Garlan Gudger was elected by the Alabama Senate Republican Caucus to succeed Greg Reed as President Pro Tempore

Members of the Alabama Senate Republican Caucus on Tuesday elected State Senator Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) to assume the role of President Pro Tempore after State Senator Greg Reed (R-Jasper) resigned from office in November. The internal caucus vote among the 27 Republican-elected members of the Alabama Senate fell between Gudger and current Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro).

All 35 members of the Alabama State Senate will vote on Gudger as president pro tem when the Alabama Legislature reconvenes in February. By comparison, Reed was unanimously elected by the chamber when he was nominated by the caucus to serve as Pro Tem in 2021.

Livingston will remain in his role as Senate majority leader after the vote, which put him at odds with Gudger after an initial caucus meeting postponed the decision until after Thanksgiving.

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“I am honored that the caucus has elected me to be the next Pro Tem of the Alabama Senate. “There is a lot we have to accomplish in the future and we will do it as a team,” Gudger said after the vote.

“I think Steve Livingston and I have already worked on things together there and thought about where we will do what, how we will function and act in the future. That’s why I’m grateful to the team and honored to be the next Pro-Tem of the Alabama State Senate.”

At Gudger’s side, State Senator Steve Livingston reaffirmed the unity within the caucus, now just over two months before the 2025 state legislative session. He described the caucus meeting as “jovial” and said the process allows every member to have a voice.

“Congratulations to my friend and colleague Garlan Grudger on his win today. As a caucus, we have a proven track record of improving the lives of our constituents, upholding conservative values ​​and making Alabama the best place to live, work and raise a family. I look forward to continuing to lead our caucus as we remain true to this mission,” Livingston said after the vote.

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Both Livingston and Gudger rejected the idea that the election represented a generational conflict within the caucus. “This wasn’t about a ‘young guard’ versus an ‘old guard,'” Gudger said. “We are all senators from Alabama. We are all influential in our respective districts. We were elected and we will work together – as I keep saying, as a team – and I believe we will come together in unison.”

State Senator Greg Reed officially announced his resignation as President Pro Tempore and the Alabama Senate at large announced his appointment as Senior Advisor for Workforce Transformation under Governor Kay Ivey. Reed will lead the reorganization of the Alabama Department of Labor into the Alabama Department of Labor next summer.

Reed’s resignation, effective January 1, 2025, leaves a vacancy in Senate District 5. Governor Ivey is expected to announce a special election to fill this seat.

RELATED: Reports: Greg Reed resigns as President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate

As was reportedly the case during the first vote among caucus members last month, both Livingston and Gudger expected at least 15 votes each from their colleagues for today’s meeting. The results of this vote will not be officially published.

Gudger, a two-term member of the Alabama Senate, said Tuesday afternoon that the only committee shakeup he predicts is the one he chairs, the Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee. Prior to his election to the Alabama State Senate in 2018, Gudger served for 14 years on the Cullman City Council, where he was the youngest member in history, and was elected president for the final 10 years of his term.

Looking ahead, Gudger acknowledged the procedural step of confirmation by the full Senate on Feb. 4, the first day of the legislative session. Until then, he will serve as pro tem commissioner.

“This will be the first act of the Senate,” Majority Leader Livingston said Tuesday afternoon.

Grayson Everett is the government and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270