From our state House studio in Montgomery.

I'm Todd Stacey, welcome to Capitol Journal.

New this wee we appear to have some finality when it comes to the long and drawn out fight over Alabama's congressional district map.

The U.S.

Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Alabama can proceed with a map that better favor Republicans than a previous map that was mandate two years ago by a lower court.

The ruling blocks a lower court ruling from last week that found the map intentionally discriminates against black people.

Alex Angle reports from Washington on the ruling and what it means for this year's elections.

After multiple switch up and voter confusion, Alabama's congressional map is locked in for this year's elections.

The map will likely favor Republicans 6 to 1.

In a ruling Tuesday night.

The Supreme Court's conservative majority allowed the state to use a map that a court previously foun to be racially discriminatory.

The majority wrote in part quote, here the district court interposed itself into Alabama's ongoing efforts to conduct its imminent 2026 congressional elections under maps at its elected representatives selected, end quote.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall praised the ruling, saying in part, quote, for too long, Alabama has been denied the full measure of its sovereignty by judges who insist on treating our state as thoug it never moved beyond the 1960s.

No more end quote.

While Anita Hardy with the nonprofit Alabama Values says the Supreme Court's decision has left voter confused, both in Alabama are, you know, voters are not just watching this court case.

They're really trying to navigate, if we're being honest, in elections system that is literally shifting under their feet.

She added that the redistricting saga has encouraged more Alabamians to get involve in the fight for voting rights.

I do think that this has really, awakened folks.

You know, as we talk about these maps and talk about representation, that this is connected to them going to the polls and still exercising their power anyway.

The special primaries for the four impacted congressional districts will proceed under the 2023 map on August 11th.

The first and second districts in South Alabama will see the most dramatic changes.

Congressman Shamari figure is set to face an uphill climb to defend his second district seat under the new lines that favor Republicans.

Reporting in Washington, Alex Ingle, Capital Journal.

Thank you Alex.

When it comes to those redrawing congressional districts, House Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle of new Bill sponsored the legislation during last month's special session that paved the way for Alabama to return to that 2023 map.

He's been involved in redistricting efforts for decades, and says he believes putting the map back in place will be les complicated than some may think.

I think the most interesting part of the Supreme Court ruling was when they said that, the state of Alabama's appeal of the three judge opinion does not constitute racism.

Those judges said our appeal in their ruling was proof of racism, but now it's our constitutional righ to appeal to the Supreme Court.

And the Supreme Court ruled in our favor.

It has its challenges.

But remember, these plans ar pretty much whole county plans.

So most of the counties, all you have to do is just switch everybody from district 1 to 2 or whatever, you to have a little bit more difficult time.

And that split between 6 and 7 in Jefferson County.

But for the most part, it's, it's it's not as devastating as you might believe.

I've been led to believe.

Another development this week in the challenge to the residency status of U.S.

Senator Tommy Tuberville, th Republican nominee for governor.

The Alabama Republican Party this week agreed to hold a formal hearing on the matter.

The challenge is coming from Ken McPhee, who ran against Taylorville in last month's primary election.

The Alabama Constitution requires that the governor be a citizen of Alabama for, quote, at least seven years next before the date of their election.

In quote, leaders claim that Tuberville actually resided at his beach home in Florida for part of the last seven years and therefore is ineligible.

Tuberville has repeatedly refuted claims that he doesn't meet residency requirements, pointing to a homestead exemption on his own on his home in Auburn going back to 2018.

This week, Tuberville went a step further, releasing income tax returns from the state of Alabama also going back to 2018.

In a statement, Tuberville campaign chairman Jordon Diffusive said, quote, we're happy to put the residency issue to bed.

It has served its purpose and now it's time to provide the facts and move on.

I have no doub that when the record is reviewed in full, the committee and everyone else will conclude that Coach Tuberville not only meets, but exceed every constitutional requirement to serve as Governor of Alabama.

In that hearing is scheduled for June 14th in Birmingham.

Well, the capital city could be losin one of its major medical centers after serving Montgomery are patients for more than 80 years.

Jackson Hospital said it could begin winding down operations as early as July 1st if it can not secure additional funding.

Hospital CEO John Quinlivan argues that the key issue is reimbursement rates from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.

Jackson has sued the insurer, claiming it has paid about 71% less than nearby Baptist South.

Blue cross strongly disputes that claim, saying it has been transparen and more than fair with Jackson and noting that it' reimbursement accounts for less than 20% of the hospital's overall revenue.

This is a big deal, especially considering Jackso is the capital city's downtown hospital and closest to the Capitol complex.

Governor Kay Ivey and a state bonding authority in February pledged to borrow up to $40 million to help save the hospital.

But that money would only be available after it emerges from bankruptcy.

We'll be following this story as it develops.

Well, it's summer vacation time and that means lots of cars on the highway.

The Alabama law Enforcemen Agency is beefing up its patrol efforts, trying to keep Alabama roads safe for travelers.

Capital journal's Randy Scott reports.

One of the things tha the Highway Patrol road trooper is tasked with doing, of course, is getting out and enforcing the rule and regulations that are govern our highways and county roads and interstates.

Captain Jeremy Burkett has patrolled the roads as an Alabama state trooper for 20 years.

While this is the leader's headquarters you can say this is his office.

His in the field office.

The captain and other members of the state Trooper division are about to find themselve in a very busy time of the year.

That's the 101 days of safety.

The where from no through the end of the summer.

We're going to be putting out messages and we've got a we've got campaigns, a tim where traffic volume increases with people traveling especially for holidays, a time period that sees car accidents grow by leaps and bounds.

We don't want to slip.

We don't.

We don't want to, you know, like, yeah, we tell people not to speed, but we don't we don't want to take our foot off the gas when it comes to doing everything we can to keep people safe.

The official start of summer is a few days away, but the official start of travel slash vacation season has already started.

People are hitting the road to see some destinations beyond the workplace and where they live.

A guess who's also watching them?

Aliya and his state trooper division.

They have their own program running a hundred day program to make sure people arrive at their destinations safely.

We look at it, that is the, you know, 101 days of safety, and that's a campaign that we push out to really push it to the forefront, because we want people to be saf when they're behind the wheel.

And oftentimes we refer to it you know, know, before you go.

A big part of that is getting the word to people to follow the driving rules, such as obeying speed limits as it relates to the severity of a crash.

But it can also be the calls, especially when we're on our county roads.

We've seen an uptick in in crashes on our county roads across the state, and a lot of those cases where we've seen fatalities as a result of that.

So remember as you head out for a road trip, keep your focus on the road and keep aware of road rules.

We're really trying to do everything we can to make sure that we're keeping, you know, everyone in, regardles if you're a citizen or a visitor trying to stay safe while you're in Alabama.

In Montgomery, Randy Scott, Capital Journal.

Thank you.

Randy.

Before we go to break, I wanted to share a special moment we captured this week here at the statehouse.

It's election season, and that means some candidates will win and some will lose.

That's the way it goes in politics.

State Senator Dan Roberts of Mountain Brook is one of several incumbents that was defeated in his bid for reelection two weeks ago.

But as chairman of the contract review committee, he was on hand this week conducting the panel's regular business as usual.

Roberts thanked his fellow lawmakers and reflected on both public service and personal disappointment saying his faith is helping him guide through the transition as he prepares to conclude his time in office.

We had an election.

Many of us won.

I did not.

I will be through on November the 3rd.

It has been a privileg to work together with you guys.

These last years.

This last quadrennial, for sure.

And, you know, oftentimes we have things that come up in life that can be death of a vision or hard things that hit and you know, we've talked twice.

I remember someone doing a devotional for us one da about a hard thing in his life.

But Romans 828 says, we know that God causes all things to work togethe for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

And then James 1234 says, consider it all joy when you encounter bears trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let that endurance have its perfect result, that you might be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

So striving to be joyous will do the best job I can do until November 3rd.

But it's been a privilege to serve this great state of Alabama.

Good perspective from Senator Roberts.

We'll be right back with this week's guests.

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Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Alabama's runoff election are a little over a week away.

And joining me next is Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, John Wall.

John thanks for coming on the show.

Oh, it's good to be on the show.

I've been a, you know, state party chairman.

I've been on Capitol Journal a lot over the years, and I always appreciate the chance to come on and talk to the people of Alabama.

Well, and you're also on the road obviously joining us via zoom.

So we appreciate your time.

I know it's a very busy and hectic campaign schedule but thanks for taking the time.

Yeah.

No.

Look, it absolutely.

But this this is a priority for me.

And I'm actually sitting here in a in a lawyer's office.

I don't usually like to hang around lawyers.

But I'm here in an office because it was the best place for a zoom interview while on the road, I called a friend of mine and was able to just slip in here to get this done.

And it's important to m because I think a good campaign, but more importantly, a good elected official, makes time to talk to the people of the state and makes time to to to address the voters and talk to them about the issues that I care about.

You know, the issues that that I believe in and ask for their vote.

Because at the end of the day, this race is not about me.

It's not about my opponent.

It's about the people of the state and what we can do to make their lives better.

Well, let's get right to it.

I want to ask you the very basic question, and that is, why are you running?

Why did you decide to step down as chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, a pretty prominent position, and threw your name in the hat for lieutenant governor.

So why did you want to pursue this job?

Well, you know, fo me, I'm not a career politician.

I got involved in politics because I love America and I love Alabama.

I love the people of this state.

And I really have a heart for better government.

You know, when I. When I look at wher the country is going as a whole, where our state is going, we've got a lot of potential, but we also have a lot of areas where we look where the just be honest, we're not doing so good, whether that's education, whether that's, you know, at the economy, people are struggling to put food on the table.

And I want it to be part of the solution.

For me, I don't think we need more career politicians.

I don't think we need more, you know, more more lawyers, more career politicians, more politicos.

In Montgomery, we need small businessmen.

We need outsiders.

And I am unapologetically the conservative outsider in this race.

You know, I'm not getting the Montgomery support.

You know, my support comes from average, everyday Alabamians and businesses.

And I think that's what I. That's why I got in this race.

I won't I'm tired of sending career politicians or and getting the same problem.

So, that frustration, I know I'm not the only one who feels like is why I got involved in politics originally, why I got involved with the Republican Party.

And this is just a natural next step is I say, look, I want good government.

I want to go.

I want to go to Montgomery.

I want to fight for the people of the state.

I want to fight for the rights and freedoms.

I want to fight for a brighter future for their children.

And that's why I'm running right?

I'm curious, what is it specifically about lieutenant governor?

Because it is a unique job, right?

It a lot of i is, presiding over the Senate, the Alabama Senate, that's really the the main thing, you know, some lieutenant governors in the past have made more of the job, some less.

It's kind of you know, what you make of it.

So what do you specifically want out of this job?

What do you want to do with it?

The lieutenant governor's position is it's kind of a bridge between the executive branch and the legislative branch.

You know, we got Tommy Tuberville come in here.

He's going to bring a fresh new perspective, a bold, bold very conservative perspective.

And and look, Tommy Tuberville and I were endorsed by President Trump on the same day, the same night.

And I think we both bring that that same type of agenda.

We, you know, we're American first candidates.

You know, we want to drain the swamp.

We want to cut taxes, lower regulations, you know, build a better economy, you know, solve our education problems, put parents back in control of our school systems.

And so, you know, when you look at that perspective, I want to be part of that team for me.

Good government is about building a team.

It's about defending the people of Alabama.

And so I think there's a lot of opportunity for the lieutenant governor's office over the next, over the next four years with with the white House on our side, a chance to build our infrastructure, you know, whether it's mobile Bay, whether it's the traffic in Huntsville, Interstate 65 widening that we're going to need federal investment.

And Alabama is going to need a lieutenant governor who can be an ambassador, not just in Alabama, but at the federal level.

And make sure that we we get some of these projects done and we actually get across the finish line.

And I think having the Trump endorsement, having my, you know, the connections I've had a state party chairman is regional, chairman for the National Republican Party.

I bring that to the table.

I'm going to be able to be an ambassador for the state of Alabam and do things in the lieutenant governor role that no one else could do, and I think it's why it's attracted to me.

I have opportunities to, you know, other lieutenant governors probably wouldn't.

Well, it's fair to say this, campaign has gotten a little chippy as campaigns tend to in the home stretch, your opponent accuses you essentially of frau going back to that 2020 election where you used a state auditor's I.D., to vote also accuses you of essentially, not residing in the state, living in Tennessee.

How do you addres these criticisms specifically?

The reason why it matters is, you know, especially with the voting thing, voting voter fraud is such a prominent issue, especially for Republicans.

Well, I mean, first, my opponent has been incredibly negative, through this entire campaign, personal attacks, lying, false attacks.

And I think the voter saw through that, and most importantly is he's none of this is new information, right?

This has all been out there before.

And I won the primary.

And it's important to remember that I won the primary because we spoke truth.

And we're not part of the political machine.

I think people are tired of these political, you know, political attacks.

And look, my opponent spent this, lef $20,000 under the table to avoid or afraid of my record.

He was afraid that I had to trump.

It was me.

He was afraid that I was, you know, was going to be able to beat him.

And he wanted to hold on to power.

So at the end of the day, these are very simple issues.

And, you know, these stories have been told through the len of, of a liberal opinion writer, you know, and, and they don't actuall tell the true story, the facts.

I did have a, press, secretary ID from the state office, the state order at the time with Jim Ziegler, and he has already come out and said, yes, he he approved it.

It was not something I made myself.

It was not something that didn't exist.

It was a real, you know, a work ID, that is completely legitimate.

And when I went into that voting precinct, I forgot my wallet.

All I did was ask the poll workers.

Hey, I have this with me.

This is my laptop bag.

I have this with me.

Do I need to go home or can I vote with this?

They call this probate judge.

Probate judge?

I saw a picture of it.

He approved it, and I voted just like any other Alabama citizen should be able to do.

And I think that's the important thing.

People are tired of of career politicians trying to use, you know, gray area or loopholes or sounding alarm after to, to disqualify their political opponent.

And it's just not going to work that people see through it.

They try to do this.

Donald Trump, they've been trying to do it to Tommy Tuberville.

And the people of Alabama are are sick and tired of political games and people, you know, going back to the old tricks and trying to stop true conservatives from getting in office.

So you are confident that voters should not be worried about these issues from the past cropping back up and becoming a problem should you get elected?

No, I mean, look, we're talking about things that are 4 or 5 years old.

You know, there's there's nothing here that that isn't already been out there for years.

It's just political mudslinging at its best.

Well, you mentioned the Trump endorsement, which, you know, that's you have one of the most valuable commodities in Republican politics.

Most Republicans would really lik to have that Trump endorsement.

But it was interesting because it was a bit of a surprise.

You know, like Tubervill getting the Trump endorsement.

Not a surprise.

Neither in some ways, Barry more wasn't either because of their long history.

Barry Moore was one of the first to ever, support him.

And all that years was a surprise because it kind of seemed to come out of nowhere, including because technically you weren't a candidate yet for lieutenant governor.

So to talk about how that went, abou how did you end up landing the Trump endorsement, I know a great question.

And the Trump endorsement, this is a it's an incredible honor for me.

You know, because I'm nothing special.

I'm just a farm boy from Alabama.

Right.

But I love this country.

And I love what Donald Trump is doing in Washington, DC.

Like, look, no one agrees with with everyone in every area, but I genuinely believe that Donald Trump cares about America.

So I'm incredibly proud to have this endorsement.

And I think Donald Trump recognize, like, you know, I'm I'm a workhorse.

I don't go bragging about myself, but I, I worked a lot of state party chairman to get Donald Trump back in office, you know, to to beat the Democrats.

I've been on the front lines as we've been, you know, winning races not just in Alabama, but but helping in other states like Georgia, North Carolina.

And I think that, you know, Trump saw that I traveled with his team the final few weeks of the campaign you know, helping set up events, making sure we had, you know, volunteers from across the South in the swing states and, and really, you know, helping lead the charge for the Republican Party in the southern region for Donald Trump.

And so I think they recognize that leadership and and, you know, they knew my record.

They know I'm a proven conservative.

They know I'm going to fight for people's rights and freedoms.

And, I, I'm proud that they saw that.

They saw that leadership quality.

And they endorsed.

Well, here we are, a little more than a week to go until Election Day.

I'm sure you're making all kinds of speeches and things.

What what's your final pitch?

What's your final closing argument, if you will, fo why voters should support you?

Tuesday after next.

Yeah.

Well, I loo I think at the end of the day, this comes down to the fact that this race should be about the people of Alabama.

And I want to fight for the rights and freedoms I got in this race, becaus I believe in the American dream.

I believe in in going and draining the swamp and returning control to people.

And that's what I'm going to do if you want to, lieutenant governor, who's going to fight for you, who's never going to back down, not going to surrender, who's going to get out there work every day to make Alabama better, to create a brighter future for our children?

That I would be honored to have your vote.

I want to earn that vote.

Because at the end of the day, like I said, this race is not about me.

This race is not about my opponent.

This race is abou serving the people of Alabama.

And we need to bring that mindset back into government, where it's service first and truly create these public servants.

I am the conservative outsider.

You know, since the runoff, I've not had any PAC money for Montgomery or special interest money.

70% of my opponent's money comes from Montgomery PACs.

So this all comes down to who do you wan representing you in Montgomery?

Do you want do you want someone who's going to fight for your rights and freedoms and, and a small business man who's on the outside, or do you want another career politician?

And, that's that's the battle.

That's the choice on June 16th.

And I would be humbled, to have people you know, the voters of Alabama, vote for me once again, o this important runoff election.

And you have a websit where voters can find out more.

Absolutely.

We welcome all excited.

They want to sign up for newsletters or stay involved.

It's vote John wall.com.

Great.

Well thank you again for taking time there on the campaign, Joe, to come on the show.

And good luck in the final stretch.

Well thank you, sir.

I appreciate your time.

I'm glad this was able to work out.

And, man, if you ever need anything else, you reach out any time.

We'll be right back.

You're watching Alabama Public Television.

And you.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Joining me nex is Secretary of State Wes Allen, candidate for lieutenant governor of Alabama.

Mr.

Secretary thanks for coming on the show.

Thanks for having me on.

Well, how's the campaign trail?

It was very busy these days because you're obviously out there, but you've been kind of busy doing Secretary of state work, too.

Yeah, of course.

We had a big week wit the Supreme Court ruling, right?

You know, that was huge and good for the state of Alabam and good for the Constitution.

But campaign is going well.

And lieutenant governor side, we have traveled this whole state.

We've been all over from north to south, east, west and everywhere in between.

And the people of Alabama deserve candidates.

They get out and go see them in, you know, the cafes and their small business and their places of business and to hear their concerns.

And we've done that.

There's there's a still a place for retail politics, in my opinion, because it makes us better candidates when we get pushed down and pulled on.

And, how we handle pressure, answering questions in public forums, how we respond to individuals hearing their concerns about Alabama and the state of Alabama and the direction the state is headed.

And it makes us better candidates and makes us better elected officials.

And so the people of this state deserve it.

And I'm so proud that the effort that we've made to go out and talk about our conservative record, the wins that we've had.

Todd, you know, we're very, very proud of our record.

We just don't talk about things.

We've actually got wins.

We had a big win this week with the Supreme Court.

I just touched on it and we had a big one that's come out, just yesterday when the Justice Department, got a guilty plea from an illegal voter from and, a non-citizen.

So we got wins.

And we have been talking about that on the campaign trail for a year and a half.

And in trying to explain, trying to talk about the things that set us apart and what makes us the best choice to serve as lieutenant governor.

Okay.

We'll take say, I'm a voter in a cafe, and I'm going to as you just very plainly as anybody might, it's a good question.

Why?

What?

Why, yeah.

Why are you running?

Why do you want to be lieutenant governor?

Because it's an important position of the state in leadership matters.

If you don't get your leadership right, state government local government, things burn.

So you've got to have good strong conservative leadership.

And I want to make sure I'm a good teammate for Coach Tuberville to carry the state forward, to push the state forward, make sure we're in the best posture to be prosperous in the state of Alabama.

We're doing so many good things, and I get to remember I've been to all these little citie and towns and hamlets all over the state of Alabama.

I've seen Alabama, I kno Alabama, I'm a son of Alabama, and I want to continue Alabama's great pace that we're on.

And I want to protect our culture, our great culture here in the state of Alabama.

There's a lot of reasons people are moving to Alabama.

There's a lot of reason people are investing in Alabama.

Conservative leadership, a great culture, just a great place to call home.

And we want to make sure that we hand that off to our kids and our grandkids for the future.

We're not just thinking about five years down the road.

We want to think 30, 40 years down the road about where we want to go and where we want to be.

And, you know, I lean on those relationships that I've got around the state.

Todd, from my probate judge days, legislative days, Secretary of state been executive branch, all those mayors all those county commissioners, all those city councils, all those legislators, all the sheriffs, everybody in between those leaders, those relationships matter.

And, you've got to have good relationships to make things happen and to get people around the table to solve problems and that's what's driving this campaign.

And that's what we've been talking about for a year and a half And that's what sets me apart.

And I touched on it earlier.

Where we take action, we move, we do good things for the people of this state.

And so we're excited about June 16th.

We'll just talk a little bit about the job because it's it's unique.

It is it is.

You know, a lot of it is presiding over the Senate.

That's probably the biggest part.

Yeah.

But it strikes me that, you know, different Lieutenant governor's kind of make the job what they will in term of focusing on different things.

So including the presiding over the Senate.

Sure.

What all d you want to do with that role?

Understanding that it is kind of what you make it.

It is you got one.

I guess, one foot in legislative affairs and then one foot in executive affairs.

Right.

And I've got experience in both of those, you know, my one term in the house, you know, I understand the legislative process.

I understand in leadership and and how bills move, move through the process and to make things happen.

As an executive in the Secretary's office advocatin for strong pieces of legislation that have affected the stat of Alabama and fortified Alabama elections and cut red tape, and cut cost for our state.

But making sure you have somebody in that seat, that's going to be fair, that understands the legislative process, that has relationship chips again, that I've worked with all those senators, I've worked with all these House members as your secretary of state, as a former House member and you can have a conversation with somebody, whether you agree or disagre with them on a particular issue, because you've got good relationships.

That's so important.

And as lieutenant governor, we want to make sure when we step in on day one, we are advocating, to, continue to cut red tape.

I'm going to continue to preach that we want to make sure we set u a fraud task force to bring in private sector business leaders, to bring in those folks that are already in state government.

It would be naive of us to see the fraud taking place and the waste and abuse taking place at the federal level.

Be naive of us if we don't think it's not going on in the state of Alabama, that it sounds like what the vice president's doing.

Yeah, yeah, we announced that earlier in the week, that we were going to take that forward and set up this task force to get people to speak into this issue.

We've got experience of that in the Secretary's office.

I mean, we have put us on a pathway.

By the time I leave office in January of 2027 to save $2 million, cut $2 million from that from our budget in the Secretary's office.

So we're excited with our plans.

We want to continue our workforce development.

We've got to continue to make sure we have a trained workforce.

We've got to build and manufacture heavy things.

And what I mean by that is we've got to be able to build stuff that matters and be able to fix stuff and repair things that may.

It's a national security issue, in my opinion, to be able to build things.

So we've got to have that workforce prepared.

And so we want to continue to push that down.

The we've done some good things as a state, and I want to continue those efforts as we move forward.

Talk about all your experience.

Yeah.

Probate judge, state lawmaker, Secretary of state.

Your opponent has kind of tried to paint you as a swamp creature, if you will, saying that you're a career.

I mean, using the very words career politician.

I mean, I've seen the ads you know, and in today's world, that's a real attack because, you know, so how do you respond to these attacks like that?

And.

Yeah, let me give you a chance to respond.

Sure.

Know it.

As a former probate judge, I understand the needs of a small rural community or rural county.

Like when I was probate judge in Pike County, sitting across from real human beings.

Mom and daddy with an adult son that may be experiencing a mental health crisis, or a an older lady that comes in who just lost her husband.

She doesn't know where to start the probate, her husband's will or own and the thousands of decisions that I had to make of those nine and a half years as probate judge in Pike County affecting people's lives, it really mattered.

And to be involved in that community, those relationship ups representing that community in a in a first class way, going on to represent, Pike and Dale counties in the Alabama legislature to sponsor legislation that affected Alabama to protect kids from transgender mutilating surgeries.

I was the sponsor three straight sessions.

You remember those days.

And to get that bill passed is now law on the land.

To make sure we fortify Alabama election sponsor and pass legislation to ban curbside voting, to sponsor and pass legislation that cuts red tape on small business, to moving to the Secretary's office to make sure we continue our hard work, and real life experience.

Again, conservative record matters.

It's not just talk.

It's not just some pie in the sky theory out there for me.

Todd.

I've done it.

And I'm proud of the record that we've been able to establish to help people around this state and listen.

It's all about trust, an it's going to come down to trust in this election on June the 16th.

And who do you trust in this election and who do you want walking into the room as your lieutenant governor?

Because God forbid, if something were to happen to the governor, who do you want in that seat?

Experience and trust and how you've been able to work.

And the people of this state have vetted me.

They vetted me at the local level.

They vetted me at the legislative level.

They vetted me and elected me as their secretary of state.

We have performed, and we want to make sure we do a great job for the people of this state and experience is a good thing.

And, Todd, I'll leave you with this.

This is the last thing I'm going to say when an athletic director goes to hire a football coach Alabama, Auburn, Troy, Jackson State, South Alabama.

What's the first thin they're going to be looking for?

Experience wins.

How they handle pressure deep into the fourth quarter.

What kind of team and coaches they assemble around them, and are they effective?

Are they a CEO of their program and the people of this state?

On June 16th, they're being asked the same question who do you want?

Who do you want in that seat?

They want to be prepared.

That's been tested.

It's been tested in federal court.

That's got real wins for the state of Alabama.

And there's nobody better than myself to step into that office as lieutenant governor and be ready to perform.

Trump endorsement, Trump's involvement in this campaign.

Your opponent has the Trump endorsement.

That's one of these maybe the most valuable commodity in Republican politics, right.

You know, but that happened, I guess like the last day of qualifying, I believe, the day before.

Right.

And so you, you probably didn't see that coming.

I don't think a lot of people did, but you're still campaigning.

You didn't, you know hang it up.

You're campaigning.

Made it to the runoff.

How do you overcome that, knowing that?

I guess everybody in the Republican politics, you know, supports the president and all that.

But how do you overcome that knowing that your opponent gets to air those ads saying that he's Trump supported?

Well, there's only one candidate in this race that's, you know, voted for Trump every single time.

You know, I supported President Trump with an amicus brief before the Supreme Court to make sure he didn't get pulled off the ballot in Colorado and in Maine.

So, you know, I've supported the president.

I love his policies.

I love what, you know, love what he's been able to do.

I'm proud that he's in there.

We've worked with his administration to find noncitizens on our voter file here in the state of Alabama.

We just got a conviction on one in federal court.

Just two yesterday is what was announced.

So, listen, when you make it as a man, when you make a decision to not run for reelection as secretary of state or whatever office, and I could have run for reelection.

But I said, you know, it's important the state of Alabama i important to me.

It's my home.

I want to be a part of the leadership team that moves Alabama forward.

And I want to run for to be the next Republican lieutenant governor.

And I made the decisio and that's what I'm going to do.

And for since February of 2025, when I announced we have been nonstop taking the story, asking for people's vote on the road and we haven't stopped, we are going to keep our foot on the gas.

And again.

You know, I was elected as probate judge because the people of that county trusted me.

I was elected to the state House for one term becaus the people trusted my judgment.

They they they know the Christian man I am.

They know the values that I have.

They know my family, they know how involved I am at my church and how important my faith is in Christ.

And and then the people of this state defy me and people.

What an humbling experienc to elect me as their secretary and what it unbelievably humbling experience to be abl to put your name on the ballot, to ask the people of this state again, to elect you to be in leadership, to move Alabama forward and to protect Alabama at the same time So we're going to keep moving.

We're going to continue to tell our story.

And we're very proud of you know, the May 19th results.

And we've got a good game plan.

And we're going to continue to keep, moving forward, keep pushing forward.

And ultimately, the people of this state, on June 16th will have to say about who they want to be, their next Republican lieutenant governor.

And I believe it's going to be me.

Okay, well, almost out of time, but do you have a website where folks can find more information?

Yeah, you know, you can.

First of all, you can find me anywhere on Facebook.

You know, find me all over Facebook and and Instagram.

But it's West Allen for alabama.com okay.

Yeah.

Well look thanks for coming in and sharing all this.

And good luck on the campaign trail.

And I guess we'll see you soon.

Yes sir.

Appreciate you.

We'll be right back.

You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

aptv.. org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

You can also connect with Capital Journal and link to past episodes o Capital Journal's Facebook page.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Well, the runoff election i just a little more than a week away, and campaigns are hitting the homestretch.

Do you want in the next to talk about all that?

Is Michael Lowery, founder of the Alabama Poll.

Michael welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Todd, it' always good to visit with you.

Thank you for having me.

Well, you've got some interesting polling results that came out this week.

And I just spoke with both West Allen and John Wall, the candidates in the runoff for lieutenant governor.

So I guess let's start there.

You polled that race.

And it showed a pretty tight race, actually.

Yeah.

I think the lieutenant governor's race is shaping up to be the most interesting of the four.

That'll be decided next Tuesday.

What?

The headline number has West Allen ahead now?

He's within the margin of error.

So that's four points.

So, he and John Wall ar basically in a statistical tie.

But what I thin the polling really shows in this is that Joh Wall has a bit of an advantage.

And that's going to be because he leads among the voters that are most likely to come out.

And at the end of the day, the person that win this is going to be the person that has their voters turn up on Tuesday.

And what's going to be a very low turnout election, absolutely, is all abou getting your voters to the polls and making sure your supporters actually go vote.

And I agree with you that, it just stands to reason that that, turnout should be low, this time around again.

Well, let's tal about the attorney general race, that runoff between Kathryn Robertson and Jay Mitchell.

You had some polling results that showed Rob Robertson actually grew her lead over what happened in the original primary.

Yeah I think that what that reflects is that Kathryn has done a really good job of solidifying her support.

When you dig into the numbers, what you see is that her approval ratings matc what her, vote expectation is, meaning people say who they're going to vote for is the same as what her approval is.

Jay Mitchell' about seven points behind there.

So even the people that say they like him haven' committed to vote for him yet.

And in our poll, Catherine hit 49%.

So she was just on the cusp of, being over 50.

So I think that race is over.

Well, if that kind of goes against conventional wisdom, though, right?

Because isn't it always, usually the second place finisher that tend to make up ground in the runoff?

So it's a little bit, out of character now.

And to be honest, I think that and I'll say this in general, I haven't loved the campaigns that have been run in Alabama this year.

I think that that the candidates failed to really connect with the voters.

And that's why you saw the undecided voters hig as it was for as long as it was.

That was, really unusual in this cycle, in my opinion.

I think the problem that Jay Mitchell had was that he really failed to capitalize on the fact that he was a sitting Supreme Court justice, that he was a serious arbiter of the law.

And I thought his commercials were were not effective.

And I guess that would be the kindest way to say it.

Very interesting.

Well, let's talk about this Senate race, US Senate runoff between Barry Moore and Jared Hudson.

These results reall surprised me from your polling.

It because because Barry Moore was leading, in the original primary.

But your results sho Jared Hudson, actually claiming a lead, amongst these runof voters in the Republican Party.

Yeah, I know they've gotten a lot of pushback online.

My wife tells me not to read it, but I'm a little bit stubborn that way.

But, you know, I think tha what you're seeing here is that Jared Hudson has built a real coalition, and Barry Moore has built a cadre of Trump voters, Trump loyalists.

And the problem for Congressman Moore is that Jared Hudson capture a lot of Trump voters as well.

You know, among thos who you would call the hardest core of the Trump voters, Hudson only trails by seven points.

And while that's good for Moore.

I don't know that it's enoug to overcome and win on Tuesday, because when you look at every other demographic, there is age, gender, religion, education levels, it doesn't matter.

Hudson's ahead in every single group.

He's ahead in every single congressional district in Alabama except Congressman Moore's.

And so that's why you saw suc a big lead in Hudson in my poll.

Well, let me ask you this, do you think that Hudson benefits at all from Steve Marshall voters?

Obviously, there was a i was basically a three way race.

Steve Marshall barely missed out on that runoff.

Right?

He was right there at the threshold but still had a lot of votes.

Right.

So at 24% or something like that.

And that's a lot of voters.

If they if they actually go back to the polls, that could make a difference.

So do you think Hudso is the main beneficiary of those Marshall voters?

It is.

And I think that that what Steve Marshall ran into was a lack of money, because the support was there, the numbers were there, but he never had enough to get over the top.

So if Steve Marshall were in this seat right now, I think we would be talkin about him as the front runner.

So Hudson benefits.

You know, the one thing that people don't think about is that in the first primary, 61% of the vote voted against Barry Moore.

And so Barry had to give voters in this runoff a reaso to come back and vote for him.

And I don't feel like he's don it because the expression I use a lot i you've got to land the airplane.

And he took off.

And he has the president, President Trump support, which is very strong, and introducing himself to the voters.

But he needed to show wh President Trump supported him.

And I don't feel like he's done that.

So he hasn't landed the plane or connected the dots.

And that' why you see Hudson so far ahead.

What's going to be interesting to see and look, it's a snapshot, right?

It's not.

You know, we'll just have to see what happens on Election Day.

You know, the one caveat that I would make in the Senate race is, what does President Trump do if he comes in heavy, then Barry More wins the race.

Well, look, you mentioned that pushback, from specifically from campaigns and those associated with campaigns who didn't like the results.

Right, that weren't in the lead.

So one campaign called it a suppression poll and bogus and all this kind of stuff.

So how do you respond to that?

But I guess more specifically, talk through what your methodology is, your process, and how you get to, to to these polling results.

Yeah, absolutely.

When you don't like the numbers, attack the, attack the poll, what we do, Todd, is, this is a poll of 600 likely voters.

And what we do is we ask people, are you going to vote in the upcoming election?

That's the first test.

Then are you going to vote in a Republican election?

That's the second.

So once you identify your universe of voters, you go out and contact them.

So for us to get 600 contacts, you know, we're reaching out to over 1500 people or something, and, we do it through live phone calls, both the cellular and landline.

And then we also look at, we use text to web, and that's become a, reliable way to get to some of the younger voters that are out there.

Then you look at the entire universe of the voters in the state, the, racial makeup, the age makeup, the demographic makeup, male, female.

And then you kind of model those numbers based on what the electorate is goin to look like, in your opinion.

So there's a little bit of art to the science, but it's definitely more science than art.

Yeah.

Well, thanks for taking us behind the scenes.

Look, it's going to be a sprint to the finish.

Here at the home stretch.

And I appreciate you coming on and sharin some of these results with us.

Can't wait to see.

We'll be right back.

Russell Cave i located in northeast Alabama in Jackson County.

It is a significant archeological site with deep deposits that are a result of frequent use by Native Americans for thousands of years and offer a glimpse of lifeways from the archaic to the historic period.

Russell Cave was named a National monument in 1961.

Today, the cave is part of the National Park system.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Last week, we brought you the young men from Bois State here in the capital city.

This week it's Girls State.

And I'm pleased to be joined by the governor K ended and the chief of staff, Caitlin Izzo.

Ladies thanks for coming on the show.

Oh, thanks for having us.

Thank you for having us.

Absolutely.

Well, congratulations.

It's a really big deal.

You've been elected governor, and your first act was to appoint the chief of staff, correct?

Yes, sir.

Very cool.

Well, walk me through what this week has been like for you all.

They.

I think we were talking in the hallway the other day.

Or upstairs.

You said life changing.

Yeah.

So when we got here on Sunday, I think we were all really nervous.

We didn't really know what to expect.

And so as soon as I walked in, that's when I met Taylor.

And she was kind of just sitting in the corner, and I was.

I was thinking, oh I want to be friends with her.

And so ever since then we've been attached to the hip.

And throughout the week we've learned parliamentary procedures.

We voted on bills, passed bills, and we've had so many sessions, speakers like Senator Katie Britt.

And it's it's just been a really inspiring week.

And if you told me at the beginning of the week I was going to be governor, I don't think I would have believed you.

So really it is it has been life changing and I think I could see a future in politics.

Oh, okay.

You're getting ahead of me.

Caitlyn I've actually, I can say that Kate has really helped me.

And I would not have been as involved with Girl Side as I was.

I wasn't going to run for anything to begin with.

And then, with the encouragement I did, and I think just seeing the dedication from the other girls, the other girls campaigning for something they're very passionate about and seeing them do what they love.

I'm always curiou how people get in, get involved in girls stuff.

I went to Boise State many moons ago.

And it was kind of random, like, I didn't really plan on it, but I know it's a lot more popular these days.

So how did you first hear about Girls State and you end up signing up?

So I had a lot of different friends from my high school go girl.

Girls that I've been really close with.

And so this year, I've ha a history teacher specifically, and she actually took u to Washington, DC back in March.

And she's really been one of those people that's inspired me, kind of unintentionally, just through her passion fo history and teaching students.

And so she kind of pushed me to go to girls.

She said tha she think I'd be a great leader.

And so that kind of gave me a little bit of confidence.

And so I'm really happy tha I had her to inspire me to go.

Very cool.

Caitlyn.

So I attended a very small Christian school.

And so, my counselor just came up to us one day, and luckily me and my mom are privileged to she works there and I go to school there.

And so we were together in the hallway one day and my counselor had stopped me and said that she noticed my outstanding leadership and wanted to know if I'd be interested in joining it.

Absolutely.

And what a great program it is, and shout out to the American Legion Auxiliary, for putting it on.

Obviously, American Legion also does the boys state.

Just a really meaningful experience teaching civic involvement, teaching civic pride.

And I mean, you just mentioned that you might have a career in politics one day.

That's really interesting.

But I'm also curious because you ran for governor, that takes a lot of guts, you know, put your name on the ballot campaign because I'm sure a bunch, you know, but your friends also did.

What was your campaign platform?

So I actually wrote a bill on it as well.

And it's having body wellness programs in public schools.

I actually have a nonprofit called Choose Children and then a platform called Breaking Down the Mirror, and it's to help teenage girl and boys with eating disorders and body image issue because numbers are on the rise.

And unfortunately, a lot of teens suffer from that now, and it's become a really big mental health issue.

And so we actually got to pass my bill in the Senate and the House, and then I got to sign as governor.

So that was really meaningfu to get to see that come to life.

And I've seen how it's impacted all the girls this week.

And it's it's really meant a lot because I've had to share my testimony and my story and use vulnerability.

So it's really been inspiring from them to help me out with that.

How about that?

Taylor, I'm curious because, you know, I've been a political staffer before.

And so that's, you know, sometimes you gotta do the dirty work, right?

She gets t she gets the name on the door.

You guys do the dirty work.

What's that been like?

You know, managing a staff and things like that.

Yes, sir.

It's gone from things as far as being in the hallway at 12 a.m., hanging up posters or decorating with her when no one else would, or even things like carrying her bags for her when she has to go on stage.

But also the encouragement part.

I really think that, I played a huge role in encouraging and I hope I have for sure.

And calming the nerve because I know it can be nervous going in front of a bunch of girls and running for something you're so passionate about and so dedicated to, and you want.

And so, whether that be little quick prayers before or just a gentle hug.

Did you get to meet Liz Gilmore the governor's chief of staff?

Yes.

How about that.

That's you can kind of see it.

It really does line up work.

You know, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, all that.

But also the staff that i so important to how things run.

Well, look, I'm curious how you know, you've been through Girls State.

It's life changing.

There are others out there, maybe watching this program, maybe parents of girls watching this program.

What would you say to encourage them?

Why?

It's important to get involved.

I'll start with you.

We had a session this week in her name, Miss Abby Dixon.

She spoke to us and she kind of said something along the lines of pursue something that doesn't come with guarantees.

And so whenever I was sitting there about to give my speech for governor, I was sitting there thinking, what in the world am I doing?

I'm not qualified for this.

Peopl don't care what I have to say, but I went for it, and that's important.

And I made the connections.

I met the girls.

I love the impact.

And so I think really just go for it, no matter if it's out of your comfort zone or not, you're never going to know if you'll succeed if you don't, at least try.

So that's my I would have the same thing to say.

Senator Katie Britt, she gave a wonderful she said rejection is not is just redirection in rejection is not the end.

There's always somethin more coming if it's God's will and if he says no right now, if there's something bigger in the future.

Because I know that if I ran for the Court of Civil Appeals and gotten the point, I would not be sitting here right now with Kate.

And so I'm very thankful for that.

But go for it.

Do it all and go all out.

We know y'all are coming along at an interesting time because you do hav these incredible female leader examples, obviously, Governor Kay Ivey, and she's going to be leaving office next year.

But Senator Katie Britt, I think she'll probably be i office for for quite some time.

So talk about what that's like, because it's it hasn' always been that way in Alabama or in this country about really strong female leader that are an example for y'all.

And when Katie Britt, when she came to speak, she just lights up a room when she walked in.

You can tell that she' so passionate about her people and seeing that compassio come from a woman is so powerful because women are compassionate, passionate people.

And so I think that it's important that they do take office because they really care about their people.

So I would say the same thing.

Senator Katie Britt shows those characteristics really well.

It's really encouraging for us as young women coming up into this and being able to vote next year, seeing the passion and making me want to look into things more like the government.

I've never thought about doin politics or anything like that, but just seeing her dedication and passion to something like this and opening my eye a little bit more to the behind the scenes, it's really encouraging.

Yeah.

And just seeing som of the photos, from Girls State was really cool.

Obviously Leigh Sellers is such an incredible leader as well, for sure.

So, so y'all are y'all are lucky to have those great leaders.

Okay, I told you I was going to put you on the spot.

So you're rising seniors.

You be seniors in high school next year.

So we're getting close.

What, what plans for the future, if any?

I really hope to go to the University of Alabama.

They've supported m in a lot of aspects of my life.

I've done early college with them into one role, had great professors.

I'm planning to major in news media with the concentration in sports media.

And now I'm thinking a minor in political science in it.

I think it can teach me a lot, even if I don't do something political.

I think it's a great thing to have under my belt, at least be informed.

So.

Absolutely.

I plan to stay in Tuscaloosa and go to the University of Alabama and hopefully roommate with Kate.

This is going to continue.

This is another thing girl say brings roommates, and major in, elementary education and hopefully do mor with psychology and the behavior of kids behind the scenes and just how they function.

Interesting.

So you mentioned mayb getting into politics one day.

I mean, I think, you know, it used to be that when you said that it's like, oh, don't be ambitious like that.

I but I think it's good to say hey, no, I want to be involved.

I want to step up.

It kind of take a page out of Katie Burt's book.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

And, I mean, I never thought that I would say that I've always kind of grown up with the thing, like, that's not for me.

I don't think I'm that much of a leader.

I don't think my voice really matters.

But this week really showed me it does, and it does leave an impact.

And so I could definitely see myself advocating for others.

Well, okay.

And it's so cool.

You talked about getting involved in news media, new production.

It's very important.

I can tell.

Yeah, but like early childhoo education and things like that, that can translate into anything.

And it's so great.

I mean, look at the governor.

She was started as a teacher.

Yes.

You know, and s I think it's really important.

I'm just tickled to death because when I look at y'all, I'm seeing the next generation of leadership in Alabama, whether it's in the classroom, whether it's in the newsroom or whether it's in the Capitol or the statehouse.

So congratulations.

Thank you.

We're so proud of you.

And I just can't wait to follow your careers.

Thank you for having us.

It means a lot.

We'll be right back.

Since 1997, Alabam Public Television has provided programs, services, and resources to childcare professionals, teachers and parents.

Visit AP tv.org/education to learn more.

You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

aptv.. org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

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That's our show for this week.

Thanks for watching.

We're back next week at the same time, but at a different location.

This is actually the last Capital Journal episode that will be broadcast from our state House studio.

Recent floodin has led to some pretty serious mold problems in this building, and so we're going to temporarily relocate over to the Madison Avenue studio before finally ending up in our new home in the new state House.

Hopefully by December or January.

So it's the end of an era for this state House studio for our Capital Journal team.

I'm Todd Stacy.

We'll see you next time.