Alabama will elect a new state auditor in the 2026 elections, and Vestavia Hills lawyer Derek Chen has announced his candidacy for the job.
Chen made the official announcement Wednesday on FM Talk 1065’s "The Jeff Poor Show."
“I am officially announcing my campaign to be our next state auditor," he stated. "As Alabamians, we not only deserve but demand transparency and efficiency with our tax dollars.
"I am running for state auditor to ensure that our government is accountable to the people first and foremost, and I am laser-focused on a few core issues: accountability, transparency, and government efficiency," Chen explained.
Chen told host Jeff Poor that most voters do not realize that the state auditor appoints a voter registrar in 66 of Alabama's 67 counties, lacking only Jefferson County. He said he would use the auditor's role in selecting voter registrars to ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens register to vote.
The attorney noted that there have been movements to abolish the state auditor's office in the past. He said it's important to strengthen government accountability, and he does not think the people of Alabama would vote to abolish the auditor. He noted that a statewide referendum of voters would be required to abolish the constitutional office.
Chen, 27, earned his undergraduate degree from Hope College, a small Christian school, before earning a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Birmingham’s Samford University. He went on to earn his MBA from the University of Alabama.
Chen's family legally immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 1980s to escape the threat of Communism posed by Communist China. Chen believes this heritage gives him a unique perspective on the importance of being a legal U.S. citizen and being watchful of government overreach.
Chen told Poor, “I always tell people that the most important public office is being an informed citizen. As Americans, we should never take our freedoms for granted. Fighting back against government overreach is not theoretical for me. It is a civic responsibility. My family escaped the threat of communism and, thankfully, I escaped socialist California for the free state of Alabama.”
Chen formerly served in the Alabama Secretary of State's office and the Tuscaloosa District Attorney's office.
Chen is a successful businessman and lawyer in Vestavia Hills. His success affords him an advantage in running for office—he can self-fund his campaign and will have the money to spread his message.
Chen has been a prominent attendee at Republican events over recent years. He has made contacts and developed a network of conservatives across the state. He has also been an active fundraiser for the GOP and conservative groups. Chen typically makes a donation to each event that is large enough to qualify him to invite a table full of guests. Could the Chen guests at political events become part of the Chen Team for his campaign for state auditor?
Chen has been a big supporter of President Donald Trump since the start of 2015. He has met with Trump and Trump team leaders in Washington, D.C. and Mar-a-Lago, the Trump home and headquarters in South Florida. Over the years, he has developed relationships with leaders of the Trump organization. Could those Trump contacts develop into support for Chen’s run for state auditor?
“I have supported President Trump since day one. I have supported his America First agenda since day one. As Auditor, I will put Alabama taxpayers first on day one. DOGE has created a lot of energy nationally, and just like D.C., Montgomery could use a reality check," he declared.
The state auditor position will be an open seat because incumbent auditor Andrew Sorrell is not running again. He has announced that he is running for the open seat of Secretary of State.
The deadline to qualify to run in Alabama's 2026 elections is 10 months away – January 30, 2026. After that date, no further candidates can qualify to run in the Republican or Democratic primaries. Voting date for the primaries is May 26, 2026. The party nominees and any Independent or third-party candidates who have qualified will then run in the final round, the general election of November 3, 2026.
Chen's campaign can be reached here. His website can be found here.
Jim' Zig' Zeigler writes about Alabama's people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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