September 2017 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
Governor Ivey’s election news and other announcements are hot topics in Alabama politics this month.
- Gov. Ivey to Run: It’s official, Governor Kay Ivey, who for months deflected questions about her plans for 2018, formally announced she is seeking re-election next year. In recent weeks, she has put major effort into building up a campaign. The governor established a finance committee and began raking in money. It was recently announced the Ivey has raised more than $1 million so far for her campaign. In correspondence released by her campaign, Ivey, who became the state’s chief executive after Robert Bentley resigned in April, cited her efforts to improve ethics within state government, while hitting a traditional theme of economic development. Governor Ivey officially enters the campaign with a high approval rating and the power of incumbency.
- Quinton Ross Named ASU President: The Alabama State University board of trustees named state Senator Quinton Ross as the university’s president. Ross, the Senate minority leader from Montgomery, is an ASU alum. It’s where he earned an Ed.D. in educational leadership, policy and law. Ross has served in the Alabama Senate since 2002. He also served as director of adult education at Trenholm State Community College from 2004 to 2014 and since 2015, has been a consultant for the Alabama Education Association. ASU Board Chair Alfreda Green said Ross separated himself from the other candidates during his interview with the board and lauded him for his state connections and fundraising ability.
- Sellers to Seek Full Term: Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Will Sellers, appointed to the court by Governor Kay Ivey, announced he will seek a full term in next year’s election. Sellers graduated from Hillsdale College in 1985 and received his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1988. Sellers was a lawyer with the Balch & Bingham firm in Montgomery until his appointment to the court. Sellers was an Electoral College elector for Alabama in each of the last four elections. He has received endorsements from the Business Council of Alabama’s political action committee and the Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee.
