Republican Ivey poised for re-election as Alabama governor
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is poised to win a second full term against Democrat Yolanda Flowers, the first Black woman to win a major party’s gubernatorial nomination in the state
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After surviving both a health scare and a full slate of Republican challengers in the primary, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is poised to win a second full term Tuesday against Democrat Yolanda Flowers, the first Black woman to win a major party's gubernatorial nomination in the state, and a third candidate.
While Flowers' candidacy is an interesting historical footnote, it posed little threat to the GOP's control of all three branches of government in a majority-white, conservative state where voting patterns typically break down by skin color.
The only real question may be the size of Ivey's victory in a race that included Flowers, an educator and political unknown who campaigned heavily on her Christian faith and justice issues, and Libertarian Jimmy Blake, a former Birmingham City Council member.
Ivey, who turned 78 in October, avoided a runoff in the spring despite facing eight Republican challengers who forced her to the right. Ivey parroted former President Donald Trump’s lies about election theft and aired a campaign commercial in which she pulled a pistol out of her purse.
After the primary, Ivey — who was diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer in 2019 and later said the disease was gone — was faced with questions about her health after she disappeared from public view for almost three weeks during the summer. She later refused to say whether she underwent any medical treatment.
While Ivey's absence made headlines, any doubts or concerns about her health hasn't seem to have any effect on her chances of victory.
In her re-election bid Ivey has ignored her opponents and instead touted the state's low unemployment rate and opposition to the policies of Democratic President Joe Biden. She had a campaign bank balance of more than $200,000 at the end of September compared to just $546 for Flowers, records showed.
Ivey first became governor in April 2017, when she was elevated from the office of lieutenant governor following the resignation of Robert Bentley, who quit in a plea agreement following a scandal over his relationship with a female staffer. Ivey defeated an experienced, well-known Democratic challenger, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, by 20 percentage points in 2018 to claim her first full term.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
___
Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections.