Allen Accused of Spending Taxpayer Funds on Self-Promoting TV Ads
Watchdog group says more than $1 million in State funds went toward ads boosting Wes Allen during election season
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen is facing criticism from a conservative watchdog group after state records showed his office spent more than $1 million on advertising during fiscal year 2025, including television spots featuring Allen while he campaigned for Lieutenant Governor.
The allegations were raised this week by the Common Sense Campaign of Alabama, which accused Allen’s office of using taxpayer-funded advertising to increase his public profile during an election year.
According to the group, records from Alabama’s public spending database show the Secretary of State’s Office spent $1,037,195.96 on advertising in fiscal year 2025. The organization said that marked a sharp increase from fiscal year 2024, when the office reportedly spent $127,272 on advertising before Allen launched his statewide campaign.
In a statement released by the organization, the group said the concern is not over public outreach itself, but over the nature and timing of the advertising campaign.
“Taxpayer-funded communications should never be used to promote a politician,” the organization said. “State financial records and television logs clearly show that Wes Allen used more than a million taxpayer dollars on advertising, including campaign-style ads that prominently featured him during an election year.”
The group also raised concerns about the role of political consultant Angi Horn, who reportedly handled both campaign work for Allen and public relations work for the Secretary of State’s Office.
“What makes this case even more troubling is the role of the Secretary of State’s taxpayer-paid PR consultant,” the statement said. “The consultant who put this plan together was none other than Wes Allen’s own campaign consultant, Angi Horn, who was awarded a lucrative contract within the Secretary of State’s Office following his election.”
According to the watchdog group, Horn’s company received a $140,000 contract to manage public relations for the Secretary of State’s Office after Allen took office. The organization said public records show Horn also worked on Allen’s campaigns for secretary of state and lieutenant governor during the same period.
“The lines are easy to follow,” the organization stated. “Wes Allen hired his campaign consultant with taxpayer funds to work in the Secretary of State’s Office. That same consultant then developed a plan that used taxpayer money to increase Wes Allen’s name recognition and visibility during a campaign year in which he was running for higher office.”
The group compared the situation to recent national criticism surrounding former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and a federally funded ad campaign that featured Noem prominently in immigration enforcement messaging.
“We have already seen this issue play out at the national level, where Kristi Noem recently faced serious criticism over taxpayer-funded, self-promotional advertising,” the statement said.
Multiple national outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that Noem came under scrutiny over a $220 million Department of Homeland Security advertising campaign that heavily featured her image and branding.
The Common Sense Campaign of Alabama is now calling for a full review of advertising expenditures within the Secretary of State’s Office, public disclosure of how the ads were approved, and safeguards to prevent future taxpayer-funded communications from becoming political promotion.
“Restoring public trust requires more than excuses,” the organization said. “It requires accountability.”
The group said its findings were based on records collected from Alabama’s public spending portal, open.alabama.gov, along with television advertising materials tied to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Allen has not publicly responded to the allegations as of Wednesday evening.
The Common Sense Campaign of Alabama is a grassroots organization founded in 2010 that advocates for transparency, limited government, and accountability in public office.
A video of concern to the Common Sense Campaign of Alabama is below:
