Caroleene Dobson, the Republican nominee to be Alabama’s next Secretary of State, promises to strike the right balance between promoting economic growth and protecting traditional values in the Yellowhammer State.
Dobson, a Montgomery real estate attorney and former Republican nominee for U.S. Congress, won the Republican Primary for Secretary of State in May with 65.5% of the vote.
The candidate spoke on Alabama Cattlemen’s Association’s “Cattle Connect” Friday about her roots in rural Alabama and how she plans to help farmers and business owners if she’s elected in November.
“I’m running to be Alabama’s next Secretary of State, and again, it’s just one piece of the puzzle,” she explained. “But it’s one way that I feel that I can help cattle producers and ag families throughout this state. Most of us operate our farms and ranches through LLCs and limited partnerships, most of which are registered with the Alabama Secretary of State, and so I want to do everything that I can to make sure the services, the business services that the Secretary of State provides, are accessible, affordable, easy to use, and cost effective.”
Dobson believes in bringing new businesses to the state, but also wants to make sure that Alabama’s farmers are protected.
“We need leaders who are going to be promoting growth in this state, but also protecting the values that make our state unique, and viewing those issues through the eyes of an ag producer, through the eyes of a of a cattle farmer, aware of the issues that impact our industry, and we can only elect those people if we have secure elections,” she said. “So that is that is my why, and I hope I have the opportunity to serve, and that’s why again I would encourage, you know, anyone who’s listening to this, you’re already involved in your in your cattlemen, local county cattlemen’s association.”
Dobson was able to attend law school in part because she was a Tagged for Greatness scholarship recipient, which is a part of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Foundation.
“But what I think is so meaningful about the Tag for Greatness scholarships is that they’re sometimes awarded to kids with ag backgrounds that are going into different professions that are still benefiting agriculture,” she said.
“Because we not only need more young people actively engaged in agriculture, but in order for agriculture to thrive in this state, we also need strong rural economies. So we need kids who’ve grown up in rural Alabama going to vet school, going to medical school, being accountants, and even dare I say attorneys. I mean, there’s an attorney shortage in this state, and so you think about all the farmers and ranchers who need to deed property, and if there’s no one in their hometown that’s practicing law, same for you know accountants.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
