24 Republican members of the Alabama Legislature signed an open letter to voters Thursday declaring that John Wahl’s campaign ads promise tax relief the Lt. Governor’s office has no power to deliver.

The letter lands five days before former ALGOP Chairman Wahl faces Secretary of State Wes Allen in the June 16 runoff for Lt. Governor.

“As you go to the polls to vote on June 16 in the party’s runoff elections, we know that you are being bombarded with campaign ads. It is just that time of year again,” the lawmakers wrote.

“As elected members of the Alabama legislature, we feel it is our responsibility to make sure that voters know the truth about the legislative process.

Recently, a candidate for Lt. Governor, John Wahl, has aired multiple campaigns ads that promise, if elected Lt. Governor, he will eliminate, decrease or freeze your taxes. Please be aware:

• The Lt. Governor has no ability to keep taxation promises.
• The Office of the Lt. Governor cannot have any impact on your taxes.
• The Lt. Governor cannot freeze your taxes.
• The Lt. Governor cannot decrease your taxes.
• The Lt. Governor cannot raise your taxes.

It is important to know the truth when you cast your ballot and to be aware when a candidate is making promises to you that are impossible to keep as there is no authority to do so in the position for which he is running,” they concluded.

Under the Alabama Constitution, revenue bills must originate in the House of Representatives.

The Lt. Governor presides over the Senate and holds no vote, except to break a tie, and the office lost most of its remaining procedural muscle in 1999 when senators stripped it of committee appointments and bill assignments.

Wahl has made tax relief a centerpiece of his campaign, calling for permanent elimination of the state grocery tax and a suspension of the gas tax.

Wahl has argued the office gives him a platform to push that agenda, saying earlier this cycle: “As Lieutenant Governor, I’ll take that fight to the next level and make sure it gets across the finish line.”

Among the signers is State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville), who sponsored the grocery tax suspension legislation Wahl praised on the campaign trail.

The letter does not mention Allen, but it adds two dozen elected voices from across the state to a runoff that has already stoked fights over President Trump, residency, and state  ethics complaints.

New polling released this week showed Allen leading Wahl by five points with more than a quarter of voters undecided.

The signers

State Reps. Ron Bolton (R-Tuscaloosa), Bryan Brinyark (R-Samantha), Chip Brown (R-Mobile), Steve Clouse (R-Dale), Brock Colvin (R-Albertville), Norman Crow (R-Tuscaloosa), Susan DuBose (R-Hoover), Tracy Estes (R-Winfield), Matthew Hammett (R-Dozier), Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville), Bill Lamb (R-Tuscaloosa), James Lomax (R-Huntsville), Cindy Myrex (R-Cullman), Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville), Marcus Paramore (R-Troy), Chad Robertson (R-Heflin), Chris Sells (R-Greenville), Ginny Shaver (R-Leesburg), Matt Simpson (R-Daphne), Jeff Sorrells (R-Hartford), Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle), Allen Treadaway (R-Morris), Kerry Underwood (R-Tuscumbia), and  State Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-Geneva).

The Republican runoff is Tuesday, June 16.