new President, Donald Trump, is not a spring chicken at 78. Our own Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is 80 and goes by the monicker “Mee Maw.” However, a new […]

This Sunday leaders from throughout Alabama and the entire country will commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March and the infamous Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was a momentous occasion and needs memorializing.  Make no mistake about it, this event led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights […]

Our Alabama Public Television system was one of the first public television networks in the nation. Today it is one of the best. They continue to produce premiere documentaries, especially surrounding Alabama history. Under the auspices of Director/Producers Pete Conroy and Seth Johnson, they are set to release “A Legacy of Progress. The Jim Folsom […]