One of the best races in this blockbuster election year will be for Lt. Governor. In bygone years, this was a much more powerful position than it is today. For about 50 years, from the 1950’s through the 1990’s, the Lt. Governor controlled the State Senate.
Several years ago, I wrote a column critical of Jeffrey Epstein getting a lenient deal in his original sentencing. I got angry replies, including someone in politics who informed me how ignorant I was, and that there was nothing wrong with such a mild sentence. It’s why I’ve been a little gun-shy about writing another column calling for more investigations of Epstein.
(The Center Square) – A group of 26 financial officers from 21 states sent letters to 18 major financial institutions this week, warning them to abandon environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices if they wish to continue doing business with their states.
The week of Independence Day, the U.S. Senate took on the tall order of passing President Trump’s sweeping domestic policy package—the One Big Beautiful Bill. After more than 26 hours of voting, the Senate passed the bill, which was then sent to the House of Representatives for final passage. On July 4, President Trump signed it into law.
For the last few years after every Civic Group or Chamber banquet I spoke to, I would typically open the floor for questions and invariably the most prominent inquiry was who is going to run for Governor in 2026.
Attorney General Steve Marshall sent a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) urging the organization to restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards, and recognitions they earned but were denied because of policies that allowed biological males to compete in female categories.
(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and several Republican cosponsors, introduced the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act to hold accountable financiers of rioters and vandals.
As early as last Thanksgiving, there were smoke signals coming out of Washington that our popular Senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, was going to forgo an easy re-election jaunt to a second, six-year term in the United States Senate, to run for Governor of Alabama in 2026. The coveted Governor’s office was going to be open because Governor Kay Ivey could not run for another term. Kay will have served as Governor longer than anyone in state history, other than George Wallace, when her decade long tenure ends in January of 2027.
It’s almost time to go to the polls again. This time ballots will be cast in towns and cities to select mayors, council members and, in some cases, boards of education members.
As I write this, the House and Senate are rushing to pass what’s become known as “The Big Beautiful Bill.” There’s resistance to even a Senate reading of the nearly 1,000-page piece of legislation. The richest get thousands of dollars in tax breaks, the poor will lose over $1,500 each, and the bill increases the budget deficit by trillions of dollars. But there are solutions.
