Will Ainsworth
William P. Ainsworth Jr (born March 22, 1981 in Birmingham) is the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, and the 27th to serve under the Alabama Constitution of 1901.
Will, the son of Billy and Sharon Ainsworth, was raised in Boaz. His father founded Steel Processing Services Inc, which later merged with two other companies to become Progress Rail Services Corporation, and was acquired by Caterpillar Inc. in 2006.
Ainsworth studied marketing at Auburn University. He was arrested twice in college, once for driving an unregistered boat in Jackson County, and once for his involvement in the theft of a fiberglass tiger on display in Auburn. Both charges were dismissed after he paid and fine and completed community service. He completed his bachelor's degree in 2003 and worked as a youth pastor for Grace Fellowship Church in Albertville. Ainsworth and his brother Austin co-founded the 2,000-acre Dream Ranch, a hunting and fishing lodge near Guntersville. Ainsworth also operates the annual Tennessee Valley Hunting and Fishing Expo in Huntsville.
In 2014 Ainsworth ran as a Republican to represent District 27 in the Alabama House of Representatives after incumbent Wes Long declined to run for re-election. District 27 includes parts of Blount, DeKalb, and Marshall Counties, including the cities of Arab and Guntersville. In the 2014 general election Ainsworth's family was the largest contributor to his campaign, followed by the Alabama Forestry Association. He defeated former Democratic Representative Jeff McLaughlin by a vote of 7,355 to 4,959.
As a legislator, Ainsworth sponsored a bill to allow teachers and administrators to arm themselves with firearms during school hours, with training. When the bill did not come to the floor for a vote, he petitioned Governor Kay Ivey, unsuccessfully, to call a special legislative session on school safety.
In the 2018 primary elections, Ainsworth advanced to a run-off with Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh for the Republic nomination for Lieutenant Governor. He won the run-off by a vote of 176,643 to 166,432 and went on to defeat Democrat Will Boyd in the 2018 general election by a vote of 1,044,941 to 660,013. Again, Ainsworth's family supported his campaign, with a reported $809,975 in personal contributions. Other major donors included the Alabama Forestry Association, the Alabama Home Builders Association and the Alabama Farmers Federation.
In his position, Ainsworth heads the Lieutenant Governor's Small Business Commission and the Lieutenant Governor's Commission on a 21st Century Workforce. He was also elected chair of the Aerospace States Association. He disagreed with Governor Ivey by opposing a proposed a toll bridge on I-20 in Mobile.
Shortly after the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic was declared a statewide emergency, Ainsworth published an open letter criticizing Governor Ivey and the Alabama COVID-19 Task Force for not preparing for what he described as a coming, "tsunami of hospital patients," based on early predictions that as many as 13% of COVID patients would require intensive care. When Ivey did issue a statewide mask order in July, Ainsworth criticized it as an infringement on the rights of business owners and individuals. In October Ainsworth himself tested positive for COVID-19.
Ainsworth and his wife, the former Kendall Foster, have three children, twin sons Hunter and Hays, and daughter, Addie.
| Preceded by: Wes Long |
State Representative, District 27 2014–2018 |
Succeeded by: Wes Kitchens |
| Preceded by: Kay Ivey |
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama 2019– |
Succeeded by: present |
References
- Cason, Mike (July 16, 2018) "Will Ainsworth, Twinkle Cavanaugh swap attacks on election eve." The Birmingham News
- Sharp, John (March 28, 2020) "Alabama Lt. Gov. butts heads with governor over coronavirus response." The Birmingham News
- Cason, Mike (October 22, 2020) "Will Ainsworth still opposes mandatory mask order after positive COVID-19 test." The Birmingham News
External links
- Lieutenant Governor at alabama.gov
- Will Ainsworth campaign website