MOBILE — The Mobile County Republican Party's executive committee allowed several candidates to speak Monday night during its regular meeting. Among topics discussed were crime in Montgomery, transgender rhetoric and election integrity.
U.S. Senate candidates, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) took to the podium first.
Marshall highlighted his accomplishments as AG. Those accomplishments include fighting the opioid crisis, empowering and supporting law enforcement and pushing back against Biden administration policies on climate change and transgender issues.
"Y'all have given me the ability now, for the last eight and a half years, to be able to defend Alabama's sovereignty and defend our values against an overreaching Washington, D.C. and I stand here as a candidate for the United States Senate to be able to tell you that you can look at the last eight and a half years that I've had the privilege to be able to serve you as Attorney General to know what kind of U.S. Senator I would be," Marshall said.
Moore also pointed to his record, saying his votes in Congress prove he can hold the line for conservative values despite being hounded by lobbyists. His priorities have included veterans' needs, small businesses and illegal immigration.
"The fight is yet ahead of us," said Moore. "We have so much work to do. And when y'all send people to watch the D.C., you need to send somebody, number one, that you know how they're going to vote. My record is stellar."
Moore said he has supported President Donald Trump since day one.
Vying for Moore's current seat, former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) also addressed the crowd.
Carl said his experience as a small business owner, local government official and four years in Congress under the Biden administration helped him build a resume. He said his time since leaving Washington has allowed him to refocus.
"I've had nine months to reflect on myself," Carl said. "I spent nine months of busting trees in the backyard and doing yard work and talking to God all day long and having some real strong conversations about being my future. So, that's why I can stand here with confidence."
Carl also called on Moore and Marshall to ask Trump to deploy the National Guard to Montgomery.
"I would like to make a plea to Barry Moore and to Steve Marshall. Please tell the president we will take the National Guard to Montgomery if they want the change," Carl said. "Send the troops to Montgomery or Birmingham. We will take them tonight. So please send them. Let him know we need help. We need to clean our streets up with their safety."
Lieutenant Governor candidate Nicole Wadsworth reviewed her education and experience in negotiating complex economic development projects and commercial real estate transactions. Wadsworth said she is running on five key areas: Industry recruitment and retention, workforce development, statewide infrastructure improvements, rural health care and public safety.
"We need a lieutenant governor with the professionalism and the grit to get things done and who could steady the ship if something should happen to our governor – and y'all know that has happened in the state of Alabama a time or two."
Attorney General candidate Jay Mitchell, who was born in Mobile, said he decided to give up his position on the Alabama Supreme Court after Trump's victory in the last election. He said the AG's office and state government need to be engaged to stop crime in cities like Montgomery, Birmingham, Bessemer, Selma and Prichard.
"We've got to have more engagement from the state government in Montgomery and the AG's office to make sure that we're partnering with great local law enforcement to take bad guys off the streets and keep them put away," said Mitchell.
Mitchell said he would stand beside Trump on issues such as transgender rhetoric, left-wing violence and DEI mandates.
Caroleene Dobson, running for Secretary of State, took to the podium to thank supporters in her race last year for Congress. She told them God's will was done, and she learned what she needed to know about how to help Alabamians.
"I'm running because we Alabamians deserve a Secretary of State we can trust," said Dobson. "We deserve trust in our elections. We deserve trust in our economy and to ensure that we have trust in those elections. We have got to protect the process from the voter rolls all the way to the election day polls."
Dobson said she would work with the legislature to strengthen elections, ensuring that only live residents are registered to vote in the correct polling locations. She proposed establishing an election integrity office and vowed to investigate cases of voter fraud.
Christina Woerner McInnis, a candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, spoke at the meeting about her background in farming and her experience as a CEO and business leader.
"Agriculture is the number one industry for the state of Alabama," said McInnis. "It has a $77 billion economic impact and [represents] one out of 10 jobs. This is critically important to our economy, to our state, to our future."
McInnis said she wants to focus on the Farm Bill, protecting Alabama from China, connecting young farmers with resources, pairing Sweet Grown Alabama with tourism and creating a grant portal for farmers.
The Mobile County GOP executive committee will host additional candidates at its meeting on Jan. 5, 2026.
The primary election will be on May 19, 2026.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every day or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
