Phillip Ensler joins race for Alabama lieutenant governor

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — State Rep. Phillip Ensler of Montgomery on Friday announced his campaign for lieutenant governor, becoming the first Democrat to enter the race.

Ensler, a lawyer and former teacher, was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 2022 after flipping a district that had been represented by a Republican.

Ensler is known for championing the new state law that bans Glock switches and other devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic. Ensler pushed the measure several years before it passed with bipartisan support in March.

In announcing his campaign, Ensler said voters want elected leaders to focus on “solutions to real problems, not culture wars and personal agendas.”

“The issues of most concern to Alabamians — safe communities, good public schools, affordable and accessible health care, financial security and economic success — are not Democratic or Republican, but human concerns,” Ensler said.

The last Democrat to win the office of Alabama lieutenant governor was Jim Folsom, who was elected in 2006.

A crowded field is developing in the Republican primary for the open position.

Secretary of State Wes Allen, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Industries Rick Pate; Nicole Wadsworth; Dean Odle; and sheriff’s deputy Patrick Bishop are seeking the Republican nomination.

The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, breaks ties in the chamber, steps in for the governor if that office becomes vacant and makes a range of appointments. The position used to have more power in the legislative process. Those duties were largely stripped during a 1999 partisan power struggle.

The party primaries are May 19.