State Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) announced on Monday that he will seek re-election in 2026.
Waggoner, 88, is the longest serving state lawmaker in Alabama history.
“I’ve devoted a lifetime to serving my state, my community, and my neighbors, but there is still much work to be done and many goals to accomplish before all the hay is in the barn,” Waggoner said. “Though we’ve made tremendous progress over the years in education, economic development, and ensuring Alabama’s morals and values are protected, I remain committed to making our already great state even better.”
When the GOP won a legislative supermajority following the 2010 statewide elections, Waggoner’s experience was recognized by his colleagues when he was selected as the first Republican majority leader in Alabama history as the office did not exist during the Reconstruction era. He was also selected as chairman of the powerful, agenda-setting Senate Rules Committee, an influential post Waggoner has held throughout the past 15 years.
Currently serving his eighth term in the State Senate, Waggoner was originally elected to the Alabama House in 1966 as a Democrat and remained in that body until 1983, when he officially switched to the Republican Party and ran an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Congress.
He was first elected to the State Senate in 1990.
Waggoner and his wife, Marilyn, have been married for 67 years, and they are devoted members of the Homewood Church of Christ.
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