2026 Alabama lieutenant gubernatorial election

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

• Wes Allen, secretary of state (2023–present)^[1]
• Patrick Bishop, Cullman County deputy^[2]
• George Childress, community advocate^[3]
• Rick Pate, commissioner of agriculture and industries (2019–present)^[4]
• Stewart Tankersley, physician and former member of the Alabama Ethics Commission^[5]
• Nicole Wadsworth, commercial realtor and wife of state representative Tim Wadsworth^[6]
• John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party (2021–2026)^[5]

• Dean Odle, pastor and candidate for governor in 2022^[7]

• A. J. McCarron, former professional football player and head coach of the Birmingham Stallions^[8]

• Mo Brooks, former U.S. representative from Alabama's 5th congressional district (2011–2023) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2017 and 2022^[9]
• Steve Marshall, Attorney General (2017–present) (running for U.S. Senate)^[10]

Nicole Wadsworth's campaign was the first to attract media attention following a request that was sent out to news organizations, in which her campaign requested that she be called "Dr. Nicole Wadsworth". The AP Stylebook, which many organizations use to dictate how to write news articles, says that only medical doctors should be referred to as such.^[11][12] The next week, her campaign announced that they had made an error listing her credentials and that she had not received as PhD from the University of Alabama, but instead from the North Central Theological Seminary.^[13][14] That school had not been accredited by any organizations recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.^[15] Her entire campaign staff resigned following the report.^[16] Later in June, her lawyers requested that 1819 News take down all stories relating to her academic credentials.^[17]

Wes Allen has campaigned on his record as Secretary of State, especially his efforts to purge voter rolls.^[18] Following A. J. McCarron's entry into the race, Allen stated that "I have a solid record."^[19]

McCarron made his first campaign appearance in November, at an Eastern Shore Republican Women's luncheon. He did not make public comments, and his campaign representative stated that McCarron would be announcing his campaign initiatives soon. Allen was the only other candidate who attended the luncheon.^[20] McCarron withdrew from the race in December to become the head coach for the Birmingham Stallions.^[21]

AL.com first reported on a potential candidacy from John Wahl, the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, in April 2025 after Steve Flowers mentioned Wahl as a potential candidate in 2026.^[22] Wahl confirmed to 1819 News that he was exploring a campaign for lieutenant governor in May 2025,^[23] and 256 Today reported that he was still considering it as of November 2025.^[24] Despite Wahl never formally announcing a campaign between then and January 2026, president Donald Trump endorsed Wahl as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor through a Truth Social post on January 22, 2026, shortly before candidate qualifying closed the next day.^[25] He qualified to run on January 23, and raised over $1 million in the first twelve days of his campaign.^[26]

2026 Alabama Republican lieutenant governor primary debates and forums

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Allen	Bishop	Childress	Pate	Tankersley	Wadsworth	Wahl
1[39]	March 3, 2026	Republican Women of Huntsville	Bryan Dawson	N/A	A	P	A	P	P	P	P
2[40]	March 12, 2026	Eastern Shore Republican Women	N/A	N/A	A	P	A	P	A	P	P
3[41]	March 25, 2026	University of Alabama College Republicans	Jeff Poor	N/A	A	P	A	P	P	P	P

Campaign finance reports as of April 24, 2026
Candidate	Raised	Other receipts	Spent	Cash on hand
Wes Allen (R)	$1,566,630	$269,830	$923,163	$913,297
Patrick Bishop (R)	$8,068	$6,730	$11,760	$3,039
Rick Pate (R)	$463,004	$250,000	$528,895	$184,109
Stewart Tankersley (R)	$85,645	$48	$60,495	$25,197
Nicole Wadsworth (R)	$180,975	$242,000	$155,103	$267,871
John Wahl (R)	$1,843,103	$60,000	$798,830	$854,273
Source: Alabama FCPA[42]

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[b]	Margin of error	Wes Allen	A.J. McCarron	Rick Pate	Nicole Wadsworth	John Wahl	Other	Undecided
American Pulse Research (R)[43]	March 30–April 1, 2026	505 (LV)	± 4.4%	16%	—N/a	3%	—N/a	9%	6%	66%
The Alabama Poll[44]	March 22–24, 2026	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	19%	—N/a	9%	5%	7%	—N/a	60%
The Alabama Poll[45]	February 1–4, 2026	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	23%	—N/a	6%	6%	6%	—N/a	59%
	December 17, 2025	McCarron withdraws from the race
The Alabama Poll[46]	December 15, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	18%	31%	8%	2%	—N/a	—N/a	41%
The Alabama Poll[47]	August 24–26, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	28%	—N/a	12%	—N/a	—N/a	—N/a	61%

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wes Allen
	Republican	Pat Bishop
	Republican	George Childress
	Republican	Rick Pate
	Republican	Stewart Hill Tankersley
	Republican	Nicole Jones Wadsworth
	Republican	John Wahl
Total votes				100.00

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

• Phillip Ensler, state representative from the 74th district (2022–present)^[49]
• Darryl Perryman, former Clarke County school board member^[50]

Campaign finance reports as of April 24, 2026
Candidate	Raised	Other receipts	Spent	Cash on hand
Phillip Ensler (D)	$180,829	$91	$72,553	$108,367
Darryl Perryman (D)	$150	$0	$1,705	$-1,555
Source: Alabama FCPA[42]

Ensler announced his run for lieutenant governor in December 2025. He described Doug Jones' entry into the 2026 Alabama gubernatorial election as an inspiration for his decision.^[53] His lone opponent, Darryl Perryman, qualified to run in January 2026.^[50]

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Phillip Ensler
	Democratic	Darryl D. Perryman
Total votes				100.00