The race to decide who is going to be Alabama’s next Lieutenant Governor is heating up after an unlikely endorsement from President Donald Trump — one night before candidate qualifying closed for the 2026 election cycle.
Trump endorsed Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl in a post of Truth Social on Thursday.
Wahl resigned as ALGOP Chair and officially qualified to run for Lt. Governor immediately after on Friday.
This means he will face off against Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, who has already blasted the former head of the Republican Party in the state.
“By entering this race, Nehemiah Wahl has, once again, betrayed his obligation to the Alabama Republican Party,” Allen said in a statement.
“Instead of living up to his duty to promote Republican values and the success of Republican candidates, he has chosen self-promotion that will undercut the campaigns of Republicans up and down the ballot. Democrats are fielding the strongest slate of candidates in recent history and the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party is giving them ammunition to attack every Republican candidate in the state.”
Allen also posted a campaign video Sunday in which is criticized Wahl for using a “homemade fake ID” to vote.
“My opponent, Nehemiah ‘John’ Wahl, admitted he tried to vote using a homemade fake ID,” Allen said in the video. “We could not be more different. I, like President Trump, support voter ID laws while opponent breaks them. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you see this. This is why elections matter.”
Wahl responded to the slight Monday, calling Allen’s criticism “false attacks.”
“It’s no surprise that some potential opponents—who did not support President Trump—are now resorting to false attacks in a desperate attempt to hold onto power,” Wahl said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.
“But the facts are clear and well documented. My record on voter ID and election integrity speaks for itself. I have consistently supported voter ID laws, worked to strengthen election integrity measures, and personally helped organize and deploy more than 200 trained poll watchers to Georgia to help defend President Trump’s vote in the last election.”
Wahl will announce his plans for the future at the Alabama Republican Party headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.
“This race should be about ideas, leadership, and earning the trust of the people—not political games or rewriting history,” Wahl added.
“I am committed to running a positive, honest campaign, telling the truth about my record, and sharing a clear vision for how we can make life better for the people of Alabama.”
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
