Lieutenant Governor
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
PHILLIP ENSLER(Democratic)
Campaign website
Ensler is an attorney and Alabama state representative for District 74, elected in 2022. He is executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama; he previously taught in Montgomery Public Schools and worked as a policy adviser for the City of Montgomery. (Meet Phillip Ensler)
In their own words
- Lottery and data centers: Ensler supports a state lottery and a moratorium on data center construction until safeguards and transparency rules are in place. Alabama Reflector
- Gun safety: He supports gun-safety measures including safe storage, allowing intervention during mental-health crises, and restoring a permit requirement for public carry. Alabama Reflector
- Taxes and schools: He supports eliminating the grocery and overtime taxes and raising the minimum wage; he opposes using public funds for private-school vouchers. Alabama Reflector
JOHN WAHL(Republican)
Campaign website
Wahl is a former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party and is running for lieutenant governor. His campaign describes him as a small-business owner and longtime Alabama resident. (John Wahl for Lieutenant Governor — About)
In their own words
- Education: Wahl has said he wants to improve education and give parents a greater role in their children’s education. AL.com
- Taxes and energy: He has called for lower taxes, fewer business regulations, and energy independence from foreign oil. AL.com
- School choice: Wahl supports school choice, saying families should decide what is best for their children. John Wahl for Lieutenant Governor
State Senate, District 10
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
ANDREW JONES(Republican)
Campaign website
Andrew Jones is a small-business owner and farmer and serves as the State Senator for District 10. The campaign site also identifies him as vice-chair of the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority and says he serves on the Agriculture and Forestry committee. (Andrew Jones campaign — Issues)
In their own words
- Small business: He supports cutting red tape and regulation to help small businesses and family farms, and says he has supported restrictions on foreign-adversary purchases of Alabama farmland. Andrew Jones campaign — Issues
- Roads and bridges: He supports road and bridge investment, including widening U.S. 411, extending I-759 and building a new Southside Bridge. Andrew Jones campaign — Issues
- Education: He supports expanding access to Pre-K, while saying it should not be mandatory, and supports parental access to classroom curriculum. Andrew Jones campaign — Issues
JESSE BATTLES(Independent)
Campaign website
Jesse Battles describes himself as a small-business owner and seventh-generation Etowah County native. His campaign biography says he graduated from Gadsden State Community College and Jacksonville State University, worked in the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, served as Gadsden Rotary Club president and serves on the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority board. (Jesse Battles campaign)
State House, District 28
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
ROBERT LOUIS HUNTER(Democratic)
Campaign website
Robert Hunter’s campaign describes him as a community leader and grassroots organizer. It says he serves as vice chair of minority affairs for Etowah County, has been active in the State Executive Committee’s Youth Caucus for six years, organized youth efforts with STAY, and ran Gadsden’s Free Store for two years. (Robert Hunter campaign)
MACK N BUTLER(Republican)Incumbent
Campaign website
Mack Butler and his wife founded and run Butler Electrical Contractors and Butler Properties. His campaign biography says he served two terms in the Alabama House and ten years on the Etowah County School Board. (Mack Butler campaign)
State House, District 29
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
MARK A. GIDLEY(Republican)Incumbent
Campaign website
Mark Gidley represents House District 29 and has served in the Legislature since his election in 2022. His campaign describes him as a pastor and lifelong Etowah County resident and says he serves on the House Education Policy, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Commerce and Small Business committees. (Mark Gidley campaign)
In their own words
- Military families: He highlights legislation simplifying professional licensing for military spouses relocating to Alabama. Mark Gidley campaign
- School chaplains: He supports voluntary chaplain services for educators and students through the School Chaplain Program Act. Mark Gidley campaign
- School staffing: He says the Assistant Principal Bill added assistant principals to schools across the state. Mark Gidley campaign
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Place 7
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
BRAD MENDHEIM(Republican)Incumbent
Brad Mendheim has served as an Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court since his appointment in January 2018. Before that, he was a circuit judge from 2008, a Houston County district judge from 2001 to 2008, and an assistant district attorney for more than six years; the Governor's announcement also says he practiced law privately in Dothan. (Alabama Governor's Office)
In their own words
- Judicial experience: His public profile emphasizes his judicial experience: he has presided over more than 300 jury trials and has accepted assignments to hear cases in counties across Alabama. Alabama Governor's Office
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Place 8
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
ASHLEIGH MEYER DUNHAM(Democratic)
Campaign website
Ashleigh Meyer Dunham is a Birmingham-area attorney whose practice focuses on fertility and family law, and she serves as a referee in Jefferson County Juvenile Court. Her campaign biography describes her work adjudicating family and juvenile matters; sources reviewed did not state how long she has lived in the area. (Ashleigh for Alabama, Vote the Person)
In their own words
- Reproductive care: She says Alabamians deserve privacy, compassion, and fairness in decisions involving IVF, reproductive care, and other personal health care, and says she would work to keep the state out of personal family decisions. Ashleigh for Alabama
- Judicial philosophy: The profile lists extensive judicial-philosophy and constitutional questions, but records that she did not answer the question about whether Dobbs was correctly decided; the page provides no answer to cite as a stated position on that question. iVoterGuide
GREG SHAW(Republican)Incumbent
Campaign website
Greg Shaw has served as an Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court since 2009. Before joining the Court, he served on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals from 2001 to 2009 and worked for more than 15 years as a senior staff attorney at the Supreme Court; he earned a chemistry degree from Auburn, a law degree from Cumberland School of Law, and an LL.M. in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia. (Justice Greg Shaw campaign website, Vote the Person)
In their own words
- Judicial approach: He says his judicial career has been dedicated to applying the law as written and addressing issues before the Court fairly. Justice Greg Shaw campaign website
- Judicial restraint: A summary of his 2020 reelection campaign quotes his position that judges should interpret the law rather than create new law, stating: “Activist judges legislate from the bench, but not conservative Justice Greg Shaw.” iVoterGuide
Court of Civil Appeals Judge, Place 4
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
BENJAMIN M. BOWDEN(Republican)
Benjamin M. Bowden has served as a judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals since 2025. Sources reviewed report that he earned his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1992, served as Covington County probate judge and circuit judge, and served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, retiring from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel in 2023. (The Ballot Brief)
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 4
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
MARY WINDOM(Republican)Incumbent
Mary Windom was elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2008 and became its presiding judge in 2012. Before joining the court, she practiced law, served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Alabama, and was a Deputy Attorney General for Alabama. (Vote the Person)
Secretary of State
Candidate list from Alabama Secretary of State, Etowah County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
WAYNE ROGERS(Democratic)
Campaign website
Wayne Rogers is an attorney and Thomasville native who earned degrees from Samford University and Cumberland School of Law. His career has included service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, more than two decades in private practice, and work as executive assistant to the Jefferson County sheriff; he also chaired the Jefferson County Democratic Party. (Wayne Rogers for Alabama Secretary of State, iVoterGuide)
In their own words
- Voting access: Rogers said he wants to change how Alabama conducts and finances elections and would work for an Alabama Voting Rights Act of 2027. He also proposed lowering the voter-registration age to 16, while leaving the voting age at 18. Anniston Star
- Election administration: Rogers says his campaign priorities include protecting voter access, election integrity, and transparent and trustworthy election processes. Wayne Rogers for Alabama Secretary of State
CAROLEENE DOBSON(Republican)Incumbent
Campaign website
Caroleene Dobson was born and raised on her family’s farm in Monroe County. She earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a law degree from Baylor University School of Law, and is a shareholder at Maynard Nexsen in Montgomery, where she practices natural-resources, commercial-finance, and real-estate law. (1819 News)
In their own words
- Election security: Dobson said she would prioritize election-security enforcement and support legislation for statewide post-election audits. 1819 News
- Business services: Dobson says she will reduce fees on Alabama businesses and streamline services for the public. Dobson for Alabama
- Voter registration: Dobson said she wants to maintain accurate voter rolls, strengthen proof-of-identity and citizenship requirements for voter registration, and enforce laws against absentee-ballot harvesting. The Cullman Tribune