The UA College Democrats hosted Ron Sparks, Democratic candidate for Alabama commissioner of agriculture and industries. Sparks has no primary opponents and will be the Democratic nominee in the upcoming 2026 general election.
Sparks said he felt the need to run for office again after seeing what has happened in the state under a Republican majority.
“I was retired. I didn’t need a paycheck, I didn’t need a job,” he said. “But I care so much about this state and I care so much about this party, I care so much about the future of this state, the farmers of this state, that I said that I had another run in me.”
Sparks said he wants to go back to the process of inspectors evaluating gas pumps. He said the current system of owners being responsible for their store’s gas pumps is “the fox guarding the hen house” which previously led his department to find station pumps that had lower quality gasoline and inaccurate pricing to turn a profit.
“When I was commissioner of agriculture, we had inspectors to go to that pump. We made sure that when you paid for a gallon, you got a gallon,” he said. “We made sure that when you bought 93 octane, you got 93.”
During his time as commissioner of agriculture, Sparks also created additional animal diagnostic testing labs in the state to prevent diseases in livestock, especially in poultry.
“If we let the poultry industry collapse in Alabama, it kills our economy,” he said, adding that he worked on two farm bills in office, legislation that regulates and assists farming in the state and wants to create an updated one if he’s elected.
He also said he wants to help the young people of Alabama remain healthy and be able to start families by providing healthier foods in the state and expanding Medicaid.
“When I ran for governor, I wanted to expand Medicaid,” he said, “Since we didn’t expand Medicaid, we lost 18 hospitals. It’s ridiculous that we don’t expand Medicaid and we should never back down from that.”
Alabama currently faces a rural healthcare crisis, with 40 of the 55 counties considered rural areas not having hospitals that provide maternal healthcare as of 2025.
Sparks ran for governor of Alabama in 2010, losing to former Gov. Robert Bentley. After losing, Sparks was appointed as director of the state’s Office of Rural Development, which was abolished by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2017.
Sparks said he never made any decision in the ADOC based on his political party.
“The department of agriculture has no place for that,” he said.
He also addressed his support for other Democratic candidates, including former Sen. Doug Jones’ campaign for governor and state Rep. Phillip Ensler, who’s running for lieutenant governor.
“We need to get out and fight for this ticket like we have never fought in the history of our lives,” he said.
Sam McKinney, president of UACD, said he believes Sparks is one of the best candidates on the Democratic ticket this election.
“He’s a strong communicator, and I think he appeals to people that aren’t just democrats and I think he has a record of actually being really helpful for Alabamians and not lobbyists.”
