By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Saturday, State Auditor Jim Zeigler announced that he will not be a candidate for governor and is dissolving his exploratory campaign.
“It is just not my time,” Zeigler said in a statement.
Zeigler, who has just completed three years of a four-year term as auditor, now has until the Feb. 9 deadline to decide whether to seek a second term as state auditor.
Zeigler declined to endorse anyone in the Republican field but did have positive comments on the remaining GOP candidates for governor.
“Gov. Kay Ivey had a great act to follow,” Zeigler said. “She has steadied the ship of state after the disastrous second Bentley administration.”
“Mayor Tommy Battle has done an excellent job with recruitment of industry and jobs in Huntsville,” Zeigler said.
“Rev. Scott Dawson has lined up the ‘Rick and Bubba’ radio audience and is doing well with the important Christian conservative voters,” Zeigler continued.
“Sen. Bill Hightower has done a good job of organizing his home area of Mobile and Baldwin counties,” Zeigler stated.
Zeigler says that he was legally required to form an exploratory committee for governor in June 2017, because he received several thousand dollars in unsolicited campaign donations for governor. The law requires filing of a committee once a threshold of $1,000 is reached.
Zeigler filed the initial ethics complaint against Bentley in March 2016 that ultimately led to his resignation.
The retired elder law attorney from Mobile.
If Zeigler does seek re-election he will face a primary challenge. Pastor Dr. Stan Cooke and Elliot Lipinsky have already qualified to run for the office in the GOP primary.
The major party primaries are on June 5, 2018.
