Katherine Robertson secured the Republican nomination for attorney general Tuesday, defeating former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell in the runoff election.
The Associated Press called the race for Robertson shortly after 8:30 p.m.
Robertson, who serves as chief counsel to Attorney General Steve Marshall, received about 55 percent of the vote, earning more than 165,000 votes.
Mitchell, who resigned from the Alabama Supreme Court in May 2025 to run for attorney general, received more than 130,000 votes, representing about 45 percent of Republican voters.
“I have been underestimated my entire career, and that comes with advantages. They never see you coming,” Robertson said during her election night speech. “The harder I worked to share my vision for the state that my family has called home for 208 years, the more things started to change.”
“And here I stand tonight, a girl from Dallas County, Alabama, whose family barely made ends meet, growing cotton and running the local post office, with a chance to become Alabama’s first woman attorney general,” she said.
In a concession statement Tuesday night, Mitchell thanked his family, former attorney general candidate and Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey, who endorsed his campaign, and Cody Smith, a former Montgomery police officer featured in campaign advertisements criticizing Robertson.
“While tonight’s results were not what we hoped for, I rest knowing we gave this race everything we had,” Mitchell wrote. “My family sacrificed. My team worked tirelessly. And this campaign was truly built by Alabama, for Alabama. I am proud of that.”
“Earlier this evening, I reached out to my opponent to congratulate her on the victory and wish her success moving forward. Tonight’s outcome does not diminish what this campaign stood for or the people who made it possible. More than anything else, I want to say thank you,” Mitchell added.
Robertson’s victory ends a contentious primary campaign marked by attack advertisements and aggressive fundraising efforts from both candidates.
In addition to campaign messaging focused on border security and opposition to what Mitchell described as “radical Islam,” the race was shaped by allegations regarding dark money spending raised by the Mitchell campaign against Robertson.
Robertson, Mitchell and Casey collectively raised more than $10 million during the Republican primary.
Robertson raised nearly $5.8 million, with more than 45 percent of her contributions coming from out-of-state donors.
Mitchell raised more than $4.6 million, with about 4 percent of his contributions coming from outside Alabama.
Robertson received endorsements from organizations including the Republican Attorneys General Association, ALFA’s FarmPAC and the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund.
Mitchell received endorsements from Casey, the Christian Coalition of Alabama, Alabama First Responders and the Alabama Trucking Association.
A message seeking additional comment was left with the Robertson campaign Tuesday night.
Robertson will face Democratic nominee and former state Representative Jeff McLaughlin in the November 3 general election.
