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Steve Flowers loves politics and shared some of his insights on the 2024 and upcoming 2026 election cycles with the Troy Rotary Club.

Flowers began his career in politics as a child when he served as a page for Pike Count Rep. Gardner Bassett. Flowers served 16 years in the Alabama House of Representatives before embarking on a career as a political historian and commentator.

Flowers told Rotarians that President Donald Trump winning in Alabama came as no surprise, but also said Trump winning a second term in the Oval Office wasn’t completely unexpected. Flowers said Georgia’s legislature pushed for election reforms after the 2020 election and he also said Trump always underpolled, which kept him inside of the 3 to 5 percent margin of error in most national polls.

But, he said the bottom line in the presidential election was that it boiled down to turnout and Republicans were determined not to lose at the polls.

Flowers also said another surprise candidate was Caroleene Dobson. She faced Democrat Shomari Figures in the redrawn Second Congressional District. Flowers said the district was redrawn after federal courts ruled Alabama must have a second black majority Congressional District. Flowers said Dobson should have lost by a wide margin, but was an outstanding candidate and worked hard to make it a close race.

Flowers said he also expected Alabama to challenge the redrawing of the Second Congressional District in the near future.

Looking forward to the mid-term election in 2026, Flowers said it would be an exciting year in politics. All major state offices will be up for election and Gov. Kay Ivey, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Attorney General Steve Marshall have all served two terms and will have to vacate their current office.

Flowers said he had been told U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville was considering a run for governor, but after Trump’s win, it was likely Tuberville would remain in Washington to work with Trump. Flowers said Trump and Tuberville are friends and often golf together and the former coach would most likely be Trump’s strongest ally in the U.S. Senate.

Flowers said it was no secret Ainsworth would run for governor and it was possible former Secretary of State John Merrill would run for lieutenant governor and could possibly be challenged by Twinkle Andress Cavenaugh and current Secretary of State Wes Allen. Flowers said he had not talked to Allen about the possibility, but had heard speculation.