After lieutenant governor run, Phillip Ensler is here to stay
The former State Representative from Montgomery plans to help Democrats build on momentum
In July 2025, shortly after losing his father, Phillip Ensler announced he would not be running for reelection to his seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, choosing instead to return home to New York to be closer to family.
But as the 2026 election grew nearer and Doug Jones decided to run at the top of the ticket, Ensler traded in those plans to run as lieutenant governor.
Ensler ultimately lost to Republican nominee John Wahl by just under 10 points, matching the outcome of other statewide races, a closer gap than Democrats have seen in a decade or more.
With the race over, speculation has remained as to Ensler's future; columnist Joey Clark wrote in an August column that Ensler desired to build his political star power with the race and transfer those credits to New York.
But Ensler told APR that he is not going anywhere.
"I am absolutely staying in Alabama," Ensler said. "As I've shared before, a few years ago I lost my dad, and it's been very hard. Two summers ago, wanting to be closer to family, I made the decision to move back to New York. Ultimately, that was the wrong decision. Alabama has become my home; I love being here and serving here. This race gave me and a lot of people hope. There's a lot of work I want to continue to do."
With the election still just a week behind him, Ensler said he doesn't have concrete plans for any future political goals; he's focused right now on finding a new job given the result means he will not be serving in public office for now. He plans to continue his work with the Jewish Federation of Alabama and continuing to lead his mentorship program bringing students to New York and Washington D.C. in an effort to expand their horizons.
He also plans to help party leaders continue to build on the momentum from Tuesday's election.
"(Alabama Democratic Party) Chairman (Bobby) Singleton and so many others—Minority Leader (Anthony) Daniels—so many leaders put in a lot of work this last election," Ensler said. "I look forward to collaborating with them on ways we can continue to strengthen the party and engage with people on a regular basis, and field good candidates up and down the ballot."
