STATE

A voter's guide to Alabama's statewide races

Brian Lyman Montgomery Advertiser (TNS)
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is running to become the state's second ever elected female governor. [File/AP]

Alabama voters on Tuesday will decide the winners of nine contested races for statewide office, some more high profile than others.

Besides federal and state legislative races, state voters will have choices in the races for governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and state auditor. Voters will also elect a chief justice, a member of the state Supreme Court and two of the seats on the Public Service Commission.

John McMillan, the current state agriculture commissioner, is the Republican nominee for State Treasurer. Rick Pate, the Mayor of Lowndesboro, is the GOP nominee for Agriculture and Industries Commissioner. Democrats did not field candidates for either office.

Below, a guide to the contested statewide races.

Governor

Kay Ivey (incumbent)

Age: 74

Profession: Various, including banking, teaching and governmental affairs

Education: B.S., Education, Auburn University, 1967

Party: Republican

Offices held/offices sought: Democratic candidate for state auditor, 1982; State Treasurer, 2003-11; Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, 2011-17; Governor of Alabama, 2017-present

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Republican primary on June 5, Ivey raised $2.6 million and spent $2.6 million.

Campaign themes: The Republican incumbent has focused on traditional gubernatorial themes of jobs and education, pointing to Alabama's low unemployment rate and the recently passed education budget. She has also made indirect allusions to her break with former Gov. Robert Bentley's administration in comments about "steadying the ship of state." Ivey has run a relatively sheltered campaign, giving few interviews outside conservative media outlets.

Issues: Ivey has said little to nothing about any plans she may have should she be elected to a term in her own right, emphasizing instead her experience, present economic strengths and her break with the scandal-plagued administration of former Gov. Robert Bentley. Ivey has taken credit for items like education funding that are the purview of the Legislature. She has indicated skepticism about items like Medicaid expansion but has expressed more openness about an amendment authorizing a state lottery (which the governor has no direct constitutional role in).

Walt Maddox

Age: 45

Profession: Education support

Education: B.A., UAB, 1996; M.P.A., University of Alabama, 2004

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: Tuscaloosa City Council, 2001-05; Mayor of Tuscaloosa, 2005-present.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Democratic primary on June 5, Maddox has raised $1.6 million and spent $1.4 million.

Campaign themes: Maddox has pitched an ambitious agenda promising to elevate the state's education and health care systems while trying to tie Ivey to Bentley's administration (she had no direct ties to anything related to Bentley). Maddox has also campaigned throughout the state and, for a time at least, tried to make an issue of Ivey refusing to engage in debates.

Issues: Maddox's education proposals center on the creation of a statewide lottery, which the candidate says would provide additional funding for pre-kindergarten programs, more equitable funding for K-12 schools and assistance with college tuition. Maddox acknowledges the Legislature would have the final say but said he would negotiate with interested parties before calling a special session to authorize a lottery. The mayor also says he would expand Medicaid on his first day in office (enabling bills from the Legislature would also be required) and pledges to hire more state troopers and support revisions to the state's ethics law.

Attorney general

Steve Marshall (incumbent)

Age: 54

Profession: Attorney

Education: B.A., American Studies, University of North Carolina, 1987; J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1990.

Party: Republican

Offices held/offices sought: Marshall County District Attorney, 2001-2017; Alabama Attorney General, 2017-present

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the GOP runoff on July 17, Marshall has raised $600,834 and spent $604,370.

Campaign themes: Marshall stresses the traditional role of attorney general as the state's top law enforcement officer, including its potential to help the state address the opioid crisis and better enforce state ethics laws. The attorney general has also touted his conservative approach to issues, including lawsuits aimed at ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and another that could overturn the Affordable Care Act and its protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

Issues: The attorney general says the state has made progress on the opioid crisis and says he hopes a better coordination of data will help fine-tune Alabama's response. Marshall also says he would support some tightening of the state's ethics law on giving and receiving bans, and also said he will continue to pursue lawsuits that will defend the state's interest or advance socially conservative causes.

Marshall has also sued the state's dog tracks to stop electronic bingo at those locations, which the Alabama Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. The attorney general's office had not through mid-October attempted to raid or shut down the facilities, which threw thousands of people out of work in 2009 and 2010.

Joseph Siegelman

Age: 30

Profession: Attorney

Education: B.S., Finance, University of Alabama, 2010; J.D., University of Alabama School of Law

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Democratic nomination on June 5, Siegelman has raised $501,131 and spent $496,415.

Campaign themes: The first-time candidate for public office says he will bring an independent approach to the office of attorney general, and says he will bring a nonpartisan approach to the job that would emphasize consumer protection and ethics enforcement.

Issues: Siegelman has broad goals for the office but is vague on details, apart from saying he would prioritize issues like consumer protection. He has also been sharply critical of Marshall for accepting money from the Republican Attorneys General Association; his response to pollution in Limestone and Morgan counties and his joining the Texas lawsuit that could end protection for pre-existing conditions. Siegelman has also said he believes gambling is a "non-issue."

Chief justice

Tom Parker

Age: 66

Profession: Attorney

Education: Bachelors, Dartmouth University; J.D., Vanderbilt University

Party: Republican

Offices held/offices sought: Alabama Supreme Court associate justice, 2005-present; Republican candidate for Alabama Chief Justice, 2006.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Republican nomination on June 5, Parker has raised $422,839 and spent $302,168.

Campaign themes: A longtime ally of former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, Parker has pushed a socially conservative message and said he would use that philosophy should he become chief justice.

Issues: Parker is waging the same kind of social warfare that Moore did, attacking "leftist mobs" and saying he will work to send cases to the U.S. Supreme Court that "they can use to reverse what the liberal majorities have done in the past." Parker has also called for increased funding for the state's court system and calls the present level of funding for circuit clerks "intolerable."

Robert Vance

Age: 57

Profession: Attorney

Education: Bachelors, Princeton University; J.D., University of Virginia

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: Jefferson County Circuit Judge, 2002-present; Democratic nominee for Alabama Chief Justice, 2012.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Vance was unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 5. Since then, he has raised $860,283 and spent $914,982.

Campaign themes: Vance is stressing a break from the drama that Moore brought to the court, saying he will focus on ensuring the courts in Alabama are "open and functioning as they need to," and securing adequate funding for the state's court system.

Issues: Vance says he will be an independent voice on the judiciary and has attacked Parker for his prior connections with Moore and for speaking with neo-Confederate groups. He stresses he will be a break from Moore's style on the bench, aiming to "quietly and professionally" do his job.

State Supreme Court Place 4

Jay Mitchell

Age: 42

Profession: Attorney

Education: Bachelor's degree, Birmingham Southern College, 1998; Masters' degree, University College Dublin, 2000; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2002.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Republican primary on June 5, Mitchell has raised $215,256 and spent $51,641.

Campaign themes: Mitchell says he will be a conservative jurist, with a deference to laws passed by the Alabama Legislature and an unwillingness to, as he puts it, "legislate from the bench."

Issues: The candidate has run ads saying he would oppose unspecified "liberal challenges" brought before the court, and hit themes of religion and the rule of law on his platform. Alluding to scandals that gripped Alabama leadership, Mitchell also said he will serve with "integrity and excellence."

Donna Smalley

Age: 63

Profession: Attorney

Education: B.A., Journalism, University of Alabama, 1975; J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 1978.

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: Democratic nominee for U.S. House of Representatives, Alabama 6th congressional district, 1998; Democratic candidate, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, 2000.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Smalley was unopposed in the June 5 Democratic primary. Since then, she has raised $54,900 and spent $56,273.

Campaign themes: Smalley stresses that she has 40 years of experience as a litigator, both in federal and state courts, and says she will be independent on the court.

Issues: Smalley says she will bring even-handedness to cases that come before her, and said she will put a stress on ethics if she is elected to the court.

Lieutenant governor

Will Ainsworth

Age: 37

Profession: Sports business

Education: B.S., Marketing, Auburn University, 2004

Offices held/offices sought: Alabama House of Representatives, 2014-present

Finances: Since winning the GOP runoff for the position on July 17, Ainsworth raised $743,342 and spent $349,281.

Campaign themes: Ainsworth has stressed moving Alabama away from the leadership scandals that took down Gov. Robert Bentley, House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Ainsworth has also said he wants to work on education and job recruitment, a common theme of lieutenant governor candidates.

Issues: Ainsworth has supported efforts to allow teachers to carry firearms in schools, and says he wants to increase funding in poorer areas of the state. He also said he would support efforts to expand broadband in rural Alabama.

Will Boyd

Age: 47

Profession: Pastor and bishop

Education: B.S., Engineering, University of South Carolina, 1994; MBA, Regis University, 2003; PhD, Christian Bible College, 2003

Offices held/offices sought: City councilman, Greenville, Illinois, 2009-11; Write-in candidate, U.S. Senate, Illinois, 2010; Democratic nominee for U.S. House of Representatives, Alabama 5th District, 2016; Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, 2017.

Finances: Boyd was unopposed in the June 5 Democratic primary. Since then, he has raised $120,710 and spent $30,650.

Campaign themes: Boyd has talked about improving economic opportunity and, like Ainsworth, improving education.

Issues: Boyd has supported a state minimum wage, increased funding for education and Medicaid expansion.

Secretary of state

John Merrill (incumbent)

Age: 54

Profession: Communications/business development

Education: B.A., Political Science and History, University of Alabama, 1987

Party: Republican

Offices held/offices sought: Alabama House of Representatives, 2010-14; Alabama Secretary of State, 2014-present.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Republican primary on June 5, Merrill has raised $144,322 and spent $239,961.

Campaign themes: Merrill has touted work on improving efficiency in the office and the increased number of Alabamians who have registered to vote, as well as making himself accessible to constituents.

Issues: Merrill has moved on two paths on voter registration, both citing the record number of people registered to vote while drawing criticism for comments saying that voting is a privilege (he does say that he wants to make voting accessible to all eligible voters). Merrill has also said he has improved the efficiency of business filings.

Heather Milam

Age: 39

Profession: Business professor

Education: Bachelors in Public Relations and Spanish, Auburn University; Masters, Public and Private Management, Birmingham-Southern College

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Democratic primary on June 5, Milam has raised $57,751 and spent $54,234.

Campaign themes: Milam's campaign centers on expanding voter access and engagement and working to increase overall turnout in the state.

Issues: Milam says she will advocate for a package of proposals to make voting easier in the state, including automatic voter registration and early voting, as well as improving access to polling places and improving training. She also says she will put a greater emphasis on protecting the integrity of voter files.

State auditor

Jim Zeigler (incumbent)

Age: 70

Profession: Attorney

Education: B.A., University of Alabama, 1972; J.D., Jones School of Law, 1978

Offices held/offices sought: Alabama Public Service Commission, 1974-78; Democratic candidate for President of the Public Service Commission, 1976; Democratic candidate for Alabama State Board of Education, 1982; Democratic candidate for State Treasurer, 1986; Republican candidate for Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, 1996; Republican candidate for Public Service Commission, 1998; Republican candidate for State Auditor, 2002; Alabama State Auditor, 2015-present.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Since winning the Republican primary on June 5, Zeigler raised $6,223 and spent $15,195.

Campaign themes: The auditor has presented himself as someone looking out for government waste. Zeigler in his term in office has gone beyond the duties of the office to launch battles on several fronts. Zeigler was one of the earliest officials to condemn former Gov. Robert Bentley, but his comments on accusations that former Chief Justice Roy Moore dated teenagers his 30s -- Zeigler compared it to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph -- drew national scorn.

Issues: Zeigler has said little about the auditor's job of tracking state property, though he has commented on a host of issues the state auditor has little control over, ranging from infrastructure to state retirement prison construction. He says he is developing a "Plan Z" to address infrastructure issues.

Miranda Joseph

Age: 33

Profession: Auditor

Education: B.S., Accounting, UAB, 2006; M.B.A., UAB, 2007.

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: Democratic nominee for state auditor, 2010 and 2014.

Finances (through Oct. 30): Joseph was unopposed in the June 5 Democratic primary. Since then, she has raised $11,975 and spent $9,785.

Campaign themes: Joseph stresses her background as an auditor and says she will bring efficiency and transparency to the office.

Issues: Joseph has criticized Zeigler for not posting online audit records (the auditor says budget cuts have forced him to cut it out) and said she would post those records to allow people to see where money is being spent.

Public Service Commission Place 1

Jeremy Oden (incumbent)

Age: 50

Profession: Banking, ministry

Education: Bachelors' degree, Asbury University, 1991; Postgraduate work, Asbury Theological Seminary, 1991-92.

Party: Republican

Offices held/offices sought: Republican candidate for Alabama House of Representatives, 1994; Alabama House of Representatives, 1998-2012; Alabama Public Service Commission, 2012-present.

Finances: Since winning the June 5 Republican primary, Oden has raised $4,837 and spent $8,344.

Campaign themes: Oden is emphasizing his experience in state government, as well as the opportunity to use the somewhat limited powers of the Public Service Commission to advocate for policies.

Issues: Oden says the commission's current Rate Stablilization and Equalization process, which critics say shields utilities from public hearings on how they set their rates, helps keep electric costs relatively flat. He also says he will use his office to push for rural broadband and ensure the removal of old pipes to ensure the safety of workers.

Cara McClure

Age: 49

Profession: Entrepreneur, community organizer

Education: Attended Jacksonville State University and Alabama State University

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

Finances (through Oct. 30): McClure was unopposed in the June 5 Democratic primary. Since then, McClure has raised $32,829 and spent $29,970.

Campaign themes: McClure says she wants to address utility bills, citing her experience working with low-income individuals for whom it could be a burden.

Issues: McClure, running on a platform with Kari Powell, the Democratic nominee for PSC Position 2, criticizes the current RSE process and says she will work to hold public hearings on the rates state utilities set.

Public Service Commission Place 2

Chip Beeker (incumbent)

Age: 70

Profession: Catfish and cattle farmer

Education: Bachelor's degree, Commerce and Business Administration, University of West Alabama.

Party: Republican

Offices held/offices sought: Greene County Commission, 1986-2006; Alabama Public Service Commission, 2014-present

Finances (through Oct. 30): Beeker was unopposed in the June 5 Republican primary. Since then, he has raised $3,384 and spent $3,043.

Campaign themes: Beeker says he wants to ensure a mix of energy resources in the state of Alabama and also stresses the safety nature of his job.

Issues: Beeker says he wants to see a mix of coal and natural gas used by the state's utilities (a decision that is largely up to them) and also wants to see greater penetration of internet connectivity in rural areas, though he wants it "to move along at a speed that's best suited for everybody."

Kari Powell

Age: 36

Profession: Graphic designer

Education: Bachelor's degree, graphic design, Miami University

Party: Democratic

Offices held/offices sought: First run for public office

Finances (through Oct. 30): Powell was unopposed in the June 5 Democratic primary. Since then, she has raised $34,378 and spent $29,094.

Campaign themes: Powell, like McClure, is a critic of the current process used to set utility rates in Alabama, and says she wants to bring bills down.

Issues: Powell said she would work to open the current rate-setting process to the public. She also wants to encourage the use of solar panels by getting rid of a fixed fee imposed on Alabama Power customers with rooftop solar that the utility says covers the costs of providing power to those customers when the panels don't but which critics say is intended to discourage such use.