CULLMAN, Ala. – Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman has qualified for reelection to Alabama Senate District 4.
Below is Gudger’s announcement:
State Senator Garlan Gudger (R – Cullman) announced on Monday that he has officially filed qualification papers with the Alabama Republican Party for a new term representing Senate District 4, which includes Cullman, Marion, and Winston counties.
“Since joining the Alabama Senate, I have stood tall promoting the conservative Alabama beliefs and values that make our state and our district such special places to live, work, worship, and raise families,” Gudger said. “It is important that we keep working hard to prevent the liberal Democrats and the woke activists from gaining a toehold in the Alabama State House, and I stand ready to lead the fight.”
Among the important bills that Gudger has personally sponsored, carried, and passed into law during his time in the Alabama Legislature are:
- A measure that blocks transgender activism by banning men from competing in women’s sports across the state and requiring public school students to use restrooms based upon their biological sex at birth rather than any different gender they may claim.
- A bill that mandates businesses and churches must be allowed to stay open during declared emergencies, such as pandemics, because the need to earn a living and worship the Almighty does not stop when times are tense and life is difficult — they become even more important, and government has no business intervening in either.
- A new law that combats voter fraud by creating the crime of “ballot harvesting,” which occurs when pre-filled absentee voter applications are gathered or submitted by third-party individuals or workers rather than being directly submitted by voters themselves.
Gudger noted he has also brought millions of dollars in improvements to every area in his Senate district through grants, road and bridge construction and repair funding, public school and community college appropriations, and other community investments he secured.
He conceived, funded, and implemented a post traumatic stress disorder treatment program that provides combat veterans and first responders across the state with free Stellate Ganglion Blockage, or SGB, shots that control the fight or flight signals from the brain, which are common in those with PTSD.
Following the death of Winston County constituent Harold Sachs, his widow told Gudger that she was prohibited from visiting him before his passing due to COVID pandemic restrictions in place at the time, so the senator passed legislation requiring hospitals to allow an “essential care giver” selected by the patient to visit for at least two hours each day.
Gudger also helped pass the largest tax cut in Alabama history by slicing the state sales tax on groceries in half, and he was instrumental in enacting a “Back The Blue” legislative package that shields law enforcement officers from criminal prosecutions and frivolous lawsuits while policing our cities, streets, and neighborhoods.
Gudger was elected Senate President Pro Tem, the highest leadership position in the body, by his colleagues in February of 2025, which represented a meteoric achievement for a member still serving only his second term.
He and his wife, Heather, are the owners and operators of Southern Accents, an architectural salvage business founded in his father’s garage in 1969. Recognized as one of the top five architectural salvage companies in the nation, Alabama Magazine also awarded the second generation small business its “Best Antique Store in Alabama” honor for three consecutive years.
The Gudgers have two sons, Tripp and Pierce, and are members of Daystar Church, where they annually participate in mission trips to Uganda and other poverty-stricken areas around the world.
Key dates
- Primary Election: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
- Primary Runoff Election: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
- General Election: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
