As president of the North Central Alabama Republican Assembly (NCALRA), I’ve heard the growing frustration among conservatives across our region, and it’s time for the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) to take notice. The ALGOP has held a supermajority since 2010 – 76 of 105 House seats and 26 of 35 Senate seats currently – yet Montgomery feels more like a den of RINOs than a stronghold of Alabama First values.
From career politicians who’ve overstayed their welcome to a governor who acts more Democrat than Republican, the ALGOP is failing its base. Some are even calling this crew the new “Yellow Dog Democrats,” blindly loyal to the establishment instead of fighting for the conservative principles that define our party.
The Alabama Legislature is a career politician’s paradise. The House averages 8.7 years in office, the Senate 9.7, with senior members clinging to power for 32 and 35 years. Over a third – 40% in the House, 37% in the Senate – are in their third term or more, far past what any term limit should allow. Don’t expect term limits anytime soon – these folks won’t vote away their $50,000 salaries. Worse, their output is pathetic. Some have passed as few as four bills in 12 years, while Rep. Berry Forte (D-Eufaula), per ALISON, hasn’t sponsored a bill since 2015. These aren’t citizen representatives; they’re professional seat-warmers, leaving core Republican priorities like limited government and traditional values on the back burner.
Gov. Kay Ivey is a big part of the problem. She began her political career as a Democrat, switched parties in 2002, and now, at 80, governs like she never left her old roots. When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that frozen embryos are children – a win for the pro-life cause – Ivey caved, signing a bill (SB159) to protect IVF providers instead of standing firm. Her 2024 education budget, which bloated spending despite Alabama’s dismal school rankings, is a slap in the face to fiscal conservatives. The legislature, packed with ALGOP yes-men, rubber-stamps her agenda, acting like the Yellow Dog Democrats of old who backed their party no matter what. At least she will be gone come election day.
This failure hits hard locally. In District 11, Rep. Randall Shedd’s 2024 resignation led to a candidate selection process that shut out grassroots conservatives, leaving many feeling the ALGOP cares more about loyalty than values. In District 12, Rep. Corey Harbison just quit after a decade of doing next to nothing – 27 bills in 10 years, none in 2022. Constituents were left wondering if he even showed up. Thanks to Alabama’s lax roll-call rules that let reps vote for absent colleagues, we will never know.
The ALGOP points to wins like the 2024 DEI ban, but these feel hollow when core issues – protecting local jobs, advancing a pro-life agenda – go ignored. Long-serving Democrats like Reps. Mary Moore (D-Birmingham) and Thomas Jackson, with almost no bills passed in 12 years, keep their seats because the ALGOP isn’t fielding strong conservative challengers. The party establishment has lost its way, more focused on maintaining power than delivering for the base.
On behalf of NCALRA, I’m calling on conservatives to take back our party. You can check your representative’s record by going to https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search?tab=1 and select either the search current session or search all sessions and enter their name in the filter. Demand candidates who fight for Alabama First values – limited government, local jobs, family first traditional principles. Support primary challenges against RINOs and push for transparency in candidate selections, like we saw in District 11. The 2026 midterms are coming – will conservatives force the ALGOP to return to its roots, or will Montgomery’s Yellow Dog tendencies finally crack the party’s grip?
Charles "Kip" Kiplinger, Vice President, North Central Alabama Republican Assembly.
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