The 2024 Regular Legislative Session began about three months ago, so I wrote a column titled, “The 2024 Regular Legislative Session Begins Next Week.”

In that column, I highlighted the leadership of the Alabama Assembly and Senate. I said that there were three key leaders: Senator Greg Reed, Senator Arthur Ohr, and Speaker of the House Nathaniel Leadbetter. I further said that the newest addition to this power trinity was Speaker Nathaniel Leadbetter, who is in his first term. Speaker Leadbetter is quite possibly the most powerful man in the Alabama Assembly.

My prediction about Mr. Ledbetter was borne out emphatically in the first two weeks of the session as he successfully shepherded a comprehensive gambling, lottery and gaming regulation bill out of the House. The bill was essentially the same bill that Governor Kay Ivey introduced two years ago but was unable to muster the necessary votes to pass. It is a constitutional amendment, which requires 21 votes in the Senate and 63 votes in the House. In 2022, Governor Ivey got the 23 votes needed to pass it in the Senate but was unable to muster the votes in Speaker Mac McCutcheon's House.

Mr. Leadbetter, a gentleman from DeKalb County, took office as Speaker of the House in January 2023 at the start of this four-year term. He has shaped the House around himself. He was instrumental in electing most of the new members. He has become a leader in the House, not through intimidation or heavy-handed tactics. Members of the House like him, trust him, and consider him a friend.

Rep. Ledbetter has close local allies who have become powerful figures in his community, particularly Rep. Andy Witt (R-Huntsville), General Fund Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), and Majority Leader Scott Stassagen (R-Decatur). As Republican Majority Leader, Stassagen has become a true leader; young, bright, and with a bright future, perhaps statewide.

“Mr. Leadbetter has also earned the support and confidence of House Democrats. It's been a long time since we've seen such bipartisan cooperation and harmony in the House. Mr. Leadbetter's down-to-earth, quiet, honest and compassionate leadership has been a great asset to the success of the Congress.”

His leadership on this gambling issue is one of the most remarkable performances I've ever seen by a Speaker. I've had some strong Speakers in my time. Speaker Joe McCorquodale was a strong man. He's from Clark County in the southern Black Belt. Ultimately, McCorquodale followed the lead of Governor George Wallace.

I served in the House of Representatives under the leadership of another Black Belt Chairman, Jimmy Clark, a powerful man known as “Barber's Bear.” He held most of the power in the House of Representatives.

DeKalb County had a House speaker before Ledbetter: Fort Payne attorney William Beck served as speaker from 1946 to 1949 under Gov. Big Jim Folsom.

Nathaniel Leadbetter is on his own path. He and the other Congressmen represent the vast majority of average Alabamians. They listen to their constituents, who overwhelmingly want to vote for the lottery. They also know that gambling is ubiquitous in Alabama and they think it needs to be regulated. They're also tired of money going to Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida to educate our kids and pave our roads.

Leadbetter had his two subordinates, Andy Witt and Chris Blackshear (R-Russell), travel the state to hear from all angles, especially law enforcement. They spoke to and heard from all 105 members of the House of Representatives. Most importantly, he did not allow any lobbyists to be involved in the bill. He excluded lobbyists for Indian casino gaming from the discussion. This group has a monopoly on gambling in Alabama, which is why a lottery cannot be put to the public vote.

When Leadbetter's Gambling, Lottery and Regulation bill was introduced in the House, it passed by a vote of 70-32, an incredible feat considering the Governor had been unable to get it out of House committee two years earlier. This is one of the most impressive pieces of leadership I have seen from a Speaker of the House. It is without a doubt thanks to Speaker Nathaniel Leadbetter that Alabamians gained the lottery voting rights they so desperately needed and were able to regulate gambling in our state.

see you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama's leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 newspapers across Alabama. He served as a state representative for 16 years. Steve can be contacted at [email protected].