Jim Zeigler
Jim Zeigler | |
|---|---|
| 40th Auditor of Alabama | |
| In office January 19, 2015 – January 16, 2023 | |
| Governor | Robert Bentley Kay Ivey |
| Preceded by | Samantha Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Sorrell |
| Member of the Alabama Public Service Commission for Place 1 | |
| In office 1974–1978 | |
| Governor | George Wallace |
| Preceded by | Jack Owen |
| Succeeded by | Pete Matthews |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 23, 1948 Sylacauga, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1996) Republican (1996–present) |
| Education | University of Alabama (BA) Faulkner University (JD) |
Jim Zeigler (born May 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician who served as state auditor of Alabama from 2015 to 2023. Before becoming state auditor, he served on the Alabama Public Service Commission from 1974 to 1978.
Early life and education
[edit]While a student at the University of Alabama, Zeigler served as the president of the Student Government Association (SGA).[1] Zeigler lived at Mallet Hall from 1966 to 1970, and served as SGA president from 1970-71. He was one of the few to be elected to the post in opposition to "The Machine," a semi-secret alignment of fraternities and sororities that historically dominated the university's student government.[2] He graduated from the university in 1972.[3] In 1978, he graduated from the Faulkner University Jones School of Law.[3]
Early political career
[edit]Zeigler won a position on the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1974, at the age of 24. He did not run for reelection in 1978.[4]
Zeigler ran for state office unsuccessfully seven times, four as a Democrat, and three as a Republican, losing elections for President of the Public Service Commission in 1976, the Alabama Board of Education in 1978, Supreme Court of Alabama in 1982, State Treasurer of Alabama in 1986, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in 1996, Public Service Commission in 1998, and State Auditor of Alabama in 2002. These close losses earned him the nickname "Mr. 49 Percent".[5][6] In 2006, Zeigler announced the end of his political activism, as he resigned from the Conservative Christians of Alabama and the League of Christian Voters, two political action committees for which he served as chairman.[6]
State auditor
[edit]Zeigler ran for state auditor in 2014. In the Republican primary, Zeigler faced Dale Peterson, candidate for Agriculture Commissioner in 2010; Adam Thompson, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Alabama Secretary of State's office; and Hobbie Sealy, former Deputy Conservation Commissioner. Zeigler won a runoff against Peterson, and defeated Miranda Joseph, the Democratic Party nominee, in the general election.[5] In 2015, Zeigler filed lawsuits against Luther Strange, the Attorney General of Alabama, and Baldwin County, Alabama schools to stop them from spending taxpayer money on political campaigns.[7] The suits were dismissed.[8]
Following the Charleston church shooting in June 2015, Zeigler advocated that parishioners take their guns to church.[9] Zeigler gave a speech to the League of the South, termed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, in September 2015.[10][11]
In March 2016, Zeigler filed an ethics complaint against Robert J. Bentley, the Governor of Alabama, for allegedly using state funds in an extramarital affair.[12] A year later the Ethics Commission found "probable cause" against Bentley.[13] And three days later, Bentley resigned.[14]
On March 2, 2017, Zeigler became embroiled in nationwide controversy and condemnation when he posted a picture on Twitter comparing Congresswomen dressed in white to the Ku Klux Klan.[15] Zeigler defended his post, saying that when the Congresswomen wore white as a symbol of Women's Suffrage at a speech by President Trump, "when they did that, they opened themselves up to criticisms and questions about that."[16]
In November 2017, following the allegations of child molestation made against Republican Roy Moore, Zeigler was quoted as saying: "Even if you accept the Washington Post's report as being completely true, it's much ado about very little."[17] Zeigler argued that relationships between grown men and teenage girls were acceptable because "take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus."[18] Multiple Biblical scholars disputed his defense, noting that the exact ages of Joseph and Mary at the time they were betrothed or married remain uncertain, as they are not included in the Bible. In addition, Jesuit priest Jim Martin tweeted that "...comparing the allegations against Roy Moore in any way to Joseph and Mary is disgusting."[19]
In January 2019, Zeigler came under fire for comments aimed at U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, calling her choice of clothing while on the Senate floor "improperly attired."[20]
In 2019, Zeigler led a successful grassroots movement to block a proposed toll bridge on Interstate 10 across the Mobile Bay.[21]
In the March 3, 2020, Alabama Republican presidential primary, Jim Zeigler lost to Governor Kay Ivey for the Place 1 Delegate at the Republican National Convention.[22][23]
In February 2020, Jim Zeigler and his wife Jackie successfully teamed up to fight the proposed Amendment One which would have replaced the elected school board, which his wife is a member of, with one appointed by the governor.[24] Amendment One was soundly defeated in the March 2020 primary.[25][26]
Zeigler was considered a possible candidate for the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election; he informally campaigned for the position, filed paperwork to run, and formed an exploratory committee, but never officially announced a run.[27] Zeigler announced on January 23, 2022, that he ultimately would not run for governor, citing a lack of funds compared to the leading candidates, including incumbent Governor Kay Ivey, Lynda Blanchard, and Tim James.[28] Three days later, Zeigler announced that he would run for Secretary of State of Alabama in the 2022 election instead, claiming that "national attempts to manipulate honest election procedures" were a major threat.[29] Zeigler won the first round of voting on May 24, 2022, but did not pass the threshold to avoid a runoff. State representative Wes Allen rebounded in the runoff on June 21, defeating Zeigler for the nomination.[30]
Zeigler was term-limited as State Auditor and could not seek re-election in 2022, and was succeeded by Andrew Sorrell.[31] Since leaving office, Zeigler has been a contributor to the Alabama-based conservative news website 1819 News.[32]
Personal life
[edit]Zeigler is married to Jackie Zeigler, a member of the Alabama State Board of Education, and has two children.[3]
Electoral history
[edit]| Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Justice Republican Primary Election, 1996 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Bill Thompson | 86,545 | 50.40 |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 85,161 | 49.60 |
| Alabama Public Service Commissioner Republican Primary Election, 1998 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | George Wallace Jr. | 184,333 | 59.05 |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 94,968 | 30.42 |
| Republican | (first name not given) Lyon | 32,888 | 10.53 |
| Alabama Auditor Republican Primary Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 123,279 | 42.9 |
| Republican | Beth Chapman | 82,013 | 28.6 |
| Republican | Pat Duncan | 51,553 | 18.0 |
| Republican | Meredith Mayes | 30,279 | 10.5 |
| Alabama Auditor Republican Primary Runoff Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Beth Chapman | 73,118 | 52.56 |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 65,983 | 47.44 |
| Alabama Auditor Republican Primary Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 164,002 | 47.07 |
| Republican | Dale Peterson | 84,828 | 24.35 |
| Republican | Adam Thompson | 64,688 | 18.57 |
| Republican | Hobbie Sealy | 34,910 | 10.02 |
| Alabama Auditor Republican Primary Runoff Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 131,637 | 65 |
| Republican | Dale Peterson | 71,141 | 35 |
| Alabama Auditor Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 716,122 | 62.93 |
| Democratic | Miranda Joseph | 420,843 | 36.98 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 1,010 | 0.09 |
| Alabama Auditor Republican Primary Election, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 262,153 | 55.6 |
| Republican | Stan Cooke | 153,578 | 32.6 |
| Republican | Elliott Lipinsky | 55,624 | 11.8 |
| Alabama Auditor Election, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Jim Zeigler | 1,010,905 | 60.6 |
| Democratic | Miranda Joseph | 658,272 | 39.4 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 1,362 | 0.10 |
References
[edit]- ^ Jim Zeigler, Alabama's new auditor, vows 'there is a new sheriff in Montgomery', Associated Press (January 18, 2015).
- ^ "They beat the UA 'Machine,' now they're on the verge of being elected to statewide office". Yellowhammer News. July 22, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c Jim Stinson, Alabama elections 2014: State auditor candidates Miranda Joseph, Jim Zeigler, AL.com ( October 22, 2014).
- ^ "Jim Zeigler, Alabama's new auditor, vows 'there is a new sheriff in Montgomery'". AL.com. January 11, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ a b "Jim Zeigler elected Alabama state auditor over Democrat Miranda Joseph". AL.com. November 5, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "Auditor Jim Zeigler files lawsuit against AG's office, Baldwin County Schools: 'It's an Alabama issue'". AL.com. May 4, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "Judge dismisses lawsuit by state auditor against attorney general, Baldwin County school officials". AL.com. July 18, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "Alabama auditor Jim Zeigler has a message for churchgoers: Bring your gun". AL.com. June 20, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "SPLC critical of Zeigler's meeting with 'hate group'". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 27, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ Nick Lough (October 1, 2015). "WAFF 48 Investigates: State auditor has ties to hate group". fox10tv.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ Koplowitz, Howard (March 25, 2016). "Jim Zeigler files ethics complaints against Gov. Robert Bentley, Rebekah Caldwell Mason". AL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ "Ethics Commission approves charges against Bentley". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Blinder, Alan (April 10, 2017). "Robert Bentley, Alabama Governor, Resigns Amid Scandal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ "AL auditor compares Democratic congresswomen to KKK". AL.com. March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ "Alabama State Official: Even If Moore Accusations Are True, No Big Deal". Revere Press. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "Woman says Roy Moore had sexual contact with her when she was 14". Montgomeryadvertiser.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ "Alabama state auditor defends Roy Moore against sexual allegations, invokes Mary and Joseph". November 9, 2017.
- ^ Woodward, Calvin (November 10, 2017). "Bible Scholars Disagree With the 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph' Defense of Roy Moore". Time. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler Attacks Kyrsten Sinema's Appearance As "Improperly Attired"". Bama Politics. January 27, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Kirby, Brendan. "Toll opponents win battle as Gov. Ivey says 'This project is dead'". FOX10 News. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "An Alabama delegate race is stealing the political show". al. October 24, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "Ivey beats Zeigler by over 45 percentage points for Trump delegate spot". Yellowhammer News. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "Zeigler's battle against efforts to abolish their positions". al. February 15, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Krista. "Alabama votes against Amendment 1, keeps elected board of education". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "Ivey beats Zeigler by over 45 percentage points for Trump delegate spot". Yellowhammer News. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "Jim Zeigler considering 'exploratory' effort for Alabama governor in 2022". Yellowhammer News. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Jim Zeigler considering 'exploratory' effort for Alabama governor in 2022". Yellowhammer News. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Cason, Mike (January 26, 2022). "State Auditor Jim Zeigler running for Alabama secretary of state". AL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Reeves, Jay (June 21, 2022). "Allen wins GOP nomination for Alabama secretary of state". Associated Press. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ "WATCH ALABAMA INAUGURATION: Gov. Kay Ivey, Other Elected Leaders Sworn into Office". Alabama News Network. January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ Zeigler, Jim (September 23, 2023). "Jim Zeigler: Watching a miracle from Mountain Brook". 1819 News. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
