On Wednesday, the Alabama House Republican Caucus announced it had chosen Representative Paul Lee, R-Dothan, as the new House majority leader. Lee was first elected to represent District 86 in the state House in 2010 and currently chairs the House Health Committee.
Before being elected to the state House, Lee served on the Dothan City Commission. He is currently the executive director of the Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center.
“Our House Republican Caucus must keep its focus on the important issues and initiatives being discussed during the 2026 regular session and finish the job that each of us were sent to Montgomery to complete,” Lee wrote in a statement on his selection.
“At the same time, we must continue representing the conservative beliefs, traditional values, and bedrock Republican principles that our Caucus members embrace and share with our constituents back home,” he added.
This session, Lee has sponsored legislation to remove the sunset clause for provider privilege taxes on privately owned hospitals that help fund the state Medicaid Agency, to relax verification requirements for disabled veterans’ homestead exemptions, and to allow individuals charged in other states with a felony to be arrested without a warrant, amongst other bills.
Earlier in the day, Representative Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, announced he would step down as majority leader due to his ongoing campaign for chairman of the state Republican Party. Stadthagen had begun seeking the chairmanship just weeks earlier, after John Wahl resigned the post in order to run for lieutenant governor.
Stadthagen said in a statement that stepping down “erase any questions about potential conflicts of interest between the two positions.”
APR reported on Tuesday that a meeting convened to discuss legislation meant to make the Alabama Public Service Commission an appointed board rather than elected one had quickly become, in effect, a discussion of Stadthagen’s role as majority leader.
One lawmaker told APR that the role of a candidate for party chairman and House majority leader are irreconcilable, noting that candidates for chairman are supposed to remain neutral in primaries while the House majority leader must support incumbents.
The Alabama Republican Party’s state executive committee will vote on who will replace Wahl during its meeting on March 7. Stadthagen will be competing with the acting chair, Joan Reynolds, as well as pastor Stan Cooke.
