Jim Zeigler

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Jim Zeigler (born May 23, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician. He is the current State Auditor of Alabama. Before becoming State Auditor, he served on the Alabama Public Service Commission.

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Early life and education

While a student at the University of Alabama, Zeigler served as the president of the Student Government Association (SGA). Zeigler lived at Mallet Hall from 1966 to 1970, and served as SGA president from 1970-71. He 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. He graduated from the university in 1972. He graduated from the Faulkner University Jones School of Law in 1978.

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Political career

He won a position on the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1974, at the age of 24. He did not run for reelection in 1978.

He 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. These close losses earned him the nickname "Mr. 49 Percent". In 2006, 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.

Zeigler ran for State Auditor in 2014. In the Republican primary, Zeigler faced Dale Peterson, candidate for Agriculture Commissioner in 2010; Adam Thompson, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Alabama Secretary of State's office; and Hobbie Sealy, former Deputy Conservation Commissioner. Zeigler won a runoff against Peterson, and defeated Miranda Joseph, the Democratic Party nominee, in the general election. In 2015, 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. The suits were dismissed.

Following the Charleston church shooting in June 2015, Zeigler advocated that parishioners take their guns to church. Zeigler gave a speech to the League of the South, termed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, in September 2015. 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. On March 2, 2017, 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. Zeigler defended his post, saying that when the Congresswomen wore white as a symbol of Women's Suffrage at a speech by President Trump, "when they did that, they opened themselves up to criticisms and questions about that."

In November 2017, following the allegations of child molestation made against Republican Roy Moore, Zeigler was quoted as saying: "Even if you accept the Washington Post's report as being completely true, it's much ado about very little." Zeigler argued that relationships between grown men and teenage girls were acceptable because "take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus." Multiple Biblical scholars disputed his defense, noting that the exact ages of Joseph and Mary at the time they were betrothed or married remain uncertain, as they are not included in the Bible. In addition, Jesuit priest Jim Martin tweeted that "...comparing the allegations against Roy Moore in any way to Joseph and Mary is disgusting."