On Thursday, Alabama Republican Kay Ivey confirmed she would seek a full term as governor next year. Ivey ascended from the lieutenant governor’s office in April after GOP Gov. Robert Bentley, who was facing an almost-certain impeachment after he used state resources to try and cover up a sex scandal, resigned in disgrace as part of a deal with prosecutors. Ivey kept political observers guessing for months whether or not she would run next year or retire.
Several Republicans planned to run for governor when it looked like Bentley would just be termed-out of office, and most of them decided not to let Gov. Ivey keep them out of the race. Just on Wednesday, state Sen. Bill Hightower, who has been raising money for a bid for governor for months, announced he was running, even though it was clear by that point that he'd need to get past Ivey. Hightower, a businessman by trade who had represented the Mobile area since 2013, brought in a credible $526,000 since June, and he had $505,000 in the bank at the end of August.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington, evangelical minister Scott Dawson, businessman Josh Jones, and state Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan are all also running in the GOP primary, and none of them also sound ready to defer to Ivey. However, while it only became clear over the last few weeks that Ivey planned to run, she quickly made up for lost time and beefed up her war-chest. AL.com reports that from Friday to Wednesday, Ivey raised $825,000 from major state business interests. By contrast, Battle has raised a total of $868,000 since June, more than any of Ivey's other foes.
Ivey did alienate Republicans after presiding over the collapse of the state's Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program during her tenure as state treasurer, which may help explain why so many Republicans seem to think she's beatable. Ivey has had several months to establish herself as governor, but polling is scarce in Alabama, so we don't have a good idea of how primary voters are reacting to her. If no one takes a majority of the vote in the primary, there will be a runoff, so Ivey can't just coast through a crowded field with a plurality.