The Establishment Always Wins: Unveiling the Political Reality in Alabama​

By Christopher M Peeks May, 26 2026

The Establishment Always Wins

​As is par for the course for me, most of the office seekers I supported Tuesday night lost. However, the reason they were defeated was not because they were bad contenders, nor does coming up short make them losers. They were bested due to a combination of factors tied to one single reality: the establishment always wins.

​Now, some of you might argue that several party favorites were unseated last Tuesday, and be that as it may, there are always exceptions. Those departures usually have distinct underlying triggers. Case in point: Juandalynn Givan saw her campaign collapse by motivating white voters in her district to turn out against her following a racially charged article she published stating she did not represent them. This is a clear outlier.

​Also, we live in an era where an endorsement by President Donald Trump gives a candidate a massive boost, as we saw with John Wahl. Despite Montgomery power brokers backing Secretary of State Wes Allen, the President’s nod helped the former party chairman surge to first place in the opening round, defying the polls. Again, this is an anomaly.

​Along those same lines, despite receiving backing from all the trade organizations and spending over a million dollars in the race for state auditor, Vestavia attorney Derek Chen was defeated by nearly 40 points by the incumbent, Andrew Sorrell. This simply proved that the electorate in Alabama is not ready for an Asian elected official.

​So, why do the political elite dominate more often than not? Their success comes down to a couple of assets. The first being the almighty dollar. When you command a massive campaign war chest, you dictate the narrative. Despite social media giving a cash-strapped challenger more of a fighting chance, you just can't compete with an opponent who controls the airwaves on TV and radio.

​Look at the race for Alabama House District 20 between former Fifth District Congressman Mo Brooks and the incumbent, James Lomax. Brooks was outspent 1.1 million dollars to around 125,000 dollars. There is no way to bridge that gap.

​The other factor is turnout. As participation continues to plummet, the only citizens showing up at the polls are establishment loyalists, and they protect their own. We hear voters complain constantly that they do not want career politicians, yet every two years incumbents like AL CD4 Representative Robert Aderholt and AL CD3 Representative Mike Rogers sail through their primaries with 80% of the vote. The reason is simple: the critics stay home. The status quo army actually votes.

​Until we can get the citizens of the Yellowhammer State engaged in local politics and driven to make a difference by backing the right candidates, we're always going to travel this same road and get more of the same—because the house always comes out on top.