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By PAUL DEMARCO / Guest Columnist

This past week Gov. Kay Ivey confirmed the rumors floating around the state capitol that she was running for re-election for a second full term. She came into office after the Robert Bentley scandal with the stated goal of righting the ship and a transition from a governor that was on the verge of impeachment.

Ivey ran the next year, won a full term outright and her poll numbers have shown her to be one of the more popular governors in the nation.

And during her term she has not shied from tackling controversial issues, with her support for a gasoline tax, gambling, marijuana for medical use and criminal justice reform.

With her support of such issues, you would think that would make her a vulnerable incumbent in a state considered one of the most conservative in the nation.

Yet, so far no one is floating there name as a potential challenger in the Republican Primary to her re-election in 2022. It will take a serious candidate who has the ability to raise funds for a full statewide race to mount a credible contest against Ivey. And we will see if the Democrats even trot out a candidate who is for certain to lose to the governor in such a red state.

There is still a little over a year to go to the primary election, so we will see if anyone puts their name in the hat or whether Ivey returns to the Governor’s Mansion without a race.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives.