By Josh Moon
Alabama Political Reporter
There will be an actual race for Alabama’s Attorney General’s office.
With the opening round of campaign finance reports dropping on Thursday, the top two candidates for the job – appointed incumbent Steve Marshall and former chief deputy AG Alice Martin – reported strong totals.
The two were virtually even in donations from individual donors and PACs, but Martin had significantly more cash in the bank thanks to a $100,000 loan she made to her campaign.
“Our message is hitting home with hard-working people across Alabama who want to see our government serve people not special interest,” said Martin. “For too long, Alabama has put up with a corrupt government that has protected the politicians. It is time to elect a leader who knows how to clean up corruption, end insider backroom deals, and apply the law fairly.”
In total, Martin ended the first month of her campaign with just over $200,000 in her account. Marshall ended up with $129,000.
With or without the loan, the strong start for Martin was important and could spell trouble for Marshall. If she can match the incumbent in early fundraising and push her message of cleaning up public corruption – a message that plays well with voters in this corruption-plagued state – Martin could quickly turn into the favorite in the race.
