Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate to run for lieutenant governor

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate will run for lieutenant governor next year against current Secretary of State Wes Allen.

Pate, a Republican, was elected agriculture commissioner in 2018 and reelected in 2022.

“I’ve spent my life working the land, running a business, and serving my neighbors,” Pate said in a statement announcing his campaign this week. He also stressed his support for President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach who is running for governor.

“As lieutenant governor, I’ll bring that same hands-on leadership to supporting President Trump and Coach Tuberville in advancing the America First Agenda — so Alabama stays a place where families thrive, agriculture prospers, and conservative values lead the way.”

The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, breaks ties in the chamber, steps in for the governor if that office becomes vacant and also makes a range of appointments, including for committees that dictate legislative priorities.

The position used to have more power in the the legislative process, but those duties were given to the Senate’s president pro tempore in 1999 after a partisan power struggle.

Allen, who is also a Republican, previously announced that he would seek the position.

Current Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who has served two terms, can not run again because of term limits.

Party primaries are May 19, 2026, followed by the general election on Nov. 3.