Despite being an election year, the 2026 state legislative session had its fair share of controversies, down to the final day when two popular, conservative bills died on the vine.
One bill would have closed Alabama's primary elections. The other would have boosted Montgomery's law enforcement at a time when crime is out of control, thanks to Democrat Mayor Steven Reed's failed leadership. But instead of addressing the bills, House Speaker Nathaniel Lebetter (R-Rainsville) adjourned earlier than expected, ending any chance of them passing.
Was it simply a missed opportunity, bad scheduling or a strategic political move? 1819 New CEO Bryan Dawson tackled these questions on the latest episode of "1819 News: The Podcast," where he explained how Ledbetter "intentionally ceded ground to the left."
"I want to like Nathaniel Ledbetter, our House Speaker," Dawson said. "I want to like him, I really do.I have friends who tell me how conservative he is. I'm not buying it... I don't think he's a bad person. However, the man does not have a conservative bone in his body... He doesn't understand the nature of the battle that we are in."
The House had already passed a version of the closed primary bill, but adjourning early meant it had no chance to approve any favorable amendments from the Senate's version, if it had passed. Dawson argued that this provided Ledbetter, who may benefit from Democrats voting in GOP primaries, with cover to appear to support the bill while causing it to die.
"When Democrats in a Republican supermajority state know that they have no chance to win, they go over into Republican primaries, and they help pick the Republican nominee, and the Democrat is not going to go with the conservative person," Dawson said. "They're going to go with the person who's more like them. So, they're watering down the conservative vote in the primaries… It makes no sense at all. And so you're giving political agency to people who hate you. What's the point of having a Republican supermajority if this is how you're going to act?"
On the Montgomery police staffing bill, Dawson noted that, in addition to broad support in the legislature, it was praised by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn).
"Everybody's showing support for this bill. It's just a really good thing. And then Ledbetter is like, 'Nah fam, we're fixing to give the progressive Marxist a victory,'… So why? Did he cut a deal with Reed? I can't think of any other explanation. Other than maybe petty vindictiveness against the people he believed wanted to see that bill passed."
Dawson said Republican lawmakers should be less concerned about "reaching across the aisle" and playing nice with Democrats and focus more on delivering real wins for their conservative base.
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