Gudger takes over as chairman of the Alabama Senate

Garlan Gudger will lead the Alabama Senate.

The two-term senator from Cullman was elected president pro tempore by the Senate Republican caucus on Tuesday after Greg Reed resigned last month.

“I appreciate the trust my fellow Republican senators have placed in me and will ensure everyone has a voice in how the Senate operates,” Gudger said. “If we bring everyone together, put teamwork first and unite behind the conservative beliefs, traditional values ​​and core morals that each of us share, we can make an already great state even greater.”

It was Gudger’s history of integration and compromise within the body that proved to be his strength among Republican members seeking a change in leadership style. Gudger’s challenger, Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingtson, while widely respected by the body, was also seen – rightly or wrongly – as more of a traditional, old-school leader, relying more heavily on established members and less receptive to newer ones Voting was ideas.

“Gudger just has a way of letting you know your point of view is worth his time,” said one member.

The interim post is chosen by the full Senate, but since Republicans hold an absolute majority, his nomination on Tuesday amounts to an election.

Gudger, who was originally elected to the Legislature in 2018, is currently serving his second term in the upper house and chairs the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee. He previously served on the Cullman City Council for 14 years, where he was the youngest member in history, and was elected its president for the final 10 years of his term.