Dale Peterson ‘rides again,’ this time in silence

Dale Peterson
Dale Peterson

Dale Peterson became an overnight Internet sensation in 2009 when his campaign ad for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner went viral.

In the ad, Peterson decried “thugs and criminals” who “don’t give a rip about Alabama,” and referred to one of his opponents as a “dummy.”

“I’ll name names and take no prisoners,” Peterson declared. “Give me the Republican nomination for ag commish and let’s show Alabama we mean business.”

Unfortunately for Peterson, his run for agriculture commissioner came up short.

Since then, Peterson has had a bizarre series of run-ins with the law, wild interviews with conservative talk radio personalities, and an ongoing feud with Yellowhammer News, which he says is involved in a conspiracy to take him down.


RELATED: The bizarre tale of Dale Peterson — internet legend, thief, candidate


Never one to be held down for long, though, Peterson is back this year and running for State Auditor, an office that is responsible for keeping track of all property owned by the State of Alabama — from computers to vehicles to heavy equipment.

Perennial candidate Jim Zeigler received the most votes in the primary (47%), but came up short of the 50% +1 needed to avoid a runoff. Peterson came in second with 24% of the vote, so he and Zeigler are now facing off on July 15th.

And just in time for the runoff, Peterson is out with a brand new campaign video titled “Dale Rides Again!”

The web ad uses footage from Peterson’s famous viral video, this time set to western music. Peterson doesn’t make a sound during the 30-second spot, but the words “Stop the waste” flash up on the screen to get his message across.


Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims