Lew Burdette, president of King’s Home, a Christian nonprofit organization that helps women and children who are victims of abuse and neglect, announced today he is running for the Republican nomination for governor.
Burdette, 62, who lives in Vestavia Hills, is making his first run for public office.
“It just breaks my heart that when I left the University of Alabama 40 years ago that we were at the bottom in education, health care, and prisons, and here we are 40 years later and not one statistic is any better,” Burdette said when asked why he decided to enter a political race for the first time. “We don’t have 40 more years to waste.”
“I tell everybody, ‘Thank God I am not a politician,’” Burdette said. “And I say that with pride because what I hear and what people tell me is, ‘Lew we are hungry for change in this state and somebody that is a political outsider and somebody that has a business background and has run a big nonprofit and will be just a commonsense governor. And that’s who I am.”
Burdette has led King’s Home since 2002. The program includes The King’s Ranch and Hannah Homes and operates 21 residential group homes on six campuses in four counties. Burdette made his announcement at the main campus in Chelsea.
Burdette said he talked to the King’s Home board about running for governor and will step back from leading the operations during his campaign.
Before joining King’s Home, Burdette spent 13 years with Books-A-Million, where he was executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 1998, Burdette founded Kindred, a Christian retail store in Birmingham where he was president and CEO.
Burdette joins a field in the Republican race for governor that includes Gov. Kay Ivey, who is seeking a second full term; Lindy Blanchard, a businesswoman and former ambassador to Slovenia in the Trump administration; Tim James, a businessman and son of former Gov. Fob James; Opelika pastor Dean Odle; and correctional officer and former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy Lee George.
Two Democratic candidates have qualified with the party for governor. They are Chad “Chig” Martin, a businessman from Enterprise, and Yolanda Flowers. Christopher Countryman of Dothan, who ran in 2018, announced last summer he would run for the Democratic nomination this year but has not yet qualified, according to the party’s website.
Burdette grew up in Roanoke where he sacked groceries in his father’s store, Burdette’s Food Store. In a video on his campaign website, Burdette describes a terrifying experience in December 1974 when two men forced him into a car at gunpoint when he left the store after work.
Burdette, who was 15, was stabbed, shot, and thrown into a well and left. He describes what happened in a video on his campaign website.
Burdette was able to climb out of the well and crawl to a house for help. He said the incident reinforced a Biblical faith he learned from his mother.
“I battled for my life in the bottom of that well and only survived by the grace of God,” Burdette said on the video.
Burdette said the men who threw him in the well had a misguided idea of getting ransom from his father.
“It was a true kidnapping,” Burdette said. “They had a ransom note made. They were trying to get $250,000 from my dad. I knew that wasn’t a good plan. A small-town grocery store owner and these guys are thinking my dad’s got $250,000.”
Burdette said the men were convicted, served their sentences, and never got in trouble again, as far as he knows. One later opened a barbecue restaurant in Roanoke and has since passed away, he said. One called him from prison and apologized for what happened, Burdette said.
Burdette said he thinks he can change the trajectory of the state as a political outsider with no obligations to special interests. He said he will push for campaign finance reforms and won’t accept any contributions of more than $10,000.
“We have poverty issues in this state in the rural areas,” Burdette said. “We’ve got to do more for our state economically. We’ve got to do more for our state in health care and education.
“I look forward to bringing together an amazing cabinet that is also business-minded, results-oriented, who do not owe political favors.”
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