The Alabama Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party and the dominant political party in Alabama. The party is governed by the Alabama Republican Executive Committee, which has over 400 members — making it one of the largest state parties in the nation. Members are elected in the Republican Primary every four years, with the last election cycle held in 2022. The Executive Committee elects the State Chairman and other officers who manage the party’s day‑to‑day operations, as well as Alabama’s National Committeeman and Committeewoman to the Republican National Committee. The Committee is responsible for overseeing elections, growing the Republican base, and promoting the platforms and principles of the Republican Party.
John Wahl of Limestone County was elected Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party by the Executive Committee on February 27, 2021, by acclamation. The chairman also serves as a member of the Republican National Committee.
Early History (1854–1890)
The Republican Party was organized in 1854 as an anti‑slavery party and initially did not compete in southern states like Alabama. Abraham Lincoln, the party’s 1860 nominee, was not on the Alabama ballot. Following the Civil War and Alabama’s readmission to the Union in 1868, Republicans dominated the state during Reconstruction — supported by unionists, poor white farmers, and newly enfranchised black voters. The first State Convention of the Alabama Republican Party was held June 4–5, 1867, in Montgomery.
In 1868, William Hugh Smith was elected the state’s first Republican governor for a two‑year term, with Andrew Applegate as the first Republican Lieutenant Governor. The post‑Civil War legislature that year included 97 Republicans and three Democrats in the House and 32 Republicans to one Democrat in the Senate. That legislature also included 27 African‑American Republicans — the first minority members in Alabama history — including Benjamin F. Royal, the state’s first black senator. Governor Smith was narrowly defeated in 1870, and Democrats regained control of the House.
David P. Lewis became the state’s second Republican governor in 1872, serving until 1874. His administration saw a legislature with competing majorities and 24 African‑American Republican members. By 1878, Republican representation in the legislature had fallen to just eight members in the House. Following the adoption of Alabama’s 1875 Constitution and the expansion of Jim Crow laws, black voter participation and Republican representation sharply declined, with few Republicans elected to the legislature again until the 1970s.
During Reconstruction, three African‑American Republicans — Benjamin Turner, James T. Rapier, and Jeremiah Haralson — were elected to the U.S. Congress from Alabama. The state’s first Republican Congressmen were elected in 1868, including Charles W. Buckley, Francis W. Kellogg, Benjamin W. Norris, Charles W. Pierce, John B. Callis, and Thomas Haughey, who was assassinated while giving a speech. The first Republican U.S. Senators from Alabama were Willard Warner (1868–1871) and George E. Spencer (1868–1879), elected by the legislature.
Alabama Republicans and the Populists (1890–1916)
In the late 1890s, Republicans sometimes formed “fusion tickets” with the Populist Party, winning offices in several hill counties including Marshall, St. Clair, Shelby, and Chilton. Republican candidates held local offices and occasionally state legislative seats. Notable officeholders during this period included Thomas Kennamer, Lewis W. Reynolds, S. J. Petree, C. C. Scheuing, and J. B. Sloan. In 1910, J. J. Curtis became the first Republican Circuit Judge since Reconstruction.
In the 54th Congress, Truman H. Aldrich (1896–1897) and William F. Aldrich (1896–1901) served as Republicans. William Aldrich was seated in three disputed elections ultimately decided by Congress. No Republican would be elected from Alabama to Congress again until 1964.
Post Office Republicans and the Goldwater Landslide (1916–1972)
After the populist era, Republicans competed mainly in northern hill counties like Lawrence, Blount, Cullman, Walker, Winston, and DeKalb, often relying on federal patronage for positions such as local postmasters. Winston County remained reliably Republican throughout this period.
The modern Alabama Republican Party traces its roots to John Grenier, elected State Party Chairman in 1962. He reorganized the party and recruited candidates for Congress in 1964, helping Republicans win five of Alabama’s eight congressional seats during the “Goldwater Landslide.” This period also saw Republicans elected to dozens of local offices — including Probate Judges Guy Hunt (Cullman County) and Perry O. Hooper, Sr. (Montgomery County), as well as future prominent officeholders George G. Siebels, Jr. and Emory Folmar.
Recent History (1972–Present)
In 1972, Alabama Republicans moved from a state-convention nominating system to a statewide primary, allowing voters to directly choose candidates for public and party offices. The party gradually increased its presence in suburban areas, winning legislative seats in Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery by 1978. In 1980, Jeremiah Denton became the first popularly elected Republican U.S. Senator in Alabama.
Emory Folmar ran for governor in 1982, and in 1986, Guy Hunt won the governorship with 57% of the vote — effectively establishing a two‑party system. Perry O. Hooper, Sr. became Chief Justice in 1994, as Republicans won 31 seats in the state House. Following the 2010 elections, Republicans gained control of the Alabama legislature for the first time in 136 years.
Today, Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and five of Alabama’s seven U.S. House seats. The party continues to dominate statewide elections — in 2024, Donald Trump won Alabama with 64.57 % of the vote. Republicans have also won eight of the last nine gubernatorial races, six consecutive Attorney General races, and enjoy commanding majorities on the State Board of Education, the Supreme Court, and appellate courts. The Yellowhammer State remains one of the most reliably Republican states in the nation.