| Election Name: | 1970 Alabama gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Alabama |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1966 Alabama gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1966 |
| Next Election: | 1974 Alabama gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
| Election Date: | November 3, 1970 |
| Image1: | George Wallace official portrait (3x4).jpg |
| Nominee1: | George Wallace |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 637,046 |
| Percentage1: | 74.5% |
| Nominee2: | John L. Cashin Jr. |
| Party2: | National Democratic Party of Alabama |
| Popular Vote2: | 125,491 |
| Percentage2: | 14.7% |
| Image3: | 3x4.svg |
| Nominee3: | A. C. Shelton |
| Party3: | Independent (United States) |
| Popular Vote3: | 75,679 |
| Percentage3: | 8.9% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Albert Brewer |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | George Wallace |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1970 Alabama gubernatorial election was marked by a competitive Democratic primary battle between incumbent moderate Governor Albert Brewer and segregationist former governor and 1968 independent presidential candidate George Wallace. The Alabama Constitution was amended in 1968, allowing a governor to serve two consecutive terms.
Despite Wallace's popularity, Brewer was seen as an early front-runner. Brewer, who had been elected lieutenant governor in 1966, had become governor after the death of Governor Lurleen Wallace, George's wife. A moderate, he became the first gubernatorial candidate since Reconstruction to openly court black voters.[1] Brewer, hoping to build a broad alliance between blacks and white working class voters, unveiled a progressive platform and accused Wallace of spending too much time outside the state, saying "Alabama needs a full-time governor.".[2]
Republican President Richard Nixon endorsed Brewer in order to break Wallace's political career and secure Deep South votes for himself in the next presidential election.[3] [4] It was later discovered that Nixon had directed his reelection campaign to donate $400,000 to Brewer in secret cash payments.[5]
Wallace, whose presidential ambitions would have been destroyed with a defeat, ran a very aggressive and dirty campaign using racist rhetoric while proposing few original ideas of his own.[6] The Wallace campaign aired TV ads with slogans such as "Do you want the black block electing your governor?" and circulated an ad showing a white girl surrounded by seven black boys, with the slogan "Wake Up Alabama! Blacks vow to take over Alabama."[7] Wallace called Brewer a sissy[8] and promised not to run for president a third time.[9]
Despite Brewer's victory in the first round, he failed to win a majority and was forced into a runoff with Wallace.
At the time, the Democratic primary in Alabama was regarded as more important than the general election, as Alabama was still essentially a one-party state in non-presidential elections. The Republican Party did not field a candidate, and Wallace easily won the general election.