President Donald Trump shook up the race for Alabama lieutenant governor Thursday night by endorsing Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl.
Five Republicans have been campaigning for that open seat, some since early last year. Wahl isn’t among them and he hasn’t yet qualified for the contest. Party qualifying ends at 5 p.m. today.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Wahl a “true MAGA warrior” who he hopes runs for the seat that would put him next in line to be the governor.
“John has been with us from the very beginning, and has been key to our many Republican Victories in the Great State of Alabama, a State that I won with the Highest Vote in Alabama History…,” Trump wrote.
“As your next Lieutenant Governor, John would fight tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Support our Amazing Farmers and Fishermen, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our Brave Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.
“Should he decide to enter this Race, John Wahl has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JOHN, RUN!”
A comment from Wahl wasn’t immediately available.
Wahl, the ALGOP’s chairman since 2021, considered a bid for lieutenant governor last year.
“I believe that now more than ever, we need bold, conservative elected officials who are willing to stand for our platform and push back against lukewarm policies and the radical left-wing media,” he said in a July letter to party executives. “That is the kind of leadership I strive to provide.”
He didn’t announce a bid and has not raised funds for the race.
Wahl, a butterfly farmer who lives in Limestone County, is also the chairman of the Alabama Public Library Service Board, which oversees state funding for local libraries. He’s led recent battles over sexually explicit and gender-related content in children and youth sections and local control and funding of libraries.
The board has repeatedly voted to withhold funding from the Fairhope Library after it said the library violated state policies the board said protect children from inappropriate materials.
The board last week voted to continue withholding funding, the Alabama Reflector reported. The board said the library must remove at least 10 books from a section for teenagers, including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood; “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Wahl to that board in 2022.
Wahl has come under some personal scrutiny in recent years. Al.com columnist Kyle Whitmire has previously reported Wahl in 2022 used a homemade identification card to vote in Limestone County. Whitmire also reported last year that Wahl had a Tennessee driver’s license with the name Nehemiah Ezekiel Wahl when he received a traffic ticket in Morgan County in 2023.
Wahl later said he’d obtained the license when he planned to move to Tennessee in 2020, but those plans later changed.
He last year chalked up reporting about him to mudslinging by left-wing journalists.
If Wahl runs, he’ll join an already crowded field that includes current Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate. Allen has led fundraising in recent months.
“I am the only candidate for lieutenant governor that has a record of fighting for Republican values and winning against liberal attempts to infiltrate our state,” Allen said in a statement to ADN Thursday night. “Alabama has always been my home, and I have served with honor and integrity that will not change. I look forward to continuing to earn the vote of every Alabama Republican in the May 19 primary.”
The latest campaign finance reports show Allen has more than $1 million on hand.
Polling late last month, when former Alabama and NFL quarterback AJ McCarron was still in the race, showed McCarron with the edge among likely GOP primary voters, followed by Allen. Still, 41% of voters were undecided.
Pate, who had about $594,100 on hand at the end of December, said in a text to ADN Thursday night he likes Wahl and welcomes him to the race.
Pate also said he’d been hoping to get the Trump endorsement. He was an RNC delegate for Trump in 2020 and 2024 and one of the nine Electoral College electors for Trump in both elections.
Other Republicans who have qualified are Nicole Jones Wadsworth, Pat Bishop and Dean Odle.
Alabama Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, announced his bid for the office last month.
The primaries are May 19.