BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – John Wahl bested Wes Allen and clinched the Republican nomination in the race to be Alabama’s next lieutenant governor.
Wahl, former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, sailed to a clear victory on Tuesday night. He earned 175,590 votes, or 56.99%, according to unofficial election night results with 66 of 67 counties reporting.
Allen, the current secretary of state, trailed with 132,530 votes, or 43.01%.
Wahl was thrust into the race by an endorsement from President Donald Trump just before candidate qualifying closed in January. He leaned heavily on that endorsement on the campaign trail, including photos of himself with the president and audio of Trump speaking about him in nearly all campaign media.
The contest was a test of Trump’s influence in a state where the president’s approval rating remains high. Trump-endorsed Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, also won the party’s nomination on Tuesday.
Wahl addressed his supporters in Decatur wearing a jacket with Trump’s 2024 campaign logo after declaring victory.
“This campaign from the very beginning has never been about me, and it’s not about my opponent. This campaign is about the people of Alabama, and that’s where we’re going to keep the focus,” Wahl said to the crowd. “That’s what made this campaign different: it’s a movement, a movement for change. We’re going to keep it going. We’re going to work with Senator Tuberville as the next governor of the state of Alabama and we’re going to work as lieutenant governor to stand with him and change Alabama forever.”
Wahl previously told Alabama Daily News that his priority if elected would be improving affordability for families across Alabama. He said the relationships he made as ALGOP chair and his connection to Trump would help him succeed if he assumes the office.
Allen said he was proud of the campaign he ran over the last 18 months in his statement conceding the election.
“I have built relationships with amazing people from all corners of the state of Alabama,” Allen said. “Voters deserve candidates who travel the entire state and make themselves available in every community from the mountains of North Alabama to the peanut fields of the Wiregrass to the beaches of the Gulf Coast. I have listened to Alabamians, responded to their concerns and taken in their ideas for making the state the best it can be for our children and grandchildren.”
He will continue to serve as secretary of state until January.
Though the office of lieutenant governor has waning power, the men fought hard for the nomination, with many polls before Tuesday showing it to be a close race.
Apart from standing in wait in case something happens to the governor, Alabama’s lieutenant governor is primarily tasked with presiding over the Alabama State Senate. The office is also tasked with making appointments to various boards and commissions.
Much of the power once held by the state’s number two executive officer has been shifted to the Senate’s president pro tempore. This shift started more than two decades ago when Democrats still ruled the Legislature, but even last session, the Republican Senate passed new rules to further limit the authority of lieutenant governor in the Legislature.
Wahl will now face Democratic state Rep. Phillip Ensler of Montgomery in the general election on Nov. 3.