‘Better, Brighter, More Dynamic:’ With Numbers Showing Him Behind Incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, Walt Maddox Reaches out to Young Voters
![]()
By Sam Prickett
Walt Maddox kicked off the final week of his campaign for Alabama governor Monday night with a visit to Auburn University, where he spoke with students about issues pertaining to the state’s college-aged demographic.
“It’s a lot of fun being here with college students,” Maddox said after the event. “This election, unlike a lot of other elections, is going to impact them directly.”
He’d received the most feedback from younger voters, he said, about college scholarships. A central plank of Maddox’s campaign platform has been the creation of a statewide education lottery — from which he has pledged $125 million in annual funding to be allocated toward college scholarships and workforce readiness programs.
A large part of the discussion also focused on fighting voter apathy, “especially among younger voters, and especially college students,” Maddox said.
Currently, Maddox is polling well below Ivey with registered voters — which is no surprise for a Democratic candidate in a deeply Republican state. But most of his pitch to the students at Auburn reflected what he says his final week strategy is: to present himself as someone who can lead Alabama into the future — and to present Ivey as someone who will keep the state mired in the past.
“I really think the overarching theme was, we’ve been at the bottom or near the bottom in everything that matters,” Maddox said, referring to studies that have ranked Alabama as far below average in categories such as healthcare and education. “How do we come out of that?”
“Over the past year, we’ve made the case with our policies about why we believe we’re the best candidate,” he continued. “And just really, there’s a clear difference between the other candidate and myself … As we make this closing argument, we want everyone to keep the future in mind. Who is the best candidate to guide Alabama toward a brighter, better and more dynamic future? I believe we’re the best candidate.”
Federal workers sue Education Department over partisan shutdown emails
Employees say their out-of-office messages were changed without their consent to include language blaming Democrats for the shutdown.
Trump federalizes the National Guard in Chicago, while troops arrive in Oregon
The White House said Trump "authorized" the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard members, after vowing to send troops into Chicago. Meanwhile, Guard members arrived in Oregon from California.
SNL roasts Trump in season premiere, as Bad Bunny addresses Super Bowl criticism
Bad Bunny returned to SNL as a host for the second time, and the musician addressed criticism over his upcoming Super Bowl performance.
States are cutting Medicaid provider payments long before Trump cuts hit
North Carolina and Idaho have cut their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.
At least 5 dead in large-scale nighttime Russian strike on Ukraine
At least five civilians died after Russia launched a major nighttime attack on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, a barrage which officials said targeted civilian infrastructure.
With makeshift jump ropes and hide and seek, kids play to cope with crisis
From Gaza to Ukraine to South Sudan, children play to deal with the stress — and find a moment of joy.