FAIRHOPE — Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth spoke Thursday at the sold-out Eastern Shore Republican Women's luncheon in Fairhope.
The visit came at one of the busiest times on Alabama's Gulf Coast. After visiting the beach, Ainsworth said he recognized the mass crowds that the state's beautiful coast attracts. With visitors comes traffic, and Ainsworth said he has several major projects on his list of things to do.
For the last year and a half of his term, Ainsworth said he will continue to work hard to widen interstates in Alabama and to expand the Baldwin Beach Express from Interstate 10 to Interstate 65.
"I'm glad to have sort of Britt's support on this, widening 65 from the Tennessee line to the Gulf of America," Ainsworth said. "We're going to get it done and also make sure I-10 gets the funding because it's important. We're going to make that happen."
"If you look at infrastructure going on, Baldwin County is booming," he continued. "It is so exciting to be down here and see what's going on," he said. "The excitement, wow, at the amount of people on the beach when we were down there walking. But with that, we've got to make sure to continue to invest in the parts of our state that are growing. Baldwin County is the fastest-growing county in our state, and I'm going to continue to advocate over the next 18 months to make sure y'all continue to get your fair share."
Ainsworth said law enforcement across the state has seen improvements, including partnerships formed with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) as part of the governor's Metro Area Crime Suppression (MACS) task force. In Montgomery, violent crime has decreased 30% since the unit was deployed. Ainsworth said the reduction in crime is due to the state's efforts, and he hopes to expand that program.
"Steven Reed, the mayor of Montgomery, had a press conference, and for some reason, he was taking credit for a lot of work that other people did," Ainsworth said. "But I think that same model where ALEA is going in and the state is partnering with local law enforcement, certainly we want to do that in other parts of the state as well, and I think that's a good model, and so we're gonna continue to do that."
Ainsworth voiced his support for President Donald Trump and current leaders such as U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery), saying that when conservatives are in charge, Americans win.
"It's a great time right now to be a Republican," said Ainsworth. "You think about what's going on in our country, I'm so encouraged, I can tell you as a state leader it's great to have support from the federal government."
On issues such as illegal immigration and government waste, Ainsworth said Washington is working for the people.
The current leadership in Washington, Ainsworth said, is benefiting Alabama, including a push to relocate the FBI training center from Quantico to Huntsville and to base the Space Force in Alabama.
Common-sense policies, such as banning DEI and prohibiting men from competing in women's sports, are other ways Ainsworth said the federal government is paralleling Alabama's values.
"[They] banned men in women's sports," he said. "There's nothing to me that's more egregious than that. In Alabama, we're backing it up with Susan DuBose's 'What is a Woman?' bill that Senator April Weaver carried up in the Senate. We're going to do that."
Ainsworth also credited Trump for his action on Iran's nuclear program.
"I believe this, alright? That President Trump honestly should win the Nobel Peace Prize for what he's been able to do," Ainsworth said. "Let's give our president a round of applause."
On a state and local level, Ainsworth vowed to continue fighting for families and education, even after his term is up.
"I plan on starting a group called 'Alabama First.' when I'm out of office, to work on policy issues; To make us first in education; Make us first in workforce; To help recruit industry," Ainsworth said. "I'm going to be engaged every day once I get out of office to help continue to make our state the best state and then I think certainly at some time in the future you'll see me on the ballot."
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