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The office of Gov. Kay Ivey sent out a statement to media Thursday addressing rumors that Ivey is in bad health.
“When it’s a slow news day in the summer, rumors run rampant in the Capital City,” said Gina Maiola, Ivey’s communications director. “While I did not want to give any credibility to these bogus rumors, I do want to be sure to clear the air and set the record straight. Governor Ivey is doing great, and she continues to thank the Good Lord for keeping her healthy and cancer-free. We look forward to her leading the state of Alabama for years to come.”
The statement comes within two hours of an opinion column by AL.com’s Kyle Whitmire detailing Ivey’s lack of public appearances and his account of struggling to get any information from the office.
Whitmire said sources who should know confirmed something was going on, so he reached out to Maiola last Thursday in an email but got no response. Over the next few days he says he tried calling Maiola, then texting her, then calling the governor’s office, then calling Ivey’s chief of staff Liz Filmore, then sending Filmore a text, and finally reached a low level staffer to attempt to run the message up the chain.
On Monday, fellow AL.com reporter Mike Cason joined in and tried to ask in person about Ivey’s condition as well as a schedule for her public appearances for the week.
According to Whitmire, they got nothing back.
Rumors about Ivey’s health have popped up from time to time after her bout with lung cancer three years ago.
Now Ivey is destined to gain reelection to the seat as she is expected to defeat Democratic nominee Yolanda Flowers in the general election.
