1970 Alabama gubernatorial election

• Albert Brewer, incumbent Governor
• Coleman Brown
• Asa Carter, Ku Klux Klan leader and former Wallace speechwriter
• Jim Folsom, former Governor
• Ralph "Shorty" Price, perennial candidate
• George Wallace, former Governor
• Charles Woods, businessman

Despite Wallace's popularity, Brewer was seen as an early front-runner. Brewer, who had been elected lieutenant governor in 1966, had become governor after the death of Governor Lurleen Wallace, George's wife. A moderate, he became the first gubernatorial candidate since Reconstruction to openly court black voters.[1] Brewer, hoping to build a broad alliance between blacks and white working class voters, unveiled a progressive platform and accused Wallace of spending too much time outside the state, saying "Alabama needs a full-time governor.".[2]

Republican President Richard Nixon endorsed Brewer in order to break Wallace's political career and secure Deep South votes for himself in the next presidential election.[3][4] It was later discovered that Nixon had directed his reelection campaign to donate $400,000 dollars to Brewer in secret cash payments.[5]

Wallace, whose presidential ambitions would have been destroyed with a defeat, ran a very aggressive and dirty campaign using racist rhetoric while proposing few ideas of his own.[6] The Wallace campaign aired TV ads with slogans such as "Do you want the black block electing your governor?" and circulated an ad showing a white girl surrounded by seven black boys, with the slogan "Wake Up Alabama! Blacks vow to take over Alabama."[7] Wallace called Brewer a sissy[8] and promised not to run for president a third time.[9]

Despite Brewer's victory in the first round, he failed to win a majority and was forced into a runoff with Wallace.

Democratic primary runoff results by county
Wallace:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%
Brewer:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%