The Alabama Republican Assembly endorsed Jim Zeigler at their statewide endorsing meeting in Prattville on Saturday.
The incumbent state auditor told the assembly, “State government needed a watchman against waste and mismanagement. I have added that role to the State Auditor’s office.”
The Alabama Republican Assembly calls itself “the Republican wing of the Republican party.” They were founded in 1998 in Alabama and are affiliated with the National Federation of Republican Assemblies. They seek to endorse the most conservative candidates.
Ronald Reagan called the Republican Assembly, “The conscious of the Republican Party.”
Zeigler was also recently endorsed by BamaCarry, a prominent gun rights group.
BamaCarry wrote in their endorsement, “Jim Zeigler is a man with convictions who cares about protecting our Second Amendment rights in Alabama! He has fought against gun-free zones and no-gun signs on public property and supports Constitutional carry. Jim believes we should have NO conditions on Constitutional rights.”
Zeigler has developed a reputation as a corruption fighter in his tenure as state Auditor.
BamaCarry wrote, “Fighting corruption, He filed the initial ethics complaint against former governor Robert Bentley and has worked to clean up our state government. BamaCarry Inc. is proud to endorse Jim Zeigler in the race for State Auditor, and our full support is behind him.”
Zeigler was a vocal critic of the now deposed Bentley administration. His repeated efforts to investigate the allegations swirling around the Bentley Administration eventually led to an Ethics Commission finding that Bentley probably broke Alabama ethics and campaign finance laws. Bentley resigned on the first day of impeachment hearings by the legislature and pleaded guilty to campaign finance law violations.
Bentley and his allies in the legislature punished the Auditor’s office with deep general fund budget cuts. Zeigler’s office is up-to-date on all audits despite suffering cuts of 28.5 percent to his budget in the last two Bentley budget bills.
The Ivey administration has not restored any of that lost funding. Two weeks ago, Zeigler’s auditors were told to move out of the Alabama Statehouse, where they have been housed since 2007. He is now seeking space for the auditors.
“Under adverse circumstances, we have continued to get things done for the taxpayers of Alabama,” he said.
In 2016, Zeigler’s wife Jackie won election to the State Board of Education from the seven counties of southwest Alabama’s first district. She had challenged a Bentley-appointed incumbent who raised over $200,000 in outside campaign donations, most of it from pro-Common Core business interests allied with Bentley and BCA.
Mrs. Zeigler raised only $20,000 but won 62 percent to 38 percent. She was an elementary school principal and had won the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence; while her opponent had no experience working in the public schools
Jim Zeigler is a retired elder law attorney, having represented Veterans and senior citizens in obtaining nursing home benefits. He is term-limited to two terms as State Auditor.
Pastor Dr, Stan Cooke and Elliott Lipinsky are also running in the Republican primary on June 5.
The eventual winner of the GOP Primary will face Democrat Miranda Karrine Joseph in the November 6 general election.
