How does Alabama make our “Republican” speaker care about the party that elected him? It seems replacing him as the Republican nominee is the only way to get him and his cronies in Montgomery to listen.
The recent news out of Montgomery has revealed what many grassroots conservatives have suspected for years: there is a massive disconnect between Alabama’s conservative voters and the people claiming to govern in their name. That disconnect was laid bare when “Republican” Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) made clear on a leaked recording that he does not care about the Republican Party and would never support closing Republican primaries because, essentially, Democrats help determine our nominees, and Ledbetter and many of his fake Republicans would lose their seats.
Let that sink in.
The speaker of the Republican-led House openly acknowledged that the party label does not matter because the coalition that keeps power in Montgomery depends on liberals masquerading as Republicans.
Even worse, the outrage from “Republican” leadership is not directed at the substance of the statement. Instead, it focuses on the betrayal of the recording. We are told to be offended that someone revealed the truth, not offended by the actual truth.
But Alabama voters are not stupid. The betrayal was not the recording. The betrayal was the admission.
For years, conservatives have watched a Republican supermajority grow government, expand budgets, and protect tax increases while campaigning as if they were fighting them. The infamous gas tax expansion passed under “Republican” leadership, and even though President Trump is prioritizing no tax on overtime, our Alabama Legislature refuses to act like conservatives. State budgets have exploded far beyond population growth and inflation. Bureaucracies expand while accountability shrinks. And every legislative session, the same pattern repeats: conservative priorities stall while big government priorities glide through.
This is not accidental. It is a governing philosophy of an Obama Democrat pretending to be a Republican.
Ledbetter did not suddenly wake up disconnected from Republican voters. His governing style fits perfectly within big-government pragmatism: manage the bureaucracy, grow the state, maintain control, and keep primaries open so ideological accountability never threatens the ruling coalition. In other words, protect power, not principles.
I previously wrote about Alabama’s legislative failure, not because Republicans lack numbers, but because they lack alignment with the voters who gave them those numbers. The voters did not elect a supermajority to operate as a moderated Democratic legislature with better branding where conservative policies repeatedly die quietly and government expansion survives loudly. Yet here we are, and now we know why.
Closed primaries would allow Republican voters to choose Republican nominees. And that, apparently, is exactly what leadership fears. Because once the voters choose, the coalition collapses.
The speaker’s frustration on that recording was revealing. It was the frustration of someone who understands that the current system protects incumbents from accountability. Once Republican voters alone select Republican candidates, Republican officeholders will govern and vote as Republicans.
The outrage from grassroots conservatives has been swift and justified. But outrage without action is meaningless. Complaints on social media will not change Montgomery. Editorials will not change Montgomery.
Power changes Montgomery. And the Alabama Republican Party has power.
The State Executive Committee meets on March 7, and it is time for conviction and courage in our Alabama Republican Party. We have seen this conviction from Trump in Washington; now it is time for us to see it in Montgomery.
“All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing,” the old saying goes. Thus, all we need is someone courageous enough to walk up to the microphone during new business and make a motion to replace Ledbetter as our nominee. A simple majority by the State Executive Committee, and we can send this fake Republican packing.
Accountability means consequences.
The Alabama Republican Party bylaws provide mechanisms to address candidates who fundamentally reject the party’s principles. When a Republican nominee openly admits the party label is irrelevant and opposes allowing Republicans to select their own nominees, he has effectively declared independence from the party itself.
If the party means anything, that matters.
If the Republican label is more than a campaign logo, that matters.
If voters are more than a tool for gaining power, that matters.
House Republicans should have already addressed this internally, and ALGOP should use the power it’s given to force action. Leadership positions exist at the consent of the majority caucus. Yet silence has prevailed. The reluctance to act proves exactly why grassroots involvement matters, because insiders protect insiders.
Which is why the State Executive Committee exists. We elect members to it for moments exactly like this, not for ceremonial meetings nor polite statements, but for hard decisions when party identity is threatened by those elected under its banner.
We need members who understand party affiliation is not merely a ballot line but a governing commitment. We need members who recognize that protecting the Republican brand protects the voters who depend on it.
If a Republican speaker of the House openly states he does not care about the Republican Party, then the party must decide whether it cares about itself.
The argument against action will be predictable: unity, stability, avoiding conflict. But unity without principle is surrender. Stability without accountability is stagnation. Avoiding conflict is precisely how we got here.
Montgomery will not change until the cost of ignoring voters exceeds the comfort of ignoring them.
The March 7 meeting is not just another party gathering. It is a test of whether the party represents the voters or merely manages them, whether labels mean anything, and whether Alabama Republican voters actually control their party.
For years, conservatives have asked why elections don’t produce conservative governance. The leaked recording answered that question more clearly than any policy debate.
Now we must answer another: Does the party belong to its voters?
Because if the speaker does not give a s*** about the Republican Party, the only way to make him care is to let him be the Obama Democrat he is and replace him as the Republican nominee for Alabama House District 24!
I am urging all members of the State Executive Committee to act on March 7th and replace Nathaniel Ledbetter as our Republican nominee in the General Election.
Gerrick Wilkins is an automotive consultant, former congressional candidate, and author of Unshackling Democracy: Embracing Term Limits, Empowering Citizens. He can be reached at [email protected] or followed on X @gdwilkins.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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