For the first time in Alabama history, two women will face off for the state’s highest office.
Yolanda Flowers, of Birmingham, won a Democratic runoff Tuesday evening against Sen. Malika Sanders Fortier, D-Selma. She will face Republican incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey in the general election Nov. 8.
“Thank you so very much, God bless and let’s press toward November 8th as we reconstruct Alabama, together!” Flowers said Tuesday night after her victory. She is the first Black woman nominated for governor by a major party in Alabama.
Ivey is the second woman and first Republican woman elected to the governor’s office. She ranked as one of the 10 most popular governors in the country recently, garnering an approval rating of 62%.
See live June 2022 runoff election results here.
Read more: Katie Britt on her way to be first woman elected as an Alabama senator.
Ivey swept her opponents in the 2022 primary elections in May, pulling ahead more than 30% from second-place candidate Lindy Blanchard.
During the 2022 race, each party also saw a woman as the runner-up for the gubernatorial nomination. And in Alabama’s high-profile U.S. Senate race, Katie Britt won against Rep. Mo Brooks.
No woman has been elected to the Senate from Alabama, though two have served in appointed roles. The state also has never had a female senator and governor serving at the same time.
Before Ivey, Alabama’s first female governor was Lurleen Wallace, who in 1966 ran when her husband, former Gov. George Wallace, could not run for another consecutive term. According to the National Governors Association, Wallace admitted that her husband would still make the administrative and policy decisions.
David Hughes, an associate professor in the department of political science and public administration at Auburn University at Montgomery, said it’s “not remotely likely” that Alabama will have a Democrat in the governor’s office this fall.
In a typical election year, a Democratic candidate for statewide office has to overcome a roughly 20-point deficit, Hughes said.
“Generally speaking, Republicans are going to win around 60% of the vote. Democrats are going to win around 40% of the vote, and that’s on a good day,” Hughes said.
Hughes recalled Walt Maddox’s campaign against Ivey, saying that despite Maddox’s qualifications, electoral experience, ample campaign finances and popular policy stances, he wasn’t able to come close to Ivey’s poll numbers.
Whoever wins the general election -- Ivey is heavily favored -- Hughes noted that this is a remarkable campaign for women in Alabama.
It’s a long-awaited step forward for the state. According to Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics, Alabama ranks 46th in the country when it comes to female legislators, totaling only 16.4% women in the state Legislature, or 23 out of 140.
According to the most recent Status of Women in Alabama report from The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham, 17.8% of Alabama women work in the government sector.
Hughes said he thinks this shift has been decades in the making and is the beginning of more women taking office in the state.
“I absolutely expect to see that as the years progress, there will be more women in the legislature, there will be more women elected to statewide office,” Hughes said. “Alabama just got off to a very slow start compared to some other states.”
Sarah Swetlik is a gender and politics reporter at AL.com. She is supported through a partnership with Report for America. Contribute to support the team here.