2018 Alabama Gubernatorial Election
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The 2018 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018. Incumbent Governor
Kay Ivey Kay Ellen Ivey ( ; born October 15, 1944) is an American politician who is the 54th governor of Alabama, serving since 2017. A Republican since 2002, Ivey was the 38th Alabama state treasurer from 2003 to 2011 and the 30th lieutenant governor o ...
( R), who took office upon the resignation of Robert Bentley ( R), ran for election to a full term and defeated Democratic
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
mayor
Walt Maddox Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for Tu ...
by a wide margin. Ivey was sworn in for her first full term on January 14, 2019.


Republican primary


Candidates


Declared

*
Tommy Battle Thomas Massengale Battle Jr. (born December 3, 1955) is an American businessman serving as the 67th mayor of Huntsville, Alabama. His first term began November 3, 2008, and he has since been reelected four times. Early life and education Battle ...
,
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...
* Scott Dawson, evangelist * Bill Hightower,
state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
*
Kay Ivey Kay Ellen Ivey ( ; born October 15, 1944) is an American politician who is the 54th governor of Alabama, serving since 2017. A Republican since 2002, Ivey was the 38th Alabama state treasurer from 2003 to 2011 and the 30th lieutenant governor o ...
, incumbent
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
* Michael McAllister, former
prison officer A prison officer (PO) or corrections officer (CO), also known as a correctional law enforcement officer or less formally as a prison guard, is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation ...
(died April 2018)


Withdrew

* Slade Blackwell, state senator * David Carrington, Jefferson County
Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
* Twinkle Cavanaugh, president of the
Public Service Commission Public Service Commission may refer to: * Public utilities commission ** Alabama Public Service Commission ** Public Service Commission (Indiana) ** Public Service Commission of Utah ** Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ** Public Utilities Com ...
( running for lieutenant governor) * Stacy Lee George, former Morgan County Commissioner and candidate for governor in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
* Josh Jones, businessman * John McMillan, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries (running for state treasurer)


Declined

* Rick Burgess, radio host * Bill "Bubba" Bussey, radio host *
Bradley Byrne Bradley Roberts Byrne (born February 16, 1955) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district from 2014 to 2021. Elected as a member of the state Board of Education as a Dem ...
, U.S. Representative and candidate for governor in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
(running for reelection) * Mary Scott Hunter, member of the
Alabama State Board of Education The Alabama State Board of Education is an administrative agency created by the Constitution of Alabama that is responsible for supervising the state's public school system. The Board consists of eight members who are elected from districts and th ...
(running for the state senate after initially running for lieutenant governor) *
Del Marsh Adelbert Carl "Del" Marsh (born September 2, 1956) is a former Republican member of the Alabama Senate, who represented the 12th District from 1998 until 2022. He defeated Democratic challenger Judge Wallace Wyatt in the 2010 midterm elections ...
, president pro tempore of the
Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district con ...
(running for reelection) *
Arthur Orr Arthur Orr (born May 25, 1964) is an American politician serving in the Alabama State Senate and as the Executive Vice President for Cook's Pest Control. First elected in 2006, he is currently Chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education ...
, state senator (running for reelection) * Trip Pittman, state senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2017 *
Greg Reed Greg Reed (born June 5, 1965) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 5th District between 2010 and 2024. He defeated Democrat Brett Wadsworth in the 2010 midterm elections to replace ...
, Majority Leader of the
Alabama Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district con ...
(running for reelection) *
Luther Strange Luther Johnson Strange III (born March 1, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Alabama from 2017 to 2018. He was appointed to fill that position after it was vacated by Jeff Sessions upon Sessions' ...
, former U.S. senator and former
attorney general of Alabama The attorney general of Alabama is an elected, constitutional officer of the State of Alabama. The office of the attorney general is located at the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Henry Hitchcock was elected Alabama's first attorney general ...
*
Tommy Tuberville Thomas Hawley Tuberville (; born September 18, 1954) is an American politician and retired college football coach who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from Alabama, a seat he has held since 2021. Before ...
, former
Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...
football coach * Cam Ward, state senator (running for reelection) *
Jim Zeigler Jim Zeigler (born May 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician who served as state auditor of Alabama from 2015 to 2023. Before becoming state auditor, he served on the Alabama Public Service Commission from 1974 to 1978. Early life and ...
,
State Auditor of Alabama The state auditor of Alabama is constitutionally required to make a complete report to the governor of Alabama showing the receipts and disbursement of every character, all claims audited and paid out, and all taxes and revenues collected and paid ...
(running for reelection)


Endorsements


Polling


Results


Democratic primary


Candidates


Declared

* Sue Bell Cobb, former Chief Justice of the
Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is hous ...
* Christopher A. Countryman, equality activist, former juvenile corrections officer and former pastor * James C. Fields, former state representative and nominee for lieutenant governor in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
*
Walt Maddox Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for Tu ...
, mayor of
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
* Doug "New Blue" Smith, nominee for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries in 2014 * Anthony White, ordained minister


Withdrew

* Jason Childs,
truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; an HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
and former pastor


Declined

* Doug Jones, U.S. senator *
Terri Sewell Terrycina Andrea "Terri" Sewell (; born January 1, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she has served since 2011 as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. repre ...
, U.S. representative for Alabama's 7th Congressional District


Endorsements


Results


Independents


Candidates


Declared

* Tony Hewitt Jr., police officer * Eric Lathan, security guard, Iraq War veteran and candidate for the Jefferson County Commission in 2010


Declined

* Mark Johnston, pastor, businessman and summer camp executive director


General election


Predictions


Endorsements


Polling


Results


Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

*
Tuscaloosa County Tuscaloosa County is a county in the northwest-central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama and is the center of commerce, education, industry, health care, and entertainment for the region. As of the 2020 census, its population was 227,036, ...
(largest city:
Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
) * Jefferson County (largest city:
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
)


Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Barbour County (largest city: Eufaula)


By congressional district

Ivey won six of seven congressional districts.


See also

*
2018 Alabama elections A general election was held in the U.S. state of Alabama on November 6, 2018. All Alabama executive officers were up for election along with all of Alabama's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections took place ...


References


External links


Candidates
at
Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

Candidates
at
Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...
Official gubernatorial campaign websites
Tony Hewitt, Jr. (I) for GovernorKay Ivey (R) for GovernorWalt Maddox (D) for GovernorChad "Chig" Martin (I) for Governor
{{2018 United States elections
Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...