Garlan Gudger
Garlan Gudger (Republican Party) is a member of the Alabama State Senate, representing District 4. He assumed office on November 7, 2018. His current term ends on November 4, 2026.
Gudger (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 4. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026.[source]
The Alabama State Senate unanimously elected Gudger to serve as the president pro tempore on February 4, 2025.[1] The president pro tempore presides over the Senate body in the absence of the Senate president, which in the case of Alabama is the lieutenant governor.
Gudger was born in Cullman, Alabama, in 1975.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in building science from Auburn University in 1998. As of October 2025, he owned Southern Accents Architectural Antiques.[3]
Gudger first entered politics when he was elected to the Cullman City Council in 2004. At the time, he was the youngest person to be elected to the city council. He served on the city council for 14 years, 10 of which he served as the council's president.[4]
Gudger was elected to the state Senate in 2018, defeating Paul Bussman (R) in the Republican primary 58.6%-41.4%. Gudger ran uncontested in the general election and was re-elected to the chamber in an uncontested primary and general in 2022.
The Cullman Tribune's Noah Galilee wrote in December 2024, "Gudger’s first term in the Senate saw him rise to the chairmanship of the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development (FRED) Committee, a role he continues to hold. Over his tenure, he has championed legislation to protect small businesses, support education and provide tax credits for single parents. Notable accomplishments, he said, include his efforts to keep churches and businesses open during federal COVID-19 lockdowns."[5]
Following his election as president pro tempore, Gudger said the Senate would consider immigration bills that would go "after convicted felons, people with warrants, child molesters."[6] According to AP, Gudger said, "'We must turn back the flood of illegal immigration that erases our borders, strains our cities and drains our resources.' ... He also said that he would prioritize bills that would improve education for 'every child in every Zip code' and address crime."[1] Gudger added that he would pursue bipartisanship: "I understand a good idea is a good idea whether your name is followed by a D or an R."[1]
Biography
Garlan Gudger graduated from Cullman High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in building science from Auburn University. Gudger’s previous jobs include working as the owner of Southern Accents Architectural Antiques. Gudger was the youngest member to be elected to the Cullman City Council.[4]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Gudger was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Confirmations Committee
- Senate County and Municipal Government Committee
- Senate Education Policy Committee
- Finance and Taxation Education Committee
- Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee
- Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee
- Healthcare Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Local Legislation Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Governmental Affairs Committee
- Tourism Committee
- Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety Committee
2023-2024
Gudger was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee
- Confirmations Committee
- Finance and Taxation Education Committee
- Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee, Vice Chair
- Governmental Affairs Committee
- Healthcare Committee
- Tourism Committee
2021-2022
Gudger was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee
- Confirmations Committee
- Finance and Taxation Education Committee
- Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee, Vice Chair
- Governmental Affairs Committee
- Healthcare Committee
- Tourism Committee
2019-2020
Gudger was assigned to the following committees:
- Finance and Taxation Education Committee
- Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee, Vice chair
- Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee
- Governmental Affairs Committee
- Tourism Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4
Incumbent Garlan Gudger and James Bowling are running in the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Garlan Gudger | |
| James Bowling | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Alabama State Senate District 4
Incumbent Garlan Gudger won election in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Garlan Gudger (R) | 99.2 | 38,265 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 307 | ||
| Total votes: 38,572 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jacob Marlowe (L)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Garlan Gudger advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4.
2018
- See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Alabama State Senate District 4
Garlan Gudger won election in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Garlan Gudger (R) | 99.1 | 39,817 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 343 | ||
| Total votes: 40,160 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4
Garlan Gudger defeated incumbent Paul Bussman in the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 4 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Garlan Gudger | 58.6 | 14,454 |
 | Paul Bussman | 41.4 | 10,195 | |
| Total votes: 24,649 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2022
Garlan Gudger did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2025.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2024.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2023.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2022.
- Alabama Policy Institute — Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2021.
- Alabama Policy Institute — Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2020.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Alabama State Legislature in 2019.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Alabama State Senate District 4 |
Officeholder Alabama State Senate District 4 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Associated Press, "Alabama Senate elects new leader to kick off 2025 legislative session," February 4, 2025
- ↑ AL.com, "Alabama GOP elects new Senate leader," December 3, 2024
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Garlan Gudger," accessed October 1, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Republicans Alabama Senate, "Garlan Gudger," accessed April 10, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ The Cullman Tribune, "Sen. Garlan Gudger elected senate president pro tempore," December 3, 2024
- ↑ Fox Chattanooga, "Alabama Senate to focus on government transparency and efficiency, immigration," February 4, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Alabama State Senate District 4 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
