Late Tuesday evening, Governor Kay Ivey’s re-election campaign released a statement welcoming Tim James and Lynda Blanchard to the governor’s race. In essence, Ivey’s team asked how her challengers’ words stack up against her accomplishments?
“Other candidates are welcome to contrast their promises with the governor’s record if they’d like to try,” her campaign said. The campaign took a swipe at James over his opposition to yoga and Blanchard’s considerable personal fortune, which they claim she is using to buy an elected office.
Ivey’s team suggested that James and Blanchard might be better suited to run for governor in “New York or California, not Alabama.”
“We welcome Lynda/Lindy Blanchard and Tim James to the governor’s race,” the release read.
“Governor Ivey has been a steady conservative producing results for the people of Alabama: our economy is growing at record levels – 44,000 new jobs and counting and the lowest unemployment in state history,” it reads.
Ivey’s campaign pointed out that she has signed legislation banning vaccine passports and critical race theory, signed the strongest abortion restrictions in America, and backed law enforcement.
“She has banned transgender sports in our schools, stood with President Trump, and protected our elections in Alabama,” her campaign said. “Governor Ivey has gone toe to toe with Washington — suing President Biden every step of the way to fight back against his out-of-control mandates, repeatedly making clear Washington will never tell Alabama what to do.”
“Other candidates are welcome to contrast their promises with the Governor’s record if they’d like to try, but they first need to answer a simple question: besides opposing yoga or being willing to spend personal money in hopes of buying an elected office, what conservative accomplishment above do you disagree with? Should Governor Ivey not have created jobs, signed the strongest pro-life bill, banned CRT, fought Biden, and passed election security? If you believe any of those are wrong, perhaps you ought to run for office in New York or California, not Alabama.”
James has sought the governor’s office twice before, and Blanchard is a political newcomer with ties to former President Donald Trump. Both hope to unseat Ivey in the Republican primary on May 24, 2022.
