Two of our major constitutional statewide offices are up for election in next year’s May 2026 GOP Primary. The Attorney General and Agriculture posts are incumbent-free and totally up for grabs. Current Attorney General Steve Marshall has served his constitutionally limited two terms and is running for the U.S. Senate. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate has term-limited and is running for Lt. Governor.

Jay Mitchell is the clear favorite in the Attorney General’s race as the contest begins. Mitchell has been elected twice to the State Supreme Court with impressive vote totals. He has been a proven conservative pro-business voice on the state’s highest court. Therefore, he will be the candidate of choice of the state’s business community. He has already received the endorsement of the Business Council of Alabama. He has a large early lead in fundraising. He was able to transfer over $600,000 from his State Court campaign fund. He is approaching $2 million in the bank as the summer comes to an end.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at steve@steveflowers.us.