Everyone knows when it’s a presidential election cycle. There’s commercials and billboard ads and endless endorsements. There’s advertisements spouting issues and curtailing opponents, and everywhere you look on the news, there’s some new update about a presidential candidate.
When Republicans finally took control of the Alabama Legislature in 2010, they put a conservative stamp on Alabama’s legislative process and lawmaking. They have made sure that Alabamians, and for that matter the rest of the country, know that Alabama is a ruby red Republican state, both socially and fiscally.
Folks, 2026 is shaping up as one of the best political years in memory in Alabama.
Former Lt. Governor and State Leader George McMillan passed away Easter weekend in Birmingham. George was 81.
The partisan complexion of Alabama’s Congressional delegation has changed from six Republicans and one lone Democrat to five Republicans and two Democrats.
Our Alabama Supreme Court is a stellar group. All nine of our Alabama justices are Republicans. They are conservative Republicans and that is not bad. It is actually proper and appropriate given that we are one of the most conservative Republican states in America. Not only are all of the Supreme Court Jurists Republicans, every statewide elected official and constitutional officeholder in Alabama are GOP stalwarts, as well as both of our U.S. Senators.
It has been 3 months since President Trump has entered the White House. In less than 100 days, President Trump and his administration have already identified more than $155 billion in government waste, fraud and abuse that has gone unchecked for decades.
The 2026 election season has begun. It is our big election year in Alabama politics. All our Constitutional offices, including Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and State Auditor are up for election. You will also have two seats on the State Supreme Court up for election as well as two seats on the Public Service Commission. In addition, and probably more importantly, all 140 seats in the Alabama State Legislature are up for election and one of our coveted two U.S. Senate seats will be up for election. The seat currently held by Coach Tommy Tuberville will be on the ballot for a six-year term.
It’s “Sunshine Week”, a time when we celebrate one of the bedrocks of American democracy: Open government. It’s timed to coincide with the birthday of James Madison, known as the father of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Madison believed deeply in the importance of access to information in a free society, and in the press as an essential tool for self-governance.
For the casual observer, taking a cursory look at our political leaders reveals that may we have some pretty old folks in positions of power.
