Kay Ivey Bio
Kay Ellen Ivey is an American politician serving as the 54th governor of Alabama since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as Alabama State Treasurer from 2003 to 2011 and as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017. Ivey became the state’s second female governor upon her succession in 2017, won a full term in 2018, and was reelected in 2022. Her tenure has included actions on abortion policy, criminal justice, education, and pandemic response.
Early Life and Background
Kay Ellen Ivey was born on October 15, 1944, in Camden, Alabama, the only child of Boadman Nettles Ivey and Barbara Elizabeth Ivey. Her father served as an officer in the U.S. Army during World War II and later worked with the Gees Bend community as part of the Farmers Home Administration. Growing up in Camden, Ivey worked on her father’s farm and developed the small-town values that have shaped her public career.
She graduated from Auburn University, where she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta and served in the Student Government Association all four years. During her time at Auburn, she met her first husband, Ben LaRavia, and the two became engaged while still in school. After college, Ivey moved to California and worked as a high school teacher for several years.
Path to US Politics
Ivey’s entry into state government came in 1979, when she was appointed by then-Governor Fob James to serve in the state cabinet. She later served as the reading clerk of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1980 to 1982, and then as Assistant Director of the Alabama Development Office from 1982 to 1985. In 1982, she ran for State Auditor as a Democrat but lost the primary.
From 1985 to 1998, Ivey served as Director of Government Affairs and Communications for the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. During this period, she also worked with Merchants National Bank, where she launched a school relations program to promote financial literacy. These roles gave her deep experience in state budgeting, policy, and public administration that prepared her for elected office.
Kay Ivey Career
Early Career (2002–2010)
In 2002, Kay Ellen Ivey switched to the Republican Party and ran for Alabama State Treasurer. She defeated Stephen Black, the grandson of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, in the general election by a margin of 52 to 48 percent. Her victory made her the first Republican elected state treasurer since Reconstruction.
Ivey was reelected in 2006 over Democrat Steve Segrest by a 60 to 40 percent margin. During her tenure, the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) program suffered a near-complete financial collapse, and the Alabama state legislature ultimately bailed it out. In 2009, Ivey announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in the 2010 elections.
Lieutenant Governor Breakthrough (2010–2017)
In March 2010, Ivey abandoned her run for governor and instead qualified to run for lieutenant governor. She won the Republican primary with 56.6 percent of the vote, defeating State Senator Hank Erwin and schoolteacher Gene Ponder. In the November 2010 elections, she defeated Democratic incumbent Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom Jr., who had sought an unprecedented fourth term.
In 2014, Ivey faced a Republican primary challenge from pastor Stan Cooke of Jefferson County. With support from major lobbying groups, including the Business Council of Alabama and the Alabama Farmers Federation, she defeated Cooke with 61.68 percent of the vote. She then defeated Democratic nominee James C. Fields in the general election, becoming the first Republican to be reelected lieutenant governor in the state’s history.
Governor of Alabama Era (2017–Present)
Kay Ellen Ivey was sworn in as the 54th governor of Alabama on April 10, 2017, following the resignation of Robert J. Bentley. She became the second female governor in state history, after Lurleen Wallace. Upon taking office, she rescheduled a U.S. Senate special election for December 12, 2017, and signed a series of bills on criminal justice, monuments, and abortion.
In 2018, Ivey won a full term by defeating Democratic nominee Walt Maddox. In 2022, she won reelection by defeating Democratic nominee Yolanda Flowers, drawing 14 challengers in the process. Ivey is the longest-serving female governor in American history, and her tenure has included the 2019 signing of House Bill 314, a controversial abortion bill, as well as the 2020 declaration of a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Ivey’s signature achievements are the 2017 bill barring the removal of Confederate monuments on public display, the 2022 constitutional carry law eliminating permit requirements for concealed handguns, and the 2024 law criminalizing the use of artificial intelligence to create materially deceptive media in election campaigns. She was also the only sitting governor to publicly support Roy Moore in the 2017 U.S. Senate special election, a stance that drew national attention.
Kay Ivey Career Wins
Throughout her career in Alabama politics, Kay Ellen Ivey has compiled a record of statewide victories that spans more than two decades. From her first treasurer’s race in 2002 to her gubernatorial reelection in 2022, she has consistently won major elections, often by wide margins, establishing herself as one of the most successful Republican politicians in Alabama history.
Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor Highlights
Ivey first won statewide office in 2002 when she defeated Stephen Black 52 to 48 percent to become state treasurer. She was reelected in 2006 by a 60 to 40 percent margin. In 2010, she won election as lieutenant governor, and in 2014, she won reelection to that office, becoming the first Republican to be reelected lieutenant governor in Alabama history.
Governor and Other Wins
In 2017, Ivey succeeded to the governorship upon the resignation of Robert J. Bentley. She then won a full term in 2018 by defeating Democrat Walt Maddox, and in 2022, she won reelection by defeating Democrat Yolanda Flowers, cementing her position as the longest-serving female governor in American history.
Kay Ivey Family
Family Background and Personal Lineage
Kay Ellen Ivey was raised in Camden, Alabama, as the only child of Boadman Nettles Ivey and Barbara Elizabeth Ivey. Her father, a U.S. Army officer during World War II, worked with the Gees Bend community through the Farmers Home Administration. Ivey grew up helping on the family farm, and her small-town roots remain a defining part of her public identity.
Personal Life
Ivey has been married and divorced twice and has no children. Her first marriage was to Ben LaRavia, whom she met while attending Auburn University. Her second marriage was to Tom Clement. Ivey is a member of First Baptist Church in Montgomery and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 2019, she was diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer and received outpatient treatment at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She was declared cancer-free in January 2020. In 2021, she received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Jacksonville State University.