In a speech at the Madison County Democratic Women’s Luncheon on Thursday, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox claimed that he is now polling “within the margin” against Governor Kay Ivey.

“Yesterday, we had some new data points come back that shows us within the margin of error, with a chance to win,” Maddox asserted.

Maddox then said his polling showed that 60 percent of undecided voters were “winnable” for him.

He added, seemingly parroting Sen. Doug Jones’ frequent line, “What this data tells me, is we’re on the right side of these issues and we’re on the right side of history. And the reason why that a Democrat like myself, in Alabama, has this opportunity is because we are on the right side of history on these issues.”

Maddox’s claims about his polling come as recent credible public polling and polling obtained by Yellowhammer News have shown Ivey with at least a 20 percentage point lead, with her lead being approximately 25 points in most.

In another surprising claim, Maddox alleged that Ivey “likes” being at the bottom of all national rankings, such as education, healthcare and economic categories.

In a line that will surely draw the ire of religious Alabamians, Maddox added, “[W]e joke a lot in this state about ‘Thank God for Mississippi,’ well if we continue down this road, we won’t have God to thank anymore for Mississippi.”

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn