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Rick Pate
2019 - Present
2027
6
Rick Pate (Republican Party) is the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries. He assumed office on January 14, 2019. His current term ends on January 18, 2027.
Pate (Republican Party) is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Biography
Pate obtained a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University’s College of Agriculture in 1978. Pate grew up working on his family's cattle and poultry operations in Lowndes County. In 2012, he took over the family cattle operation. He founded Pate Landscape Co., Inc.[1]
Pate began serving on the Lowndesboro Town Council in 1996.[1]
Political career
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture (2019-present)
Pate was first elected agriculture commissioner on November 6, 2018, and assumed office on January 14, 2019.
Lowndesboro Mayor (2008-2018)
Pate served as the mayor of Lowndesboro, Alabama, from 2008 to 2018. He resigned the position after his election as commissioner of agriculture.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Alabama lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
The following candidates are running in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Wes Allen (R) | |
 | Patrick Bishop (R)  | |
 | George Childress (R) | |
 | Dean Odle (R) | |
 | Rick Pate (R) | |
 | Nicole Wadsworth (R) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Alabama Agriculture Commissioner election, 2022
General election
General election for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries
Incumbent Rick Pate defeated Jason Clark in the general election for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Pate (R) | 84.9 | 946,155 |
 | Jason Clark (L) | 15.1 | 168,529 | |
| Total votes: 1,114,684 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Rick Pate advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries.
2018
General election
General election for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries
Rick Pate won election in the general election for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Pate (R) | 97.2 | 1,081,431 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.8 | 31,312 | ||
| Total votes: 1,112,743 (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. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries
Rick Pate defeated Gerald Dial in the Republican primary runoff for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries on July 17, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Pate | 56.7 | 176,434 |
 | Gerald Dial | 43.3 | 134,772 | |
| Total votes: 311,206 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries
Rick Pate and Gerald Dial advanced to a runoff. They defeated Cecil Murphy and Tracy Crane in the Republican primary for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Pate | 40.4 | 181,637 |
| ✔ | | Gerald Dial | 30.0 | 134,868 |
 | Cecil Murphy | 17.2 | 77,363 | |
 | Tracy Crane | 12.4 | 56,007 | |
| Total votes: 449,875 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2022
Rick Pate 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.
Stances on the issues
Agriculture commissioners are responsible for overseeing and regulating practices and policies that affect farmers, consumers of agricultural products, and the broader agricultural industry in their states. Their powers can vary, but they typically have the authority to enforce state laws and regulations pertaining to agriculture and investigate practices related to the agricultural sector that may violate state laws or regulations.[2][3]
This section outlines Pate's stances on policy issues as they relate to agriculture.
Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
|---|
|
| • What is ESG? • Enacted ESG legislation • Arguments for and against ESG • Opposition to ESG • Federal ESG rules • ESG legislation tracker • Economy and Society: Ballotpedia's weekly ESG newsletter |
Pate has argued against ESG, which refers to an investment or corporate governance approach that involves considering the extent to which corporations conform to certain standards related to environmental, social, and corporate governance issues (such as net carbon emission or corporate board diversity goals) and making business and investment decisions that promote those standards. Agricultural commissioners have the authority to use their investigative and enforcement powers to scrutinize the effects of financial practices on the agricultural sector, write letters to financial institutions requesting information on their policies and practices, and issue regulations related to fertilizer usage, agricultural fuel usage, and rural electrification.[2][3]
Letter opposing ESG practices at financial institutions
Pate joined eleven agricultural commissioners from other states on January 29, 2024, in writing a public letter to the CEOs of six large banks, including J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, opposing their ESG commitments.[2][3]
The letter argued that the financial institutions’ commitments to implementing Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) policies could restrict credit access for farmers and coerce agricultural producers into changing their farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The officials said such changes would increase costs in the agricultural sector, reduce the availability of food, drive up consumer prices, and eliminate jobs in the industry.[2][3]
The letter requested additional information related to the banks’ ESG commitments, including details on how the banks intended to promote NZBA’s carbon emissions targets for the agricultural sector.[2][3]
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Officeholder Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries, "Commissioner Rick Pate," accessed January 21, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Fox Business, “Dozen state GOP agriculture commissioners launch probe of US banks over ESG investing: 'It must be stopped,'” accessed February 13, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Georgia Department of Agriculture, “Impact of Net-Zero Banking Alliance on Agriculture & Food Security,” January 29, 2024
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
