In a statement released Thursday morning, Auburn University alumna Gov. Kay Ivey made her 2018 re-election bid official.
"Four months ago, I was sworn in as the 50th governor of the state of Alabama," she said. "There hasn’t been a more humbling moment in my life. That so many of you have supported and prayed for me and my team means the world, and it’s our highest honor to serve you."
I took over at one of that darkest times in our state’s memory. I’m proud to say we’ve steadied the ship.”
Ivey, the former lieutenant governor, took office after the resignation of scandal-ridden former governor Robert Bentley earlier this year.
The governor joins a field of Republican candidates that includes Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.
“I welcome Governor Ivey to the discussions we have been having over the last few months — conversations about jobs, infrastructure and education,” Battle said in a statement after Ivey's announcement.
Former Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb, a Democrat, announced her candidacy in June.
Ivey has been gearing up for a campaign recently. Campaign finance reports show she's raised over a million dollars for 2018.
“On the farm, talk is cheap. I learned the importance of a hard day’s work, of faith, of helping our neighbors and of keeping your word — because sometimes, that’s all you’ve got,” Ivey said. “Those values are what took me to Auburn, then to work as a teacher. I believed then, and now, that if you work hard, have unwavering faith and fight for what’s right, good things will come.”
Later this fall, Ivey's statewide campaign kickoff will begin.
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