By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Qualifying for State office began early on Monday, January 13, 2014.
One of the first candidates to file the necessary paperwork at Alabama Republican Party headquarters in Hoover, was former Montgomery County Probate Judge Resse Mckinney, Jr. Judge McKinney is running for Alabama Secretary of State.
Judge McKinney said, “I believe government should be responsive to the needs of the public, and I will work tirelessly as your next Secretary of State to advance our conservative principals in Montgomery.”
The McKinney campaign said in a written statement that McKinney is a life-long Republican and enthusiastic Conservative reformer who offers an unparalleled level of public service experience. McKinney has administered more than 50 elections at the local level and hopes if elected to leverage technology and smart governing strategies to cut costs and return taxpayer dollars to the state treasury.
McKinney said that if he is elected he will work to build the public’s trust in the election process and reduce bureaucratic hurdles for businesses. Judge McKinney said, “I will immediately convene meetings with state and local officials for the purpose of identifying opportunities to improve the services offered by the Secretary of State’s office.”
While McKinney is the first candidate to officially qualify to run for the office, he faces stiff competition from Judge Jim Perdue from Crenshaw County and State Representative John Merrill (R) from Tuscaloosa who have both also announced that they intend to run for the office.
In 2010, Beth Chapman (R) was elected to a second term as Secretary of State. Over the summer, Chapman left the office to pursue a career opportunity with ALFA. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) appointed former Secretary of State Jim Bennett (R) to serve the remainder of Secretary of State Chapman’s term.
The deadline for qualifying for office from either of the major parties this year is February 7th. The deadline had been April 4th, but was moved up by Sec. of State Bennett in response to U.S. Department of Justice litigation on behalf of Americans serving overseas.
The party Primaries will be Tuesday, June 3. The eventual Republican nominee will then have to face an opponent in the November election if one qualifies.
