Republicans hold onto Alabama state offices, but by reduced margins

Alabama Republicans won most statewide office contests Tuesday, though their margins were smaller than four years ago.

Former Republican Party Chair John Wahl won the Lieutenant Governor’s race after he received 911,304 votes, about 54.3% of the electorate, according to unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office. Former Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, garnered 765,203, about 45.6% of the total vote.

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, a Republican, is term-limited and could not seek re-election; Ainworth won 83% of the vote in his campaign for a second term in 2022.

A message was sent to Wahl Wednesday seeking comment.

Ensler thanked his supporters in a statement sent by email shortly after the race was called, telling them he was grateful for their support. He also said he closed the vote gap for the office.

“Our race shows that with sustained effort, dedicated organizing, and strong leadership, we can continue to move the needle and Democrats can eventually win in Alabama,” Ensler said. “I am not going to sugarcoat it. Tonight’s results are disappointing. But I am proud of the campaign we ran and the diverse coalition we put together.”

Wahl campaigned on the issue of affordability and said he supports eliminating the 2% grocery tax. Ensler said he also supports abolishing the sales tax on food but is also in favor of raising the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid and establishing a lottery in the state.

Young Boozer was elected to his fourth term as Alabama Treasurer after he received 917,177 votes, almost 55% of the electorate. Rosilyn Houston, the Democratic nominee, received 749,785 votes, 45% of the total.

A message was sent to Boozer Wednesday seeking comment. Boozer won about 84% of the vote against a Libertarian challenger in 2022.

Boozer touted his accomplishments while in office on his campaign website. He highlighted how he replenished the Alabama Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) college savings program that was in “crisis and near bankruptcy.” He also said he restructured the Treasurer’s office so that it does not cost anything from the General Fund budget.

A message was sent to Houston Wednesday seeking comment.

Houston focused on protecting the money of taxpayers and giving the public more information about how the state spends residents’ tax dollars. She also said she wants to enhance financial literacy in the state by engaging schools, churches and community centers.

Andrew Sorrell was elected to his second term as state auditor after he beat Madison County Commissioner Violet Edwards, the Democratic nominee. Sorrell received 918,666 votes, about 55.2% of the electorate while Edwards got 744,632 votes, 44.8% of the total. Sorrell, like Boozer, got 84% of the vote in 2022 against a Libertarian challenger.

Sorrell said he was humbled to be reelected for a second term but was disappointed in the results nationwide. He said he believed the results showed the electorate is pleased with the work he is doing.

“I think what Alabamians want is people who stick to their campaign promises, and not just campaign as conservatives but govern like conservatives,” he said.

Sorrell said on his campaign website that he will work with legislators to pass a bill that would allow the State Auditor’s Office to determine if there is negligent loss of state property. He would like to issue letters to those who are responsible for damaging state property to demand repayment.

He also said he will continue to appoint members to the board of registrars who vote regularly and believe in the integrity of elections.

A message was sent to Edwards Wednesday seeking comment.

Edwards campaigned on expanding access to the ballot box by appointing registrars who pledge to make it easier for people to register to vote, and to keep the board of registrars’ offices open during the same hours as county offices.

Caroleene Dobson, the 2024 GOP nominee for the 2nd Congressional District, won the election for Alabama Secretary of State after she beat Democratic nominee Wayne Rogers. Dobson garnered 909,477 votes or about 54.5% of the total. Rogers received 756,490 votes, 45.4% of the electorate.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, who won 66% of the vote in 2022, ran for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor but lost to Wahl in a June runoff.

A message was sent to Dobson Wednesday seeking comment.

Dobson said on her campaign website that she wants to reduce fees on businesses and streamline services for people in Alabama. She also said she “will never back down from the liberal activist groups who want to undermine the security of our elections.”

Rogers thanked his supporters in an interview Wednesday.

“I had a lot more fun than I could have imagined out on the campaign trail meeting so many wonderful people in the state I love and the state I called home for my entire life,” he said.

Rogers campaigned on strengthening voting rights protections in Alabama.

He said he will continue to work to expand access to the ballot box.

“One thing that I will be asking legislators to put forward is to establish early voting in Alabama,” Rogers said. “I believe early voting is a popular issue among both Democrats and Republicans.”

Republican Greg Shaw won a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court against Democratic nominee AshLeigh Meyer Dunham. Shaw received 824,749 votes, about 58% of the total, while Dunham got 594,428 votes, 41.9% of the total.

Shaw sought reelection to the state’s highest court after he assumed office in 2009.

A message was sent to Shaw Wednesday seeking comment.

Shaw called himself a constitutional conservative on his campaign website. He said he will “protect and stand up for Alabama’s values and our people, and he will always apply the law as it is written.”

Dunham, a family attorney and Jefferson County Juvenile Court referee, said in an interview Wednesday that she beat her expectations when the results were finalized Tuesday.

“I was also told not to mention women’s issues and that the voter base would not listen to those,” she said. “I think that it showed that, by getting so much better than we expected, people do care about those things.”

In LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos qualify as children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. That ruling threatened in vitro fertilization in the state.

Republican Brad Mendheim, who won a full term in 2020, ran unopposed Tuesday and was reelected to another term on the Alabama Supreme Court.