Austin Sidwell, Republican candidate for Alabama’s First Congressional District, is set to officially launch his 2026 campaign at a kickoff event in Daphne on Tuesday evening.
The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Waterfront restaurant in Daphne. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Sidwell and learn more about his policy platform, which includes “strengthening families, supporting small businesses, and restoring accountability in Washington.”
The campaign is also focused on addressing issues facing veterans in the state, with Sidwell himself being a former major in the U.S. Air Force. Sidwell emphasized those elements of his campaign in a statement ahead of the event, which will coincide with Veterans Day.
“My decision to run for Congress isn’t about ambition — it’s about answering a call to serve,” said Sidwell. “Veterans Day is a reminder that service takes many forms, and I’m proud to continue mine by standing up for the people and communities that make south Alabama strong.”
In addition to his twelve years of experience in the Air Force, Sidwell has also worked as a small-business executive in Fairhope and currently serves as vice president of Sidwell Protection Services, a family-owned business founded over three decades ago. According to his campaign, Sidwell is also in the final semester of earning his law degree from Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery.
“Austin represents a new generation of conservative leadership grounded in faith, family, freedom, and fiscal responsibility,” Sidwell’s campaign wrote in a press release advertising Tuesday’s event. “His campaign emphasizes reducing government overreach, protecting parental rights in education, promoting energy independence, and defending constitutional liberties.”
“Sidwell’s campaign kickoff marks the next step in his effort to bring honesty, humility, and real-world experience back to Congress,” the campaign added.
Sidwell is set to face off against former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl–who represented Alabama’s First District from 2021 to 2025–and Alabama State Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, in next May’s Republican primary. The three candidates look to replace current U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who will be running for U.S. Senate instead of seeking reelection in 2026.
Encompassing Baldwin and Mobile counties, as well as parts of the Wiregrass, the First District is considered a safe Republican seat, with the winner of the GOP primary likely to become its next representative.
