By Paul DeMarco
In the past couple of weeks, all of the incumbents in Alabama who hold the position of Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General have announced their intentions to run for re-election in 2022. The Secretary of State and State Auditor will have to move on because of term limits, while we are awaiting word from the State Treasurer on whether he will retire or run for a second term.
What they all have in common is that they are members of the Republican Party. As a matter of fact, every appellate judge in the state is a Republican and the GOP holds a supermajority in the Alabama House of Representatives and State Senate. Eight of the nine officials who hold federal office are also members of the Grand Old Party.
In the past 10 years, Alabama has become one of the most red states in the country, both in state and federal elections. In last year’s presidential election, then-President Donald Trump garnered 62% of the vote.
So that leads to the question, “Will Democrats even field candidates for any of these seats, or will they just focus on campaigns at the local level or the minority of legislative seats in the state?” The policies being advocated from Washington, DC Democrats, like defunding the police, open borders and raising taxes, will not resonate in Alabama.
Conservative Alabama voters have put Republicans in the majority of state leadership positions.
Do not look for that trend to change in next year’s elections.
Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives