A complete turnover of statewide elected officials is coming in 2026. From the Governor of Alabama to Lt. Governor to Attorney General and State Auditor, all current incumbents are term-limited. We recently analyzed who might be in the running for Governor in 2026, which includes current Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Of the various elected offices Marshall could hold next, his current job as Alabama Attorney General is not one of them. After being appointed to the spot in 2017 and first being constitutionally elected in 2018, Marshall is limited to his second term. As with each office, the field will be cleared, and voters will get to make new choices for these offices in the 2026 primary and general elections.
So, who might run for AG?
Jay Mitchell
Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell could be the frontrunner for AG, with over $634,000 cash on hand for a potential campaign.
Mitchell resides in Central Alabama, which is an excellent place to launch a statewide campaign from, positioned in the state’s population center. As a jurist, he checks all the boxes. He’s a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Virginia School of Law, he launched his legal career here in Alabama, and in the years since, despite maintaining a relatively low public profile, Mitchell is well-respected in Alabama legal circles by those who share a conservative judicial viewpoint.
Being first elected to the state’s highest court in 2018 when Tom Parker became Chief Justice, Mitchell has an opportunity to pursue his political instincts next year to run for AG.
Yellowhammer News hears he’s leaning toward it. Does his majority opinion supporting the Alabama Supreme Court’s in vitro fertilization (IVF) ruling harm him with potential donors and voters? We don’t think so.
Katherine Robertson
The rumor mill began churning more than ever recently when Katherine Robertson, known primarily in Montgomery legal and political circles as Attorney General Steve Marshall’s longtime General Counsel, fired off an op-ed to Newsweek co-written by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. The subject of the piece was fiercely political, entitled “Kamala Harris Is No Feminist.”
Could she be charging up the politics of an impending run for AG in 2026? Sources tell Yellowhammer News she knows the office inside and out and has a keen interest in making that case to conservative voters. She’s made strong inroads with the important Republican state attorneys general through her boss’s nationwide platform. This could be one of Robertson’s biggest assets, as her in-state fundraising ability is yet to be proven.
A graduate of both the University of Alabama and Auburn University, Robertson’s political dynamism will make an interesting case to voters if she takes that show on the road, which would also bring to bear experience at the federal level working for former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and on his Judiciary Committee portfolio while in the U.S. Senate.
Jay Town
A Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and arguably the most media-savvy legal analyst in the state, just short of the current AG, Jay Town also checks a lot of boxes that are important to Alabama voters. After getting his law degree, Town served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and a JAG prior to practicing law. After military service, he worked as a prosecutor in the Madison County District Attorney’s Office, and built a reputation as a tough and ambitious legal mind, which led to his appointment by Trump in 2017.
Town has been breathing fire in appearances on local TV media, radio, FOX News, and other outlets in his trademark conservative, principled and analytical style. Is he interested in the job? Probably so. Town’s interest in running for a statewide or legislative office dates back a number of years. The question will be if he can build the fundraising and campaign apparatus to make it happen.
Arthur Orr
With over $1,000,000 in his State Senate campaign account, Orr would be a force to be reckoned with. Known primarily these days for overseeing Alabama’s $9.3 billion Education Trust Fund budget in the higher chamber of the Legislature, Orr is also an attorney and graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. He’s worth keeping an eye on for the AG’s race in 2026, especially given his ability to fundraise. But with Orr, you just never truly know.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270
