A two-time candidate for the Public Service Commission has announced his candidacy for state auditor in the 2026 elections.
Robert L. “Lane” McCollum of Dadeville says he will run for the open seat being left by Auditor Andrew Sorrell, who has announced his own candidacy for secretary of state.
McCollum is the only formally announced candidate for Auditor following last week’s announcement by Sorrells that he will not run for a second term. Vestavia Hills attorney Derek Chen is exploring a run for Auditor. He formerly clerked for the Alabama Secretary of State and the Tuscaloosa District Attorney.
McCollum, who owns RLM Land Management in Tallapoosa County, has made two runs for statewide office.
In 2022, he won a seat in the runoff for PSC Place 2. He lost the runoff to two-term incumbent Chris “Chip” Beeker. In the primary, McCollum received 173,000 votes (36%) to Beeker’s 208,000 votes (43%).
In 2014, McCollum ran for PSC again against incumbent PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh, polling 210,000 votes (39% of the total) to Cavanaugh’s 330,000 (61%)
McCollum says he is “a loyal Trump Republican. I faithfully supported the GOP ticket in both elections and endorsed my former opponents for the fall elections.”
McCollum believes that “the office of state auditor is a position where I can use my business experience and proven ability to connect with Alabama’s conservative citizens to serve the state I love.”
“I want the Alabama conservative Christian voters to have a friend in state office. I want them to have a person in statewide elective office that will ‘go with them or go FOR them’ to get the results they need to get from our government.”
“There need to be more people in state government who know about making a payroll, working a hard honest day, dealing with the realities of a common Alabamian’s life. I do that every day.
“I’m not an ivory tower kind of guy. I‘m an honest-to-God Alabama working man. I go to church, I go to work. That’s the kind of guy I am. I do an honest day’s work every day. And that’s the kind of person we need in the Auditor’s office.
“Requirement#1 to be Auditor has to be honesty. And I believe the reason I have gained the support of hundreds of thousands of Alabama voters in my previous two races is that voters sense that I’m honest – and I’m one of US.”
McCollum plans to begin touring Alabama in the coming days to “listen to Alabama Republicans.”
“I want to find out what our great conservative Alabamians want their Auditor’s office to do. And I will share my vision of honest, conservative, tight-fisted management in state government. I genuinely believe that Alabama conservatives will like what I will do in Montgomery as state auditor.”
The race starts in the Republican primary in May 2026. Party nominees and independents who meet ballot requirements will run in the November 2026 general election.
“A businessman for all Alabamians.” — Robert L. McCollum
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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