General Election is Upon Us
OPINION —
Believe it or not, our 2022 general election is upon us, Nov. 8 to be exact. It seems to be going under the radar screen of most Alabama voters. There will be a record-breaking low voter turnout because there are really no contested statewide races. Why? Because we are a one-party state when it comes to state offices. All 21 of our state elective offices are held by Republicans. The Democratic Party does not field serious candidates because it is a foregone conclusion that a Democrat cannot win in elective statewide races in the Heart of Dixie. The best they can hope for is 40%.
Thus, the Democratic candidates have no money to spend because nobody takes them seriously, and the Republican candidates, who are flush with campaign cash, do not want to waste their money because it is a foregone conclusion that they are going to win. Therefore, with not much money being spent for advertising, the average voter may not realize there is an election, which equals a very low turnout.
The real 2022 election was held in May and June when the Republican Primary took place. Winning the Republican Primary is tantamount to election in Alabama. Just because the real 2022 election was held in May instead of November does not mean it is not an important election. It is a very important election. All of our constitutional statewide offices are being elected for the next four years, including governor, attorney general, state agriculture commissioner, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer and state auditor.
Gov. Kay Ivey is the Republican nominee for governor. She is seeking her second full term. This will probably be Ivey’s last hurrah in Alabama. She will win 60 to 40.
State Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate is the Republican nominee for this important Alabama post. He will be reelected 60 to 40. He did not even have an opponent in the Republican Primary.
Attorney General Steve Marshall is seeking his second term. He is a solid conservative Republican and will win easily.
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth is going to be reelected to his second term on Nov. 8. Like Marshall, there is no doubt that he is conservative.
Marshall and Ainsworth are young and formidable. They are also from the same county. It would be interesting if they faced off against each other in the 2026 governor’s race.
Young Boozer will be elected to his third term as state treasurer. He served two consecutive four-year terms, waited three years, took over from John McMillan a year ago and will win another full term on Nov. 8. He has done a tremendous job as treasurer and is probably the most qualified person to ever serve as treasurer in my lifetime. He will more than likely have the longest tenure as state treasurer in state history.
Two young Republicans were elected to constitutional offices in June — Wes Allen as secretary of state and Andrew Sorrell as state auditor. Both have bright futures in Alabama politics.
Even though he is only 46, Allen has already spent 15 years in elected office. He was probate judge of Pike County for 11 years and state representative for Pike and Dale counties for four years. Secretary of state is an important post in state government.
There will be jockeying among Ainsworth, Marshall, Pate, Allen and Sorrell to see who gets the most votes on Nov. 8, as all are eyeing the 2026 races. All have Libertarian opponents.
Forty-year-old Katie Britt will be elected to her first of many to come six-year terms as our United States senator. She will more than likely be the top vote-getter on Nov. 8. She is already being touted as a superstar in Washington.
For those of you who do vote, we have some important constitutional amendments on the ballot. Our original 1901 Constitution may be one of the most flawed and is the most amended in the nation. There is outdated, overtly racist language in our Constitution that has no relevance in today’s world and needs amending out.
The Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, a group of outstanding Alabama leaders, has worked diligently to update our antiquated constitution. I would encourage a “Yes” vote for the first constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
Hope all of you get a chance to vote.
See you next week.
Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
