Montgomery vs the Maverick: Goat Hill's Last Stand

By Christopher M Peeks October 3, 2025

The latest election news in Alabama politics reveals that the powers-that-be, through endorsements in the Yellowhammer State, view Andrew Sorrell’s path to the governor’s office like an out-of-control, runaway freight train—and they’re scrambling to throw up blockages to derail this locomotive.

Choosing Caroleen Dobson—a foregone conclusion—as the first impediment is merely a speed bump. Most insiders, with the exception of Steve Flowers (who’s doing the bidding of the BCA via Yellowhammer News), do not foresee Dobson upsetting the Alabama State Auditor in his quest to become the next Alabama Secretary of State.

That’s where the ALFA endorsements come in. The Goat Hill gang is attempting to build a deep bench to take on the maverick politician as if they were picking players for an All-Star game.

Political insiders who spoke to me on condition of anonymity said Senator Jack Williams, in his bid for Agriculture Commissioner, and current commissioner Rick Pate, who is running for lieutenant governor—both of whom, on paper, were obvious choices for the Farmers Federation—were deemed “too old.”

Now, as far as the Attorney General’s race, pundits told me they chose Catherine Robertson over Jay Mitchell to try to block Sorrell as well, if needed. But I’m not so sure if that is the case. There seems to be a schism among the puppeteers, especially with Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey polling ahead of Robertson. So we will see.

With that said, Senator “Coach” Tommy Tuberville is expected to become the next governor of Alabama, and people close to him say Coach will only serve one term. That remains to be seen. However, if Coach only serves four or eight years, Montgomery expects Sorrell to jump from Secretary of State to running for governor when Coach leaves office.

Will Sorrell try to make that leap? It’s never occurred before in Alabama, but it has in other states—so it’s not impossible. The lieutenant governorship seems more likely, but the non-conformist politician may make that jump. Sorrell is a very confident politician who believes in himself. Some say he has an air of arrogance about him—which I think is an unfair characterization. We need alphas, not betas, in government.

So how will this play out? Time will tell. Like a riverboat gambler playing high-stakes blackjack, I’ll bet you this: from what I know about Sorrell, he will relish the challenge of going against the establishment. This will only embolden him to succeed.

In 2022, the legislature redrew his district in an attempt to primary him—and what did he do? He got elected to statewide office. Playing the underdog is his wheelhouse, and Montgomery needs to caution itself about throwing Sorrell to the wolves—because he will return leading the pack.

Christopher M. Peeks

Reporter and Columnist

Alabama Political Contributor

State Auditor Andrew Sorrell