Republican Wes Allen, the current Alabama secretary of state and former Alabama House member, announced Tuesday his 2026 bid for lieutenant governor.
“I am incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished in the Secretary of State’s office,” Allen said in a written statement. “From cleaning up our voter rolls to creating and launching the most effective voter integrity database in the country to ensuring that business owners across our state have their needs met efficiently and effectively.”
Current Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth is term limited and expected to run for governor next year.
“The lieutenant governor seat will be an open seat in the 2026 election and I believe it is time for me to take my record of conservative, effective leadership to that office,” he said.
Inside Alabama Politics reported in December Allen was an expected candidate for the statewide seat.
Allen, the son of longtime state Sen. Gerald Allen, was a probate judge in Pike County before winning his House seat in 2018. He served one term before winning the secretary of state election.
“When I took office, Alabama’s voter roll was a bloated mess,” he said. “I am proud of the fact that we have been able to do the hard work that it took to create a program resulting in a much more accurate voter roll. The people of Alabama deserve that.”
Last year, Allen testified before a U.S. Senate committee, advocating for shortening the minimum period in which states are required to wait, per federal law, before removing individuals from the voter rolls after moving out of state
The primary election is May 26, 2026.