Guntersville’s 2025 Mayoral Race: A Head-to-Head Showdown

The upcoming mayoral election in Guntersville for 2025 is shaping up to be a direct contest between the current mayor, Leigh Dollar, and former state representative Jeff McLaughlin. This follows an unusual tie in earlier voting this month.

Leigh Dollar has been serving as mayor since 2012. Over the years, she has dealt with issues related to urban development, tourism centered around the lake, and essential city services. Interestingly, these aspects seem to be growing faster than the actual population suggests.

Before the runoff on September 23rd, there was some concern among Guntersville residents regarding McLaughlin’s past as an elected official in Montgomery. Melanie Goff, the president of the Marshall County Republican Party, mentioned that McLaughlin was labeled as Alabama’s “second liberal lawmaker” during the 2010 election cycle.

“While it’s a nonpartisan race according to Alabama law,” she said, “candidates don’t have to declare a party. However, McLaughlin has long been associated with the Democratic Party.”

Support for McLaughlin is coming from the Marshall County Democrats. He served as a Democrat in the House 27th District from 2001 to 2010 but lost his seat in 2014 to Will Ainsworth, a former state lawmaker and the current governor. During his time in the legislature, he was one of the few remaining white Democrats.

McLaughlin’s records show a pattern of supporting fellow Democrats, including contributions to Hillary Clinton and Doug Jones. Notably, in 2016, his law firm contributed $1,200 to Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign and, the following year, he donated $1,000 to Jones’ Senate campaign against Roy Moore.

Just recently, a group called “North Alabama Liberal Agenda,” which supports McLaughlin, posted a controversial message following the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk at the University of Utah. They stated, “I have no sympathy for him. He can live in his own words.”

This post sparked discussions on social media platforms, some of which celebrated the moment Kirk was shot.

Last week, the same group endorsed McLaughlin with a simple call to action: “Guntersville. Vote McLaughlin for mayor!”