Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth on Friday announced that he is running for a second term in office. Ainsworth will formally launch his campaign at a re-election kickoff event on Friday in Guntersville. Ainsworth is the latest constitutional officer to announce that he is running for a second term in office.
The event will be at the Jeff Cook Performing Arts Stage at the Guntersville Civitan Park. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield, R-Guntersville, will be some of the special guests present. The event will be June 4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. CST.
The Ainsworth for Lt. Governor Reelection Kickoff Event is free and is open to the public. Country music star Riley Green will be performing. Jed Eye will also be providing music and entertainment.
Ainsworth was elected in 2018 after serving one term in the Alabama House of Representatives. Ainsworth is a businessman, realtor, real estate developer and farmer. Bradley Cox will serve as Ainsworth’s campaign manager.
Ainsworth and his wife Kendall have three children.
Prior to entering public service, Ainsworth worked as a youth pastor at Albertville’s Grace Fellowship Church. The Marshall County businessman is a co-founder of Dream Ranch and the Tennessee Valley Hunting and Fishing Expo. He currently owns Ainsworth Real Estate and Ainsworth Homes, which specialize in residential real estate construction and development. Ainsworth also owns a commercial Hereford and purebred Brahman cattle operation in Guntersville.
While serving in the House, Ainsworth advocated for public education, passed election integrity legislation, supported pro-business measures and was active on issues affecting agriculture and protecting family values.
Ainsworth defeated Public Service Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh in a fiercely contested Republican primary in 2018 and then received the most votes of any candidate for constitutional office on the 2018 general election ballot.
Through the work of the Lieutenant Governor’s Commission on a 21st Century Workforce, he has focused on improving workforce development so that Alabamians may fill and retain long-lasting, well-paying, 21st Century jobs.
Ainsworth says that he is committed to providing quality public education to Alabama’s schoolchildren and is a strong supporter of the state’s nationally recognized “First Class” Pre-K program.
He is the chairman of the Alabama Small Business Commission, and through work with national business leaders, Ainsworth promotes policies that allow both new and existing businesses – ranging from small, mom-and-pop operations to Alabama’s largest employers – to grow and expand.
Ainsworth also serves as chairman of the Alabama Military Stability Commission, which works to ensure Alabama remains the most military and veteran-friendly state in the country. Ainsworth received the Pete Taylor Award from the U.S. Department of Defense for his work on behalf of military members and their families.
He also serves as national chairman of the Aerospace States Association, which brings together aviation and aerospace interests from across the nation in order to provide networking opportunities, grow jobs, and expand economic development.
Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate has already announced that he is running for re-election. Secretary of State John Merrill and State Auditor Jim Zeigler are both term-limited from seeking another term. Merrill has already announced that he will not seek another office in 2022.
Ivey is expected to announce that she is seeking re-election in the coming weeks. Pastor Dean Odle has already announced that he is running for governor in the Republican primary. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, has announced that he will not seek re-election. Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, and former U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard have both announced their candidacies for that open Senate seat.
The 2024 Republican and Democratic primaries will be on May 24, 2022. Campaign fundraising season is well underway.
