Jim Zeigler was born on May 23,1948 and is an American lawyer and politician who served as state auditor of Alabama from 2015 to 2023.
19 Facts About Jim Zeigler
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Jim Zeigler was one of the few to be elected to the post in opposition to "The Machine," a semi-secret alignment of fraternities and sororities that historically dominated the university's student government.
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Jim Zeigler won a position on the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1974, at the age of 24.
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Jim Zeigler ran for state office unsuccessfully seven times, four as a Democrat, and three as a Republican, losing elections for President of the Public Service Commission in 1976, the Alabama Board of Education in 1978, Supreme Court of Alabama in 1982, State Treasurer of Alabama in 1986, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in 1996, Public Service Commission in 1998, and State Auditor of Alabama in 2002.
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In 2006, Jim Zeigler announced the end of his political activism, as he resigned from the Conservative Christians of Alabama and the League of Christian Voters, two political action committees for which he served as chairman.
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Jim Zeigler won a runoff against Peterson, and defeated Miranda Joseph, the Democratic Party nominee, in the general election.
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In 2015, Jim Zeigler filed lawsuits against Luther Strange, the Attorney General of Alabama, and Baldwin County, Alabama schools to stop them from spending taxpayer money on political campaigns.
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Jim Zeigler gave a speech to the League of the South, termed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, in September 2015.
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In March 2016, Zeigler filed an ethics complaint against Robert J Bentley, the Governor of Alabama, for allegedly using state funds in an extramarital affair.
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On March 2,2017, Jim Zeigler became embroiled in nationwide controversy and condemnation when he posted a picture on Twitter comparing Congresswomen dressed in white to the Ku Klux Klan.
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In 2019, Jim Zeigler led a successful grassroots movement to block a proposed toll bridge on Interstate 10 across the Mobile Bay.
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In February 2020, Jim Zeigler and his wife Jackie successfully teamed up to fight the proposed Amendment One which would have replaced the elected school board, which his wife is a member of, with one appointed by the governor.
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Jim Zeigler was considered a possible candidate for the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election; he informally campaigned for the position, filed paperwork to run, and formed an exploratory committee, but never officially announced a run.
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Jim Zeigler announced on January 23,2022, that he ultimately would not run for governor, citing a lack of funds compared to the leading candidates, including incumbent Governor Kay Ivey, Lynda Blanchard, and Tim James.
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Three days later, Jim Zeigler announced that he would run for Secretary of State of Alabama in the 2022 election instead, claiming that "national attempts to manipulate honest election procedures" were a major threat.
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Jim Zeigler won the first round of voting on May 24,2022, but did not pass the threshold to avoid a runoff.
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Jim Zeigler was term-limited as State Auditor and could not seek re-election in 2022, and was succeeded by Andrew Sorrell.
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Since leaving office, Jim Zeigler has been a contributor to the Alabama-based conservative news website 1819 News.
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Jim Zeigler is married to Jackie Jim Zeigler, a member of the Alabama State Board of Education, and has two children.