In a roughly 30-minute state-of-the-state speech on Tuesday evening—her ninth and final as governor—Governor Kay Ivey touted the accomplishments of her tenure, praised those who have helped her and the state and sought to inspire lawmakers and citizens to push the state forward and to better things.
It wasn’t a bad speech, although, at times, Ivey seemed to struggle delivering it. That’s to be expected at 82. Let’s see you talk for a half hour when you’re in your ninth decade.
But in so many ways, that speech was much like Ivey’s tenure—full of promise and potential, a handful of bright spots and fine accomplishments, but ultimately bogged down by a reluctance to bold action rendering it ultimately average.
That’s not all Ivey’s fault, mind you.
It’s worth remembering the climate in which she governed this state, and the circumstances under which she first ascended to the office.
It wasn’t just that her predecessor, Governor Robert Bentley, the Love Gov, had been ousted after an icky sex scandal that could only appeal to the darkest fetish sections of your favorite porn site (which is probably banned in Alabama). She also came in on the heels of House Speaker Mike Hubbard being convicted of 12 felony ethics charges and Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, being ousted—for the second time.
Political scandals were running wild. Other lawmakers had been arrested, too. The general public was tired of the nonsense, sick of the scandals. They wanted calm, reasonable people to be in charge.
To that end, Kay Ivey has been a godsend.
She has done little, if anything, to embarrass the state. She has conducted herself with dignity and poise. In a time when it is increasingly common to lob personal insults and crude criticisms of your political opponents, Ivey has remained above the fray, offering, at worst, a pointed barb or a witty joke.
For that alone she deserves at least some appreciation, even from those who, like me, have disagreed with many of her policies and decisions. In so many ways, Ivey’s approach to governance in the days of MAGA, has reminded us that it was once possible to have disagreements over governance without resorting to childishness and without hating your political opposition.
Governor Kay Ivey delivered her 2026 State of the State address to joint members of the Legislature in The State Capitol’s Old House Chamber Tuesday January 13, 2026 in Montgomery, Ala. (Governor’s Office /Hal Yeager)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ivey was probably at her best. She balanced the wishy-washy decisionmaking from her fellow Republicans in the legislature with the best advice from doctors and scientists and made a lot of very solid, fact-based decisions. I think it’s safe to say that Ivey saved a lot of Alabama lives during that time by refusing to bend and taking the safe approach.
She also was a nice reminder that it’s possible to govern well without being a constant presence in your constituents’ lives. I used to make fun of Ivey’s work schedule and the fact that she would disappear for days on end. God, what I wouldn’t give for a solid week or two of Donald Trump following a similar schedule.
I think it’s fair to say that Ivey’s steady presence, and her reputation to remain above the fray, has helped tremendously in Alabama landing so many of the economic development deals that have changed the landscape of the state. You don’t attract a Mazda-Toyota, Eli Lilly and others with a governor who’s a raving lunatic promising to send the National Guard into your major cities or saying crude, racist things every other day.
Major corporations and high-level executives and investors like stability and professionalism. They like to know that they can attract top-shelf employees who won’t be turned off by a governor who hops on every hateful rhetoric trend and doesn’t understand basic economic development protocols.
But in a way, Ivey’s positive qualities over the last decade are what sort of make her tenure disappointing.
Because it could have been more. So much more. Especially these last three years.
She could have pushed harder to expand Medicaid. She could have required the legislature—by power of her veto—to stop a lot of the hateful, repulsive legislation that landed on her desk. She could have been a backstop for decency and common sense.
Instead, too often, she remained in the shadows. She bent with the far-right, holier-than-thou brigade. She left Alabama’s most vulnerable to fend for themselves a few too many times. And she made inexplicable decisions driven almost entirely by far-right overreaction—like the firing of Barbara Cooper, the director of Alabama’s Early Childhood Education program and the state’s only overachieving agency, due to a random teacher training manual that was “woke.”
It was utterly befuddling. And it, along with other decisions, like allowing her name to be placed on a controversial mega-prison, has tarnished her tenure.
Regardless, though, Ivey will exit in a year—a year that is likely to be thoroughly uneventful for her —as one of the country’s most popular governors. That is a testament to her old-school approach, I think. For all of the attention paid to Trump, and despite the criticisms Ivey has received from the far right for not being hateful enough, the overwhelming majority of people appreciate a professional, stoic, respectful approach to governance. They appreciate a leader who both commands respect and gives it. They want leaders who don’t embarrass them, don’t lie, don’t belittle people, don’t bully the weak and don’t enrich themselves at taxpayer expense.
Over the coming months, as the state prepares to choose Ivey’s replacement, it would be wise to remember where we were when she took office. And where we could be again if we don’t appreciate the professionalism she’s provided over the past nine years.
