After weeks of apparent turbulence within the ranks of Alabama Republicans, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter and newly-minted ALGOP Chairman Scott Stadthagen spoke in an exclusive interview with The Rightside to how the Alabama House Republican Caucus and state party are united, disciplined, and looking forward to the next term.
On Tuesday, Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said Stadthagen has his “full support” as Chairman, and Stadthagen said the party and lawmakers are working “hand in hand” to accomplish a conservative agenda in the remaining days of the 2026 legislative session and beyond.
Ledbetter referred to U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) as “Governor-elect” as he heads into election season as the far-and-beyond frontrunner for the state’s top office.
“I think it’s an exciting moment from here for Alabama, with the House of Representatives, our caucus and the party coming together and looking forward to the work that we’re going to have going in the future, and it’s exciting for for tomorrow,” Stadthagen said.
“Scott and I have had a lot of discussion over the last week since he’s got elected, and he certainly has my full support, and I think he’s going to do a really good job, and look forward to his leadership,” Ledbetter said. “I think he can bring the party together in a way that maybe somebody else couldn’t.”
Tuesday’s interview with “Rightside” hosts Allison Sinclair and Amie Beth Shaver, in partnership with Yellowhammer News, came after an action-packed stretch for Alabama Republicans.
The plot began when John Wahl resigned as ALGOP chairman in late January to run for Lt. Governor in 2026 on the final day of party qualifying. In February, tensions inside the Alabama House Republican Caucus, which Stadthagen served as Majority Leader of, spilled into public view after audio leaked from a closed-door caucus meeting.
Stadthagen later resigned as House Majority Leader to continue his bid for party chairman, and House Republicans elected State Rep. Paul Lee (R-Dothan) to replace him.
In the time since Stadthagen won out in a three-way contest for the chairmanship, many party and State House insiders have been left wondering where he and Speaker Ledbetter stands — and where the Alabama Republican Party stands with the Alabama Legislature.
Today, Stadthagen said the relationship between the party and caucus is a source of strength for conservatives in Alabama.
“Yeah, absolutely. We have already hit the ground running,” Stadthagen said when asked whether the party felt united behind him.
Part of that includes House passage of an ALGOP priority identified in recent years, and again in recent months, as party members and lawmakers alike turn their attention to the 2026 election cycle.
Legislation to close Alabama’s party primaries to only registered members of that party, Republican or Democrat, passed the House Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee on Tuesday morning.
“We’ll have it on the floor Thursday,” Ledbetter said of HB541, sponsored by State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity).
Ledbetter said he expects the bill to clear the chamber, even if Democrats try to drag out the fight, and that, “If we have to cloture, we will.”
Stadthagen said the bill represents exactly the kind of coordination he said Alabama Republicans need more of.
“I think it’s time for us to pick our party lines and pick your teams and support your teams. We’ve already got a law now that if you pick a Republican ballot and there’s a runoff, you can’t flip flop — so we might as well just do it with the primaries as well,” Stadthagen said.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got different parties. You picked your sides. You’re on the team. [Democrats] don’t want us meddling in theirs, and [Republicans] don’t want them meddling in ours. I just think it gives more structure to our party, to each party, and it’s a solid move moving forward for our election integrity.”
Both Ledbetter and Stadthagen both unapologetically went to bat for what Alabama House Republicans have already built over the course of the current term.
As hosts ticked through the caucus’ list of accomplishments from tax cuts, school choice, tough-on-crime laws, DEI bans, protections for girls’ sports, and more, Ledbetter said the metric is objective.
“There’s no question this is the most conservative quadrennium this state’s ever had. Period,” Ledbetter said.
“If you look at my record as speaker and majority leader, it’s the most conservative [quadrennium] the state’s ever had. I mean, you’ve just got to look at what we’ve passed — if it’s DEI or if it’s the CHOOSE Act, which we led the charge on helping getting that passed … when Scott passed the boys and girls bathroom [bill]. I mean, this has been the most conservative four years that we’ve had.”
Stadthagen agreed.
“As far as our caucus members go, they’re Republicans, conservative,” he said. “We’re literally one of the most conservative bodies in the United States. So, we’re hand in hand moving forward.”
He added that, for all the noise of the past month, the current session has ultimately strengthened lawmakers’ and the party’s ability to achieve conservative wins on behalf of Alabamians.
“At the end of the day, it was a very good session,” Stadthagen said.
“It bonded our family stronger than we ever have before, and a lot of things that y’all don’t know from the outside — I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve cried with my teammates, or how many laughs I’ve shared with my teammates — and that’s something that’s private for us.
How many laughs and tears this guy [Ledbetter] and I have had, how many prayers him and I have sat down next to each other and have had, and how many golf rounds we’ve had.
You know, outside looking in, you don’t see all the stuff that we [have gone through], but we have the strongest family that you can ever have right now. And I think that’s what this session has actually accomplished for us, and I’m really, really proud to be a part of this family now.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
