Overview
- State Rep. Phillip Ensler announced Friday that he is running for Alabama lieutenant governor, becoming the first Democrat to enter the contest.
- The decision reverses his summertime plan to forgo re-election and relocate to New York to be closer to family.
- He says he will focus on practical solutions over culture fights, pointing to winning a formerly Republican district in 2022 and helping pass a bipartisan ban on Glock switches in March.
- The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, casts tie‑breaking votes and holds limited authority following a 1999 reallocation of powers to the Senate president pro tem.
- Republican contenders include Secretary of State Wes Allen, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, Nicole Wadsworth, Dean Odle and sheriff’s deputy Patrick Bishop, with party primaries set for May 19.