Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall will not be taking part in the Alabama 2026 Governor’s race, according to the Associated Press.
He told the AP he is “definitely not running for governor” on Tuesday.
Marshall is now term-limited from running again for Attorney General; he is in his second term now and unable to go for a third. He told the AP he will “see what plays out” when it comes to his political future.
With Marshall’s backing away from the race, the two top contenders are Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth and Agricultural Commissioner Rick Pate. Neither has officially announced their candidacy, but both have spoken about their intent to run.
Other names include Kent Davis, the former Alabama Department of Veteran Affairs commissioner, who was fired by Gov. Kay Ivey. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville could swoop into the race, but that’s unlikely; he’s repeatedly promised to serve as a “sledgehammer” in the Senate for President-Elect Donald Trump.
There is a possibility Marshall could be eyeing Ainsworth’s old spot as Lieutenant Governor; Ainsworth acted as a masterclass in political maneuvers by essentially getting to campaign for the full six years of his tenure, possibly revealing an easy way to the top spot in Montgomery.
The Alabama CHOOSE Act passed, and applications begin today for Alabama families to get up to $7,000 toward private school tuition.
The CHOOSE Act was passed by the legislature in May, thus creating a school choice program to give support to families who want to send K-12 kids to private schools. Families can apply for state-funded education savings accounts to use on tuition and other expenses like books and school supplies.
The first ESAs will be limited to specific groups of students for 2025-26. All students in the state will be eligible for ESAs at the start of the 2027-28 school year.
To apply for an ESA, visit the website.
Enrolled students will get up $7,000 placed in a digital wallet account by July 1, 2025 if approved. Homeschooled students will get $2,000 starting July 1 with a cap of $4,000 per family.
Only Alabama residents are eligible. Students must be between 5 and 19 years old and have not graduated high school. Students with disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21 are also eligible.
Families must fall within 300% of the 2024 Federal Poverty Guideline to qualify. .
Priority will be given in this order:
Students with special needs get the first 500 ESAs; then siblings of eligible students; then students in military families zoned to priority schools; then students in families whose income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level ($93,600 for a family of four).
Families eligible for tax credit scholarships through the Alabama Accountability Act can’t apply to both programs—they must choose one or the other.
Eligible families will be notified by their school by Jan. 10, 2025, and students have until March 1, 2025 to return transfer forms.
The Dothan Police Department is seeking the help of our local and surrounding communities in the identity of the person in the picture. Police are asking anyone who recognizes the subject to call the Dothan Police Department 334-615-3632 or 334-793-0215.
The Dothan Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help in an anonymous capacity.
This second day of the New Year dawns clear and cool, but at the end of the weekend rains may return, and the middle of next week may bring frigid weather to south Alabama.
Thursday and Friday should bring beautiful weather, with pleasantly mild days and frosty near freezing temperature nights.
Clouds will return Saturday along with gradually milder temperatures, but by late Sunday cold rains should move in. By Monday morning we may have temps near freezing and maybe lingering precipitation. So we will see what that brings.
Next week will be cold, cold and colder, with several nights low temperatures bottoming out in the 20s, and by late next week forecasts call for maybe nighttime lows in the teens.
Sun peaking through trees this morning, and Nothing but blue skies do I see.
