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Alabama News Network Political Analyst Steve Flowers shares his insight on what happens next following Alabama’s general election.
Voters elected Republican Katie Britt as the state’s new U.S. senator. She will replace fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, who is retiring after first being elected in 1986. While they are both Republicans and would vote the same on most issues, Flowers says there will be a difference on Capitol Hill given the level of power Shelby had built over the decades.
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey won a second term in office. She will not be able to run again in 2026 due to term limits, which allows her to tackle tough political issues without worrying about causing damage to herself at the ballot box. Will she propose bold reforms, and will the Legislature approve them?
Finally, the Democratic Party in Alabama had a difficult election. When a well-funded Democratic candidate seeks statewide office, Flowers expects them to get around 40% of the vote, as Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox did when he challenged Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018. This year, there were no Democratic candidates in many statewide races, and the ones who did run couldn’t raise enough money to mount a meaningful campaign. Because of that, they struggled to get even 30% of the vote. Flowers describes whether the ultimate problem is the national Democratic Party, the lack of money or the recent upheaval among the leaders of the Alabama Democratic Party.
Watch the video to get Flowers’ analysis of these topics.
