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Caroleene Dobson announces campaign for secretary of state

Caroleene Dobson enters the 2026 secretary of state race after a 2024 congressional loss, joining Andrew Sorrell in the Republican primary.

Then-2nd Congressional District candidate Caroleene Dobson. Campaign photo

Montgomery attorney Caroleene Dobson has officially launched her campaign for Alabama secretary of state, entering the 2026 Republican primary as the second declared candidate for the open seat.

Dobson previously ran for Congress last year, securing the GOP nomination in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She received 45 percent of the vote but fell to Democratic candidate Shomari Figures in the general election. 

Dobson is a shareholder at the Maynard Nexsen law firm in Montgomery, where she focuses on natural resources, commercial finance and real estate law. She holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a law degree from Baylor University School of Law. 

In her campaign announcement, Dobson pledged to make election security and business efficiency central to her platform.

“As Secretary of State, I will reduce fees on Alabama businesses, streamline services for the public, and I will never back down from the liberal activist groups who want to undermine the security of our elections,” Dobson said. “We have great laws on the books, but there’s always room to improve enforcement.”

Dobson proposed creating a team modeled after Florida’s Election Crimes Division to enhance enforcement of Alabama’s election laws. 

“Alabama has some of the finest law enforcement officers and prosecutors in the nation,” Dobson said. “I want to enhance their ability to bring cases by having a dedicated team of election experts who can investigate voter fraud claims proactively on the ground.”

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She also pledged support for President Donald Trump’s proposed election reforms and vowed to fight what she characterized as efforts by “out-of-state activists who are constantly attempting to use the courts to undermine our election security measures.”

On the business front, Dobson said she wants to make Alabama a national leader in business incorporation by cutting fees and ensuring same-day processing for new business services. 

“Small businesses, farmers, truck drivers, and others depend on timely and efficient services to put food on their families’ tables,” Dobson said.

She emphasized her perspective as a mother in her announcement.

“Without secure elections, my daughters won’t grow up in the same country that I did,” she said.

Dobson joins State Auditor Andrew Sorrell in the Republican primary, scheduled for May 19, 2026. The seat will be open as current Secretary of State Wes Allen mounts a campaign for lieutenant governor.

Mary Claire is a reporter at APR.

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