State Rep. Wes Allen’s (R-Troy) bid for Alabama Secretary of State received a significant boost in April as his fundraising haul was far in excess of that posted by each of his GOP primary opponents.
Allen raked in $118,225 last month, compared to the $28,483 raised by term-limited State Auditor Jim Zeigler. Republican activist Chris Horn received $600 in receipts, while former Alabama elections administrator Ed Packard recorded $520 in cash contributions.
The lawmaker far and away holds the cash-on-hand advantage over the field at $160,934. Horn holds the second-highest cash balance with $7,797, followed by Zeigler at $6,724 and Packard at $3,901.
Allen, a former Pike County probate judge, is seeking to replace the term-limited Secretary of State John Merrill after serving one term in the Alabama House of Representatives.
In a statement touching on his fundraising success, Allen noted that he was “the only candidate” that holds an “error-free” record in overseeing the administration of elections.
“I am honored by the outpouring of support I have received from across the state of Alabama,” said Allen. “As I have travelled to 61 counties during my campaign to be Alabama’s next Republican Secretary of State, I have worked hard to ensure that voters know that I am the only candidate with the error-free, hands-on elections administration experience it will take to protect our state from liberal attempts to weaken our election laws. I am grateful that people from all over our state are willing to support me with their votes and their generous donations to my campaign.”
During his tenure in the lower chamber, Allen was routinely placed in the crosshairs of left-wing interest groups due to his legislative efforts surrounding election integrity and social issues.
Last month, Allen’s bill prohibiting private funds from interfering or influencing the administration of the state’s elections, known as “Zukerbucks,” was signed into law.
The bill’s passage did not come without controversy, however, as Allen faced immense criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alabama, which claimed his bill was a form of “voter suppression” and likened it to “white supremacy.”
Allen also drew heat within his own party for pledging to pull Alabama’s membership from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which he asserted held financial connections to billionaire leftist George Soros.
Additionally, Allen became the subject of national headlines as the legislature passed the “Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act,” a bill which he carried in the House that bans physicians from prescribing drugs to or performing surgeries on minors that are intended to alter a child’s gender.
The bill garnered fierce opposition from the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center, which sued the state of Alabama over the law’s enactment.
Allen’s bid has secured the support of some of the most influential pro-business associations in the Yellowhammer State.
The Alabama Farmers Federation, Alabama Forestry Association, Alabama Association of Realtors, Manufacture Alabama, and the Business Council of Alabama have each endorsed the Republican secretary of state hopeful.
The primary election will take place May 24, 2022. If no candidate receives a plurality of the vote, a runoff election will be held June 21, 2022.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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