The 2018 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of Alabama. Incumbent Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who took office on April 10, 2017, upon the resignation of Governor Robert Bentley, ran for election to a full term and won over Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox. Ivey was sworn into office on January 14, 2019.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
Tommy Battle, Mayor of Huntsville
Scott Dawson, evangelist
Bill Hightower, State Senator
Kay Ivey, incumbent governor
Michael McAllister, former prison officer (died April 2018)
Withdrew
Slade Blackwell, state senator
David Carrington, Jefferson County Commissioner
Twinkle Cavanaugh, president of the Public Service Commission (running for Lieutenant Governor) Stacy Lee George, former Morgan County Commissioner and candidate for governor in 2014 Josh Jones, businessman John McMillan, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries (running for state treasurer)
Declined
Rick Burgess, radio host
Bill "Bubba" Bussey, radio host
Bradley Byrne, U.S. Representative and candidate for governor in 2010 (running for reelection) Mary Scott Hunter, member of the Alabama State Board of Education (running for the state senate after initially running for Lieutenant Governor) Del Marsh, President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate (running for reelection) Arthur Orr, state senator (running for reelection) Trip Pittman, state senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2017 Greg Reed, Majority Leader of the Alabama Senate (running for reelection) Luther Strange, former U.S. Senator and former attorney general of Alabama Tommy Tuberville, former Auburn University football coach Cam Ward, state senator (running for reelection) Jim Zeigler, State Auditor of Alabama (running for reelection)
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
Sue Bell Cobb, former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court
Christopher A. Countryman, equality activist, former juvenile corrections officer and former pastor James C. Fields, former state representative and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2014 Walt Maddox, Mayor of Tuscaloosa Doug "New Blue" Smith, nominee for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries in 2014 Anthony White, ordained minister
Withdrew
Jason Childs, truck driver and former pastor
Declined
Doug Jones, U.S. Senator
Terri Sewell, U.S. Representative for Alabama's 7th Congressional District
Endorsements
Results
Independents
Candidates
Declared
Tony Hewitt Jr., police officer
Eric Lathan, security guard, Iraq War veteran and candidate for the Jefferson County Commission in 2010
Declined
Mark Johnston, pastor, businessman and summer camp executive director
General election
Predictions
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Maddox narrowly carried Tuscaloosa County, where he currently serves as mayor of Tuscaloosa, by a mere 1 vote. This is the first gubernatorial election since 2002 in which a Democrat won the county and the first since 1990 in which neighboring Pickens County voted for a different candidate than Tuscaloosa. This is the first time the Republican gubernatorial candidate carried Barbour county since 1872 during Reconstruction.
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Tuscaloosa County (largest city: Tuscaloosa) Jefferson County (largest city: Birmingham)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Barbour County (largest city: Eufaula)