By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Wednesday, Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington announced that he was ending his campaign for Governor of Alabama.
Carrington said in a statement to supporters, “After prayerful consideration, I’ve decided it’s time for me to end my campaign for Governor.”
Carrington said, “My six-month journey has been fascinating – one I will never forget or regret. I’ve learned so much about our state, its politics, its citizens and myself. My decision has nothing to do with health or relationship issues. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
“To my family and friends, thank you for your words of encouragement. To my contributors and volunteers, thank you for the confidence you placed in me. To my wife Sonia, thank you for your unending love and support. And, to the remaining candidates, Godspeed,” Carrington said. “I plan to serve out the remainder of my term on the Jefferson County Commission and have no current plans to seek another elected office in the future. It was never about the position; it was always about improving the quality of government for our citizens.”
Carrington said, “In closing, I want my campaign contributors to know they will be reimbursed in full and my vendors to know they will be paid in full.”
Over four months ago, most politicos thought that Gov. Kay Ivey, who had just assumed the governorship when Gov. Robert Bentley was forced to resign, would not run for the office herself in 2018. Since then, those early impressions have proven wrong. Ivey has declared her intentions to run for the office next year, has raised over a million dollars and appears to be the early front runner in a field that is much less wide open than was earlier thought.
Carrington is a successful businessman, and he led Jefferson County out of a debilitating bankruptcy, but that record of accomplishment is not well known outside of Jefferson County. As the largest county in the state, it is almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, which greatly diminishes the importance that Alabama’s largest county plays in the party primaries, and Carrington was not the only Jefferson County Republican running. Carrington has trailed some of the other candidates in funds raised.
With Carrington out, the field for Governor looks like this: Ivey, 72, seeking a full term; Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, state Sen. Bill Hightower, R-Mobile, Birmingham area evangelist Scott Dawson and Birmingham area businessman Josh Jones are all running in the Republican primary at this point. State Auditor Jim Zeigler is also contemplating a run for the office. Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb and same-sex marriage advocate Christopher Countryman have both announced they are running for the Democratic nomination. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox is also contemplating a run for the Democratic nomination. Camp Administrator Mark Johnston is running as an Independent.
The 2018 major party primaries will be on June 5, 2018.
