John Wahl, Limestone County native and current senior vice chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, has formally announced his desire to be chairman of the state GOP.

Wahl has served at the county and state Republican level for several years, including as an ALGOP Field Director in 2012 and vice chairman of the 5th District GOP after the 2016 general election. Wahl said he knows the Republican party will be facing challenges in the next few years, but he aims to help the party be more effective and successful in that time.

“Just because the Republican party is dominant in Alabama right now doesn’t mean we’re going to rest on our laurels,” Wahl said. “We will continue to build the party both here in Alabama and across the country. We are going to be strong, organized and ready to take on the 2022 election cycle.”

To do this, Wahl believes the party needs to continue to stand for conservative and traditional values, and that it should rally around “the issues that unite us: the ideals of fiscal responsibility, family values, and defending the Constitution.”

“A lot of these values are under attack right now, and I am committed to defending them as party chairman,” he said in a statement.

Wahl promised the people of Alabama will know the Republican party stands with them no matter what if he’s elected. He noted his concern for the push for socialism, adding he continues to support a free market system and “the vision our Founding Fathers had for this country.”

“I am running because I believe in the values that made America great, and I want to be a part of securing those values and those freedoms for future generations,” he said. “I care about our state and nation, and I hope that I can make a positive difference in the political process.”

That includes fighting for election security. Wahl said it was “critical” that irregularities or unconstitutional practices in elections be identified and corrected. Several claims of voter fraud were made in relation to the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, but as of December 2020, the U.S. Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have affected the election outcome.

“Every American deserves to know they have fair and honest elections,” Wahl said. “Each and every report of voter fraud should be investigated so people can trust the election process.”

In addition to his work in politics, Wahl is a butterfly farmer by trade and general manager of WT&S Butterfly Farm in Athens. He also serves as political director and board member for the International Butterfly Breeders Association. Founded in 1998, IBBA describes itself as “the largest and oldest professional butterfly farming trade association” with a mission “to promote, educate, and protect the butterfly farming industry through education, sharing of evidence-based rearing methods, conservation, and political action.”