Alabama gubernatorial election, 2022

Elections in Alabama, 2022

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← 2018
Governor of Alabama
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: January 28, 2022
Primary: May 24, 2022 Primary runoff: June 21, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Kay Ivey (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Alabama
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Alabama executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Treasurer Auditor State Board of Education (4 seats) Agriculture Commissioner Public Service Commissioner (2 seats)

Alabama held an election for governor on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for May 24, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 21, 2022. The filing deadline was January 28, 2022.

Incumbent Kay Ivey won election in the general election for Governor of Alabama.

This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections that took place place in 2022. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office that is elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Click here for a map with links to our coverage of all 50 states' responses to the pandemic and here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2022.

Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Alabama gubernatorial election, 2022 (June 21 Democratic primary runoff)
• Alabama gubernatorial election, 2022 (May 24 Democratic primary)
• Alabama gubernatorial election, 2022 (May 24 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Governor of Alabama

Incumbent Kay Ivey defeated Yolanda Flowers, James Blake, and Jared Budlong in the general election for Governor of Alabama on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kay Ivey (R)	66.9	946,932
		Yolanda Flowers (D)	29.2	412,961
		James Blake (L)	3.2	45,958
		Jared Budlong (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	9,432

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,415,283
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Governor of Alabama

Yolanda Flowers defeated Malika Sanders-Fortier in the Democratic primary runoff for Governor of Alabama on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yolanda Flowers	55.1	32,529
		Malika Sanders-Fortier	44.9	26,469

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,998
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Alabama

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Alabama on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yolanda Flowers	33.9	56,991
✔		Malika Sanders-Fortier	32.5	54,699
		Patricia Jamieson	11.7	19,691
		Arthur Kennedy	9.3	15,630
		Doug Smith	7.1	11,861
		Chad Chig Martin	5.6	9,352

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 168,224
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Christopher Countryman (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Alabama

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Alabama on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kay Ivey	54.5	357,069
		Lynda Blanchard	19.2	126,202
		Tim James	16.2	106,181
		Lew Burdette	6.5	42,924
		Dean Odle	1.8	11,767
		Donald Jones	0.6	3,821
		Dave Thomas	0.4	2,886
		Stacy George	0.4	2,546
		Dean Young	0.4	2,356

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 655,752
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jim Zeigler (R)

Results analysis

Echelon Insights, a polling and data analysis firm, published an analysis deck called Split Ticket Atlas: Comparative Republican Presidential, Gubernatorial, and Senate Candidate Performance, 2020-2022 in March 2023. The report compared the performance of Republican candidates in 2022 statewide elections. Click here to view the full analysis.

This analysis found that, compared to 2022 senatorial candidate Katie Britt (R), Ivey received 30,544 more votes. The largest differences were in Madison County, where Ivey received 5,539 more votes, and Jefferson County, where Ivey received 5,371 more. Britt received the most votes compared to Ivey in Coffee and Pickens counties, where she received 25 more votes than Ivey.

Know of additional analysis related to this election? Please email us.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Alabama

Election information in Alabama: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
• Online: Oct. 24, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

No

What were the early voting start and end dates?

N/A to N/A

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

Photo ID

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Every human has the right to a life of dignity.

People come before profit.

We must work to reduce societal harm.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Better quality and access to healthcare and education for EVERY resident of Alabama. There are no qualifiers on who deserves healthcare and education, including economic status. I also know that our criminal justice* system needs an overhaul in order to move away from the profit focused modern day slavery we're currently perpetuating.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

I look up to everyone who faces unrelenting oppression each day and continues to choose grace and works for the betterment of society as a whole.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Elected officials must come to work with humility; especially the ability to sympathize and empathize with those they represent who do not have the same life experiences.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

As a lifelong Eagle Scout, I follow the scout law to the best of my abilities at all times. A scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

I want every resident of Alabama to be afforded a life of dignity.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

I remember watching the events of 9/11 at school and my 11th grade history teacher commenting "you're watching history being recorded."

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

My first job was at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL where I started as a bus-boy and moved up to line-cook. I was there off and on from 1999 to 2001.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Five Iron Frenzy - Tyrannis

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

I come from a working class family that has struggled with mental illness and know the impact that limited access to quality healthcare can have on individuals and families alike.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Being Governor is the guiding leader of a state and should be working towards benefiting the residents of their state and ensuring their cabinet and other hired positions are working towards that common goal.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

I think the responsibility to hire, manage, and fire (when necessary) the highest positions over our state governmental bodies to be the most important. This aspect of the job will be the way to send a clear message that our residents needs will come first.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

I believe the governor should have final oversight and say in the budget approval process with the input of trusted professionals in each area of the budget. This should come after it has been reviewed and scrutinized by the State Treasurer and the finance officer for the state.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

This power should be used when a part of the proposed legislation in question doesn't benefit the residents of our state or if it is outside the overall scope of the proposed legislation.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

It should be a partnership where the legislatures represent their specific areas of the state and the governor is there as a check to ensure no specific group is being benefited at the cost of the rest of the state.

What do you love most about your state?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

The beautiful natural resources of forests, caves, lakes, streams, and beaches that so many people from our state and around the world enjoy.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Overcoming the historic influence of white supremacy ingrained into the culture and governance of our state.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Jared Budlong (Independent)

Under any circumstance where the lives of our residents and the natural resources of our state are under direct and imminent threat.

Election competitiveness

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Alabama gubernatorial election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Alabama in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Alabama, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Alabama	Governor	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	Fixed by party	1/28/2022	Source
Alabama	Governor	Unaffiliated	51,588	N/A	5/24/2022	Source

Past elections

2018

See also: Alabama gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Alabama

Incumbent Kay Ivey defeated Walt Maddox in the general election for Governor of Alabama on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kay Ivey (R)	59.5	1,022,457
		Walt Maddox (D)	40.4	694,495
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	2,637

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,719,589 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Alabama

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Alabama on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Walt Maddox	54.6	154,850
		Sue Bell Cobb	29.0	82,236
		James C. Fields	8.0	22,683
		Anthony White	3.4	9,719
		Doug Smith	3.3	9,274
		Christopher Countryman	1.7	4,943

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 283,705
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Alabama

Incumbent Kay Ivey defeated Tommy Battle, Scott Dawson, Bill Hightower, and Michael McAllister in the Republican primary for Governor of Alabama on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kay Ivey	56.1	331,739
		Tommy Battle	24.9	147,207
		Scott Dawson	13.5	79,546
		Bill Hightower	5.0	29,367
		Michael McAllister	0.6	3,340

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 591,199
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Slade Blackwell (R)

2014

See also: Alabama Gubernatorial election, 2014

Republican incumbent Robert Bentley won re-election on November 4, 2014.

Governor of Alabama, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Robert Bentley Incumbent	63.6%	750,231
	Democrat	Parker Griffith	36.2%	427,787
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.2%	2,395
Total Votes				1,180,413
Election results via Alabama Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Alabama and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Alabama, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
AL-01	Jerry Carl	Republican	R+16
AL-02	Barry Moore	Republican	R+17
AL-03	Mike Rogers	Republican	R+19
AL-04	Robert Aderholt	Republican	R+33
AL-05	Open (Mo Brooks)	Republican	R+17
AL-06	Gary Palmer	Republican	R+18
AL-07	Terri Sewell	Democratic	D+14

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Alabama
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Alabama's 1st	35.3%	63.6%
Alabama's 2nd	34.8%	64.2%
Alabama's 3rd	32.5%	66.6%
Alabama's 4th	18.6%	80.4%
Alabama's 5th	35.6%	62.7%
Alabama's 6th	34.4%	64.4%
Alabama's 7th	65.6%	33.6%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 77.1% of Alabamians lived in one of the state's 52 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 22.2% lived in one of 13 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Alabama was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Alabama following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Alabama county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	52	77.1%
Solid Democratic	13	22.2%
Trending Republican	2	0.7%
Total voted Democratic	13	22.2%
Total voted Republican	54	77.8%

Historical voting trends

Alabama presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 16 Democratic wins
• 13 Republican wins
• 2 other wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	SR	D	D	D	R	AI	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Alabama

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Alabama.

U.S. Senate election results in Alabama
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	60.1%	39.7%
2017	50.0%	48.3%
2016	64.0%	35.8%
2014	97.3%	2.8% (write-in)
2010	65.3%	34.7%
Average	67.3	32.3

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Alabama

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Alabama.

Gubernatorial election results in Alabama
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	59.5%	40.4%
2014	63.6%	36.2%
2010	57.9%	42.1%
2006	57.5%	41.6%
2002	49.2%	49.0%
Average	57.5	41.9

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Alabama's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Alabama, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	1	1
Republican	2	6	8
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	7	9

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Alabama's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Alabama, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Kay Ivey
Lieutenant Governor	Will Ainsworth
Secretary of State	John Merrill
Attorney General	Steve Marshall

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Alabama State Legislature as of November 2022.

Alabama State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	8
	Republican Party	27
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

Alabama House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	28
	Republican Party	73
	Vacancies	4
Total		105

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Alabama was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Alabama Party Control: 1992-2022
Six years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Alabama and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Alabama
	Alabama	United States
Population	5,024,279	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	50,646	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	67.5%	70.4%
Black/African American	26.6%	12.6%
Asian	1.4%	5.6%
Native American	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Two or more	2.4%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	4.4%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	86.9%	88.5%
College graduation rate	26.2%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$52,035	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	16%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of Alabama