In Hiding Her Donors, Katherine Robertson Reveals Herself

Guest Opinion by Brad Presnall

I have always believed that Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, was a wise man. For decades, folks have joked about his whimsical Proverbs (for example: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”), but I find hidden depth in Yogi-isms.

My favorite is “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

2026 is an election year in Alabama. In this cycle, there has been no more contentious race than the hotly contested Republican primary battle for Attorney General. Two candidates—former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell and Chief Counsel to the Attorney General Katherine Robertson—face each other for the June 16 primary runoff election.

Yogi Berra’s maxim states the obvious but oft-forgotten fact: we can observe a lot by watching.

And by watching the Fair Campaign Practices Act (FCPA) financial disclosures on file with the Alabama Secretary of State, Alabamians can observe that the Business Council of Alabama, a longtime kingmaker in Alabama politics, has been a major backer of Jay Mitchell. Several other state power players appear on Mitchell’s FCPA reports, along with a number of prominent Political Action Committees (PACs). Politics as usual.

Katherine Robertson’s FCPA reports are different.

Robertson reports raising just over $5 million. Of that total, an incredible $2.7 million—54% of her entire bankroll—comes from untraceable “dark money” entities. These shell groups are 501(c)4 organizations that have been established over the course of this campaign for the sole purpose of laundering political contributions to Robertson. That’s not to mention an additional $458,000 funneled tracelessly to a pro-Robertson proxy group.

That is at least $3,158,500 that has been dumped into Alabama to make her, a longtime staffer who has never argued a single case or prosecuted a single criminal, the Attorney General of our state. And we have no idea where it came from.

But Katherine Roberston does. As any lawyer who has tried a case might say, a preponderance of the evidence strongly suggests she knows exactly who gave her that money. Politicians know who funds their campaigns. Perhaps more significantly, no donor pours record-setting amounts of money into a race without making their preferred candidate well aware of their interests.

Let’s pause for a moment to do some political reasoning. If an Attorney General candidate knows that revealing her donors to voters would offend Alabamians, compromise her platform, and cost her the election, then she should not reveal those donors. Election integrity and FCPA standards notwithstanding. Remember—this is political math, not legal math.

We return to the wisdom of Yogi Berra. Katherine Robertson knows who is funding her campaign. But she refuses to report her donors to the Alabama Secretary of State. In hiding her donors, Katherine Robertson has revealed herself. She knows that IF you knew who her donors were, you would not vote for her. Which is exactly why you should not.

Brad Presnall is a veteran Alabama political commentator and strategist. He lives in Morgan County with his 134 pound Rottweiler, Cash.

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