HUNTSVILLE — Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate said his decision to run for lieutenant governor comes from a desire to continue serving the state and build on the work he’s done over the past six and a half years. Pate discussed the race Thursday during a stop in Huntsville.
“When it got to that one year out from the primary, I just felt like people were asking me over and over and asking my staff over and over and over,” Pate said. “And I just thought, well, let me really put some thought in this.”
Pate said he and his wife, Julie, spent time carefully considering the decision.
“Julie and I talked about it and prayed about it,” he said. “I just really felt like this last six and a half years I’ve been right where I needed to be, doing what I needed to be doing. And I just felt like I have so much left in the tank.”
He said the lieutenant governor’s office is the opportunity to continue serving the state.
“None of the other constitutional officers appealed to me,” Pate said. “So this gives me another opportunity to serve.”
On why he is the best candidate for the job, Pate said his decades in the private sector have shaped his approach to public service.
“If nothing else, my business background, 37 years of being in business,” he said. “When I came to the Department of Ag, we really looked hard at regulations and where we could strip out regulations for the government not to be an impediment to business being successful.”
Pate also cited the relationships he’s built with state leaders, including Alabama Senate Pro Tem Garlan Grudger and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is now running for governor.
“I’ve got such a great relationship with Coach (Tuberville),” Pate said. “We talked almost once a month, every six weeks for the last six months, about what he was going to do, what I was going to do.”
He said those conversations helped shape his decision.
“Us working together, I think that’s going to be a natural fit for me,” Pate said. “I feel like all of us pulling together is going to get us farther than going in different directions.”
One of the biggest issues facing the state are workforce challenges, according to Pate.
“You talk about agriculture and the things I’ve been associated with,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter if you’re a sawmill paying good wages. Over and over, I never have a conversation with anybody where they’re not challenged by finding the right people to work.”
Secretary of State Wes Allen is also running for the office while Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl is also considered a potential contender.
The Republican primary is May 19, 2026 and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
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