The Jefferson County Commissioner who has declared his candidacy for governor in 2018 was stumping in Covington County yesterday.

David Carrington, president of RacingUSA.com, one of the nation’s leading retailers of NASCAR merchandise, brought his campaign to town Tuesday, 364 days before Alabama voters will go to the polls in state primary elections on June 5, 2018.

Carrington said he is running on a platform of unifying the state by providing trustworthy leadership; upgrading education; unlocking jobs; and untangling the mess in Montgomery.

He said his goal will be to increase the median family income for the state by 19 percent, a task he believes can be accomplished by providing training to the half-million Alabama adults who did not complete high school, and therefore are trapped in entry-level jobs. Those employees need to improve their skills and move up, he said, so that entry-level jobs will be open to younger people.

Carrington is also a former member of the Vestavia Hills City Council.

Other declared GOP candidates for governor are Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, current Ag Commissioner John McMillan, and evangelist Scott Dawson. Gov. Kay Ivey, who became governor this spring upon Robert Bentley’s resignation, has not announced if she will make a bid for the office.

Mon., June 5, 2017, was the first day candidates for next year could begin fundraising.

Later this summer, on Aug. 15, Alabama residents will cast votes in a special primary election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated when President Donald Trump named Jeff Sessions U.S. Attorney General.